Why We Choose The Wrong Leaders And How We Can Fix This

Take the time to identify new criteria that make leaders not only effective but productive, as well

Leaders who are confident, controlling, and hierarchical have always been popular throughout history, however, this often comes at a cost of not always being particularly well-liked by the public. In the modern work environment, it still seems like this type of leader has the ability to become incredibly successful, despite being viewed by many as brash. Adam Neumann and Steve Jobs both famously had a “my way or the highway” approach to managing that continues to inspire many.
 

While this type of leadership style can produce great results, it forces us to ask the questions: Why do we consistently choose these dominant types of leaders to run our companies, and what effect do they have on those who work underneath them? And as tech layoffs continue to happen and leaders are forced to make difficult decisions, it is crucial to evaluate the difference between a good and a bad leader, particularly in times like these.

Why Do We Choose These Leaders?

Research shows that when times are scary and ambiguous, people gravitate towards assertive leaders for a feeling of safety and security. While it may feel good initially to have that sense of protection, this type of leadership doesn’t end up serving you in the long term. As humans, we have a hard time seeing past the veneer of who someone is. While the majority of us would like to believe that we have grown out of our “choosing the bad boy” stage, the reality is that these types of leaders tend to have a kind of charisma that makes many susceptible to trusting them. Once we realize we are under their spell, it is usually too late.

What Makes a Good Leader?

An effective leader in the workplace instills trust in their team while also contributing to the department's overall growth through increased team productivity. Positive team leaders are born with certain qualities, such as compassion and integrity, or are able to acquire them through formal training and experience.

One can obtain leadership through dominance or prestige. Dominant leaders are assertive, confident, controlling, decisive, and intimidating. Many of these characteristics are positive; however, dominant leaders have been known to exhibit negative characteristics such as narcissism, aggression, and uncooperativeness. Such leaders may insist that their way is the only way, or they may intimidate others rather than discussing, debating, or consulting with colleagues. This can have serious consequences for the businesses they lead. Leaders who are prestige-based are respected, admired, and held in high regard by others. They are not only competent in their own right, but they also pass on their knowledge and skills to others in their group. Prestige-based leaders also have traits that are deemed more likable such as warmth and compassion and are therefore more socially accepted than their dominant counterparts.

As layoffs continue to make headlines and managers are left with smaller teams, navigating how to lead groups of individuals during a time like this is crucial. It’s imperative to have a lot of communication up-front and let people on your team express how they really feel post-layoffs. It is also important to think of how you are going to reallocate work with a smaller team to ensure employees aren’t feeling burnt out by having to take on more work now that there’s less staff. Taking tasks that aren’t as important off of your team’s plate during a period of economic downturn also shows your staff that you are working with them through this. Now is also a great time to encourage internal mobility and allow team members to change roles and harness skills and strengths that they weren’t able to use in their current roles.  

An effective leader will be one who is able to stay calm and carry on through the uncertainty while also thinking about their team collectively, rather than being focused on themselves.

The Effects of Poor Leadership

The ramifications of poor leadership in a workplace echo what we often see in politics. In the best-case scenario, a leader will come in and make a big impact, but over time they won’t end up delivering on their promises. In the worst-case scenario, these types of leaders embed a culture of toxicity that erodes trust within the workplace. Studies have shown that the behavior of CEOs and top management has a trickle effect on the rest of the organization.

According to a study conducted by Nankai Business Review, those in the middle of an organization are less likely to put in effort in their jobs when they have an ineffective leader. This often leads to inconsistent customer service and internal employee frustration. An ineffective CEO will negatively affect an entire organization from top to bottom, no matter how much it is prevented. For example, after Boeing fired CEO Dennis Muilenburg for mishandling the 737 Max crisis, internal communications from the company showed a company culture in disarray, with senior employees having little regard for their colleagues and customers. Without consistent and effective leadership, any organization is susceptible to falling apart.

Strategies for Assessing and Developing Leaders

Picking the right leaders to run your organization while ensuring you are nurturing their strengths and talents is challenging for any business owner. Utilizing skills-based digital assessments allows one to be more aware of the traits hiring managers should look for in a leader such as warmth, empathy, and compassion. Digital assessments provide a “portfolio of evidence” on skills, strengths, and talents, allowing selection teams to identify a great leader.  

These assessments are also a great way for individuals to capture learnings and key insights they might not know about themselves yet. Rather than looking outside of the organization to fill leadership roles, HR can utilize assessments to support succession planning by seeing who in their current pool of employees would be a fit to take on a bigger role. They also provide supplementary, unbiased information about potential candidates and are critical when it comes to assessing and developing good leaders.

While dominant leaders will always be popular, it is important for us to take the time to identify new criteria that make leaders not only effective but productive, as well. Having a good leader ensures that everyone in your organization is aligned and working towards a common goal. This leaves little room for employee frustration and allows companies to build a strong company culture.

Author Bio

Celine Floyd is the Director of Leadership Assessment at Cappfinity, focused on supporting clients to engage, transform and empower their Executive Talent. Celine has an MSc in Occupational Psychology, is a member of the British Psychology Society and a Chartered Occupational Psychologist. Her specialist expertise is in the evaluation of leadership capability and potential, in service of recruitment, internal mobility, team formation, succession planning, talent mapping and leadership bench-strength testing. As an advisor to CEOs, CPOs and CHROs, typically of international corporations, she is passionate about authenticity, agility, inclusion, technology, social mobility and modernity. Connect Celine Floyd