What Could Cause Leadership to Fail?

November 15, 2013

There are certain traits a person must have to be considered a good leader. By having such attributes, a leader is then expected to be capable of guiding his or her subordinates towards success. But what if the leader starts to take these traits to the extreme? Can this still be considered healthy for the organization?

One thing that every leader should understand is that even the things that make them a good leader could also end up being the cause of their failure. Any positive aspect of leadership that goes unchecked can become a reason for leadership to be ineffective and negative. This is because there is a very thin line separating good leadership and bad leadership.

These are some of the most common reasons why leadership fails

Confidence turns into an overwhelming ego. Leaders are expected to have confidence in themselves and the ability to make people do what he or she thinks is for the benefit of the organization. However, too much confidence can easily turn a leader into an egoistic individual who demands to be heard and followed all the time. A leader with too much ego talks about himself and only about what he thinks must be done without taking into consideration what others have to say. Clearly, ego can cause any leader to fail.

Goals become mere obsession. It is very important for a leader to have a vision or goals. Their goals are what guide them whenever they have to make decisions that would affect everyone in the organization. The problem is that often, leaders set goals that are based on their own personal desires and aspirations. The danger here is that it could cause them to be desperate to achieve those things they want for themselves. As a result, the leader could easily overlook the needs and wants of his staff, business partners, and even customers, which is a very clear sign of a failed leadership.

Task delegation becomes disorganized. Good leaders know the value of delegating tasks to the right people. Since no leader has the ability to do everything in an organization, he or she must implement an organized system of delegation. When he delegates too much or too little, his people will be left with no clear direction. Giving too many responsibilities to certain workers can also cause dissatisfaction among the workforce, which is a very common reason for failed leadership.

Eagerness results to close-mindedness. Although it is vital for a leader to know his goals and how he should achieve them, he must still remain open-minded to criticisms and corrections. This, however, doesn’t mean that a leader has to sacrifice or compromise his own beliefs. What’s important is for him to welcome what external factors are indicating he must or must not do. At the end of the day, a good leader must not only focus on his own career advancement, but on the welfare of everyone within the organization as well.

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