Barbara Kellerman, a Center for Public Leadership Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School, discusses how bad leaders can spiral downward effortlessly, using examples from the public and private sectors. She emphasizes the importance of recognizing and avoiding ineffective and unethical leaders, highlighting the challenges of defining and combating bad leadership.
Be cautious of leaders setting unrealistic expectations, and watch for blindly supportive followership.
Bad leadership worsens without external intervention, requiring early recognition to prevent oppressive outcomes.
Deep dives
Signs of Bad Leadership
One early sign of bad leadership is when a leader makes excessively ambitious promises, setting unrealistic expectations that are detached from reality. This initial warning sign should alert followers to be cautious and observant. Additionally, followers should pay attention to the nature of the followership, noting if it becomes blindly supportive or excessively devoted. When followers unquestioningly endorse a leader's fantastical vision, without critical analysis, potential troubles may arise.
Progression of Bad Leadership
Bad leadership tends to worsen over time if left unchecked, as leaders rarely self-correct without external intervention. Evidence from studies, such as observing Vladimir Putin's leadership evolution, indicates that bad leaders often deteriorate in behavior and impact. The longer bad leadership persists, the harder it becomes to address effectively, leading to oppressive and repressive outcomes. Recognizing the progression of bad leadership and taking steps early on can help prevent further deterioration.
Identifying and Addressing Bad Leadership
Recognizing bad leadership involves heightened awareness and consciousness among employees towards their organization's mission and leadership morality. Individuals entering new job roles should evaluate past organizational performances to gauge the alignment between stated missions and actual practices. Employees should proactively inquire about the company's ethical standards, aligning personal values with the organizational culture. It is essential for individuals to raise concerns, speak truth to power intelligently, and collaborate with allies to address bad leadership effectively.
There's plenty of advice on how to grow into a better leader. And it takes effort to become more effective. But bad leadership gets worse almost effortlessly, says Barbara Kellerman, a Center for Public Leadership Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School. She shares real examples from the public and private sectors of how bad leaders spiral downward, and how bad followership enables that negative trend. She gives her advice for recognizing and avoiding ineffective and unethical leaders. Kellerman is the author of the new book Leadership from Bad to Worse: What Happens When Bad Festers.
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