Why Good Leaders Make Bad Decisions

A leader must be able to assess situations correctly. Many leaders struggle with having the right judgment without any sense of bias.

It feels as if we rarely have situations with sufficient data to make decisions clear and absolute. Maybe those situations do occur frequently, but because they are obvious, we don’t even register them as decisions. Leadership hinges on effective decision making and judgement calls. That includes gathering information for analysis when available, but also recognizing how not to be caught in analysis paralysis. Effective leaders constantly evaluate the situation, recognize the benefits, risks, and constraints and move forward. Nothing impedes an organization more than inability to commit to a path forward.

Having a leader who doesn’t know what they are doing isn’t that great.There is no telling if they will pull through, or if they will get you out of the hard situations. We should encourage certain traits, so that we don’t have to worry if our leaders are up to the task. Two good examples of magnificent leaders are Lin-Manuel Miranda ( “Lin-Manuel Miranda Biography” Biography.com by Clarence Haynes) and Odysseus (“The Odyssey” by Homer). They help inspire us and remind us to be clever and determined. Some may say that neither are well fit to be called brilliant leaders, but would terrible ones be as loved and cherished as they are? Only the determined and clever make it to the top. Determination

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.

Leaders tend to think about” Why.” and not “How.” this is an important lesson I learned from reading the novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding. Good leaders are focused, they care for the total well-being of their group, and make decisions based on the group. As well as, taking charge when no one else wants too or can. The novel shows these qualities throughout its chapters with one of its main characters, Ralph.

There are many things that can make someone a poor leader. He can be lazy, rude, unfair, etc. In my case, the worst leader I ever had was the boss I had when I worked for an insurance company. My boss played favorites, gave away her work, micromanaged, lacked human skills, and recorded everything that someone did wrong. All of these factors are what make her the worst leader I ever had.

All leaders are flawed which critics may point to as a reason why they won’t make good leaders. Bernie Sanders flaws which critics points out to most of the time is his steadfast ideological philosophies that are unrealistic and can never work. For example, according to Allen Clifton,”The fact remains that, while Sanders is pushing for a lot of massive changes to how this country functions, almost every major pillar on which he’s running stands zero chance at getting through Congress.” Although some may argue are fanciful can never work or get through congress, a president who at least has an interest in changing the country is better than one who will stick with whatever will get him/her elected.Furthermore, even if his ideas can’t get past

Some leaders in my organization do not like to accept the fact that they can make mistakes nor will admit to ever being wrong. In addition, they won’t listen to alternative ideas from individuals because they might be too young or may not possess the experience

A common theme from my research was that leaders lead by example. In some ways, I do this by being altruistic and selfless. I show others that I put their needs, concerns, and well-being before my own. This helps them understand that I care about them and will not do anything to purposefully bring them into harm. By doing so, followers know that they can trust and rely on me in situations. However, these are not good characteristics for management most of the time. I might put my followers before me and not be an adequate manager. My weakness of undecidedness is a flaw to this leadership trait. People do not want a leader who is afraid to take action and make a quick decision. Leaders need to be able to think quickly and make the best

Some people grow up into leaders and some people are born as leaders. Those that are born as leaders are strong not only do that they have a vision they know how communicate that vision. To maintain strong leadership playing it safe when setting goals is not an option. Goals incur some risk, but hold the potential for big payoffs. The leader has to be trustworthy and honest, deceiving or manipulating creates destruction in ones plans. Strong leaders that are upfront, honest and direct take responsibility when things go wrong rather than shifting the blame to others. A Leadership requires high self-esteem and confidence, because leaders with strong self-esteem are not afraid to listen and make changes when change is needed.

Leaders decide when they have ‘enough’ information to act. One thing that leaders do not understand is that one cannot be able to assort through all options and risks that are right in front of them. One needs to try and get the right information and use some right instincts in conjunction in order to make a decision (Dearstyne,

Also, bad leader would not exist without bad followers, who either collude with the leader or refuse to acknowledge their bad leadership or do anything about it. The author defines the bad leader as someone who is ineffective, and simply does not produce the changes desired by followers (Kellerman, 2004). In addition, bad leaders are unethical because they are lacking the ability to distinguish between right and wrong (Kellerman, 2004, p.

History shows us that there has been good leaders, and that there has been bad leaders. However, each type of leader has kept things together whether for the good of the people or just for themselves. What sets a leader a part is how well they lead their people. Leading by example is always the best way to go. If a leader shows integrity, honesty, and ethics it makes their followers want to display the same behavior. There are several different types of leadership theories to use when leading, but I have chosen three to focus on. The three I have chosen to focus on are: Contingency Theories, Situational Theories, and The Great Man Theories.

“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. ”-John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton. Leadership gives power, which enables a person to achieve marvelous accomplishments. When the leader gets in over their head, they can become a dictator in which all of the decisions are made by them.

When an employee of an organization feels their performance and achievements do not matter, that organization may ultimately suffer. Genuinely recognizing the value of your employees will help stop a leader from falling into the pitfalls of leadership, and having their employees enter into a dimension known as the ‘critter state”. An employee that falls into this state is known to have their ideas and skills fall short while they focus on a single question: “What will keep me safe?” (Comaford C., 2013). Below, I will explore the leadership pitfalls and how to possibly avoid them.