We all have studied great leaders and when asked, we can cite their names and quote them in an instant. However, most certainly, we can also think of someone we would describe as a bad leader. The common trait among the bad leaders that I have worked with was their lack of trustworthiness. These leaders were deemed untrustworthy because they would tell people what they wanted to hear, not the truth. They would articulate one thing to one employee and something else to another employee. They would pass their employee’s work off as their own. And they would exclude team members from important meetings and decisions. Therefore, as a result of these negative behaviors, no longer was I able to grant them the benefit of the doubt and I …show more content…
This was a sure sign of his lack of integrity and loyalty. His dishonesty was a direct result of his unwillingness to admit what he did was wrong. Withholding information from team members was also a trait this leader employed. O’Toole and Bennis (2009) stated that “Leaders try to hoard and control information because they believe it is a source of power” (p. 11). I consider this to be true for this specific leader. He would deliberately hoard information so that others would not have the same knowledge as he. Again, this deceitful act was an indication of his lack of communicating honestly and his lack of integrity. True leaders are selfless not self-serving (Mckinney, 2000/2009). This leader was putting his own success above all else, therefore I could not put my trust in him.
A leader cannot be successful without building a trusting rapport with their followers. Without trust, a leader will be unsuccessful motivating and influencing employees to follow them. People will not follow someone they do not trust. According to O’Toole and Bennis, “Leaders first must trust others before others will trust them” (2009, p. 13). Although the act of enlisting trust in your followers, is in essence giving away some of your power, leaders will essentially gain authority because they will have followers who will want to support them.
Those who show good leadership share qualities such as strong integrity, consideration of others, and the ability to lead by example. A good leader will know what’s wrong and what’s right. When leading others, they choose the option that is morally acceptable. A good leader has been taught what is right and wrong and doesn’t choose to do what’s wrong when leading others. A good leader thinks of others when making their decisions. They consider what will be best for the group when
In followership there needs to be a leader that inspires and bonds followers together as a unit moving in one direction. Today’s leader has to be more than someone that was placed in a position of authority, a person with a title and a higher salary level. A real leader is found when the behaviors and attitudes of their
Trust has to be earned by everyone. Trust is a very serious word, because it can mean so much to one person. It's usually pretty hard to gain trust and if you break the trust it’s really hard to gain it back. There’s people out there that you can never trust. These people do anything to help themselves out and only care about themselves.
According to President Abraham Lincoln, “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man 's character, give him power.” Many people can get through their trials and develop their character, but when they are given power, if will show what type of a person they are. A bad leader is arrogant and leads by fear, and often bends the rules based off of what would benefit them even when it contrasts with what would benefit their community. A good leader is flexible, patient, and rational, and knows how to improve whatever they are in control of and take action. To be a trustworthy leader, compassion, diligence, and intelligence are needed so followers will see the leaders example and try to become more like them. Because bad
Why do we hear so much about the bad leaders, but so little about the good ones? That’s because none of our leaders are perfect, but what makes a good leader? A good leader is someone who is honest, decisive under pressure, and can give confidence in times of distress. Many leaders in our world, or in fictional worlds, show that these qualities prove most important.
Ultimately, it takes more than confidence and committed supporters to be a successful leader. Successful leaders accomplish their mission.
Leadership is not a solo act, it’s a team effort the authors explain (p. 223). To enable others to act the leader needs to create a climate of trust by facilitating relationships. To start the process one must, “be the first to let go of control,” Kouzes and Posner explain and it requires self-confidence (p. 227). Just like Bass and Avolio (1980)
I would expect that every person has experienced a time when they were part of a team with a good and bad leader. In business there are many times when the wrong leadership styles are chosen and have a negative effect on the end results. Throughout history many scholars have tried to understand and improve the art of leadership. They have given us theories, practices, suggestions and models to follow so that we too can reach the goal of the perfect leader. Today’s managers are influenced by many of these ideas but also by past experience, both good and bad, and by how the dynamic of the team that they are leading is built upon. These experiences and observations directly impact the leadership style and many times the end result of the tasks being performed. If a leader has the understanding of what his/her group wants, then they are better suited to make the right leadership and communication decisions, so as not to have a negative effect on the team or outcome.
Leadership is the ability to inspire and focus members on a common goal, whether short term or long term and have the same vision. Leadership is more than telling or ordering, but having members believe and want to follow the same path as you. It’s a commitment to your people built on trust and respect. Many leaders shaped my personal leadership philosophy, to include several negative and positive experiences. Negative experiences from poor leaders and lessons learned on my part have uniquely shaped this vision. Difficult to be a good follower when your leader lacks competency, integrity, and your trust. If a leader takes credit for work other than their own, or forces and ideology onto others, but does not follow it themselves; these negative influences damage the trust and respect required by all leaders. However, positive experiences can also have a career lasting impact. A leader who inspires through personal actions and convictions can change how an entire unit operates without ever saying a word.
Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, "If you treat people right they will treat you right.... 90% of the time. " There are bad leaders and good leaders. Great leaders are not very easy to find in the world. There are many different leadership traits, such as caring, decisive and focused. There can also be bad leaders that are dishonest and do not do what is best for the United States such as Hillary Clinton.
One of the strengths of this approach is that it highlights that leaders and followers mutually affect each other, making leadership an interactive activity that is not restricted to only a formal leader. At the same time this approach lacks wide empirical research, specificity and conceptual
At my previous place of employment, I had many effective and helpful leaders. I also had some that were somewhat poor, and some that were downright awful. There was one leader who stood out the most to me as an example of negative leadership behavior. She was a
The leader and follower relationship is looked at as winners and losers, when it is actually a symbiotic association. (Chaleff) Leaders cannot exist without followers and followers cannot exist without a leader. Leaders can forget that they need the backing of a solid team of followers in order to succeed. Because they make the “important” decisions and enjoy an astronomical rate of pay, it is easy to overlook the loyal, hard working individuals that make everything happen under them. Followers too can forget that they are a valuable element of a successful organization, and that their feedback and ideas are welcome.
Given the increase in organizational downsizings, layoffs, asset write-offs and executive bailouts, how important is the trust factor in defining a good leader? Without an established trust relationship a leader is unable to be effective. The problem to be investigated is the value of trustworthiness and ethical stewardship in the construct of the organizational leadership model. This paper shall explore the co-functions of trust and ethical stewardship and its impact on leadership effectiveness.
I have had many leaders I’ve followed over the years. An impactful experience was working for my brother. I was 20 and my brother 21 when I got a job for him as an automotive detailer. Up until that point I never looked at my brother as a leader. Over the year or two my perspective of him changed a lot, and I learned a great deal. These things came naturally to him. One thing I observed is how he consistently held his team accountable. So much so, if a coworker messed up. They would almost be afraid the consequence. On the other hand he also would acknowledge good work which showed respect. Over time I saw how the team progressed. Eventually my brother hardly even needed to be at work.