Introduction
It is often said that Leaders Are Born, Not Made-Leaders are those who are remembered! But, What is a leader? A leader is someone who can be the change they want to see in their organisation. In the modern world, a leader isn’t necessarily the CEO of an organisation. Instead, anyone with a set of skills and abilities that help advance the vision and mission of an organisation.
Leaders are often characterised as people with qualities that make them exceptional, like e possessing innate traits that allow them to motivate others, get things done, and achieve above-average results. But what to do when trouble arises in paradise? Here’s what you need to know about the major causes of leadership failure:
Causes of leadership failure
1. Leaders Become Selfish
There was once a leader who was well-loved by his people. He led them fearlessly and with great wisdom and courage. Yet, as the years went on, he became increasingly self-seeking and indulged himself in his pleasures. This changed him, and he became no longer a wise leader. Instead, he was cruel, impatient, and selfish. People eventually struggled to connect with him because of his bad attitude, which led to his leadership failure. What’s the moral of this story? Leaders sometimes become selfish on their path to success, leading to leadership failure.
2. Lack of Self-Leadership Qualities
The ability to lead people is something that makes one a great leader. Good leaders must be able to manage people and direct them in the right direction to obtain desired results. Driving people is difficult; many factors should be considered when dealing with individuals, which is impossible when leaders lack self-leadership qualities. Leadership is all about taking responsibility for your organisation. You have to make decisions and not blame others for poor performance. The five core qualities of a self-leader are:
- Enthusiasm for Learning
- Goals for life and business
- Willingness to let go
- Plans and schedules
- Focus and discipline
3. Confidence Turns to Arrogance
Leaders are confident in their leadership, but they need to know that this confidence can quickly turn into arrogance, which is the cause of leadership failure. Leadership is not just about having style, speaking eloquently or even having the most people following you. The crux of leadership consists in the fact that it is the people who accept their leader and what he stands for. Since his followers have an influential stake in his cause, does the leader not owe something more to them than this fund of goodwill? Surely he does. One might say that leadership has responsibilities and rights, even if the leader’s followers do not perceive this to be so. Arrogant leaders are people who act rudely and do not listen to others. They often put down those around them to feel better about themselves, get more attention or have a feeling of importance. They usually are taller than average, and their behaviour will give you the impression that they think they are superior to others.
There are two types of leaders, selfish and selfless. One is focused on themselves and the other on the people they lead. Now, in business, you need someone that can think fast, be decisive, and always make sure every decision they make is purely based on their definition of success. But as a business grows and people leave their jobs to work for someone else—as you grow your team—you have to transition from being a selfish leader to a selfless one.
4. Leaders Fail to Communicate Well
As an individual leader, a lack of communication skills is the main reason that causes you to fail. But as it can be a painful and touchy subject, many leaders fail to discuss their need for better communication skills with their followers. Throughout human history, there have been countless examples of failed leadership. There’s a simple reason for this. Most leaders fail to communicate effectively with their followers. This failure in communication leads not only to miscommunication between leader and follower but also to the leader’s failure. The art of communication is one of the essential traits of a leader. After all, at its core, leadership is about motivating and inspiring. A great leader has internalised the idea that communication is not a one-way street but a two-way experience. Even when people disagree, they can still communicate effectively. A manager or team leader needs to think more broadly about what effective communication looks like at different levels and situations.
5. Greed
Leadership is a good thing, right? If you’ve learnt your lessons from Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina, you know it can be the most destructive force. The same can be said about business leadership. Leaders become greedy for growth and money, which leads to leadership failure. Leadership is about growing and being able to have followers follow you. But what happens when leaders become greedy, not for money (well, some leaders become greedy too), but for growth and advancement? Well, the answer is leaders fail, and so does the team.
6. Conflicts with Other Leaders
Conflict is not new to the world of leadership. Throughout history, there have always been conflicting personalities trying to bend the agenda of their vision. But, as with anything else in life, a good understanding of an individual’s personality can help eliminate some of those conflicts and failures. Conflicts and disputes with other leaders are a significant reason for leadership failure.
7. Low motivation
Motivational leadership can be hard to come by in the modern commercial world. With new strategies constantly deployed, companies are looking for leaders who can bring their teams together and pull them forward. Motivation will always play a factor in leadership, as will many other qualities. But leaders often have low motivation when they reach a certain level, leading to leadership failure. People should inspire by world-famous motivational leaders like Dave Ramsey, Nick Vujicic, Chris Gardner, Les Brown, etc.
Conclusion
The information era has changed the landscape of leadership. So people interested in leadership roles need to think deeply and critically about the traits of great leaders. Leaders are people who show courage and determination. They inspire followers to achieve success in life.
A leader is a person who exhibits exceptional or compelling qualities and achieves acknowledged status because of it. He may be described as someone who “shows the way” by undertaking certain responsibilities, demonstrating exemplary achievements, being held up as an example for others to follow, or demonstrating a willingness to sacrifice his interests for the sake of a cause or group. It is crucial to understand and learn about the range of leadership theories that have been propounded to explain how leaders are distinct from followers and what makes an effective leader. And to do that, one should definitely enrol themselves in a Future Leadership Program. By doing so, an individual will not only be able to learn practical leadership skills but also take the constructive path of being a great leader.
