Just because you were promoted and assigned head of a major department does not automatically mean you are capable of leading a team. Most of the time, promotions are based on past individual performances within particular job descriptions or projects. Newly-promoted leaders are actually tested on the job, which means there is a huge space for challenges, failure, and shortcomings.
The good news is, as long as this space exists, there are plenty of opportunities to improve your style of work and eventually develop an effective way to lead your colleagues. But before you can do that, it is important to recognize which things you lack and which ones you are doing wrong.
Here are 3 signs you are not doing it right as a leader:
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You lack empathy because you are too arrogant.
This means the inability to understand your colleagues, see things the way they do, and recognize the way they feel about things. Oftentimes, this is because of arrogance — detaching yourself from the rest of the group because you consider yourself as a superior person.
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You cannot balance compromise and stance.
A leader must know when to take a stand and when to compromise his ideas. Too much of either one will make a weak organization. A bad leader does not have a strong grasp of their stance or simply cannot persuade others into it, which causes them to give up too quickly. On the other hand, being too firm without considering others’ ideas will lead to a domineering leadership that creates a space between the leader and the team, advises Montgomery Presents.
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You lack vision, and you fear challenges and changes.
Not knowing where your organization should go is a clear manifestation of a bad leader. If you have very little idea of your organization’s vision and mission, your long-term goals and how to achieve them, then there is no way you can lead the whole team towards it. You pass up on opportunities because you are too afraid of challenges and changes, and you fear failures thus you miss on the biggest chances of succeeding.
The word “vision” is one of the most used terms when discussing leadership, and even the most humorous motivational speakers know that this is an essential factor that should never be underrated.
There are other things that signify a bad leader, but these three signs are the most common. If you are guilty of any or all of the above, then it is high time to change your style of leadership before you lose your team or even the whole organization.
