Instantly Identify Bad Leadership with These 7 Warning Signs
What does it take to be a good leader? Avoid these common mistakes at all cost.
By Marcel Schwantes
A few years ago, I conducted a survey to understand the most frequent leadership mistakes that contribute to employee disengagement. Hundreds of global employee responses highlighted key trends, revealing what often causes leaders to lose their teams’ trust and motivation. While not exhaustive, these are the top warning signs identified.
1. Micromanaging
Unsurprisingly, micromanagement topped the list (37% of respondents). Leaders who dominate decisions, control processes, and manage through fear create an environment of mistrust. Micromanaging kills motivation and stifles creativity, preventing teams from reaching their full potential.
2. A lack of listening skills
As one survey respondent put it: “It’s not just about listening, it’s about truly understanding what your team is saying.” Many leaders struggle with active listening. They may communicate their own messages but don’t receive or process what’s coming back to them. Active listening, which fosters mutual respect and trust, is an authentic and undervalued leadership skill.
3. Overlooking people’s strengths
Managers often fail to recognize and utilize their team’s unique strengths and talents. This can manifest in two ways:
Lack of Development: Failing to invest in growth and mentorship for high-potential employees.
Misalignment of Skills: Not identifying where each person’s talents can be best used for the success of the team and organization.
4. A reluctance to grow as a leader
Leadership growth shouldn’t stop at the top. However, many senior-level leaders are reluctant to develop themselves, leading to a disconnect and friction within teams. Common gaps include low self-awareness, poor communication, and resistance to two-way feedback. Leaders must commit to personal development to foster healthy organizational growth.
5. Lack of two-way communication channels
Customer-facing employees often have valuable insights about operations and customer experience, but many leaders fail to tap into this intel. Instead of engaging in productive two-way communication, many managers become defensive when receiving feedback on strategy (since they think they have all the answers and don’t need input) or fail to ask questions to understand the situation better, and how it may benefit the business. Managers who dismiss open dialogue miss out on opportunities for improvement and innovation. This leads to the next point…
6. Management by hubris
There’s a fine line between confidence and arrogance, and many managers cross it. Intellectual arrogance, or the refusal to admit when you’re wrong, is a common trait that disrupts teams. Managers who assume they have all the answers without seeking input from their team create a toxic work environment that breeds disengagement.
7. Failure to tap into frontline expertise
Related to many previous points above, especially micromanagement, many employees feel their expertise isn’t being leveraged in key decisions. About 18% of respondents reported feeling like cogs in the machine, without autonomy or a voice in the process. When employees aren’t empowered to take ownership, disengagement and low morale are inevitable outcomes.
Bottom line: By recognizing and addressing these common mistakes, leaders can build trust, engage their teams, and create a more collaborative and effective workplace.