Leaders Behaving Badly
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As a personal and professional coach, so much of what I have been hearing about
lately has to do with leaders behaving badly. It seems time to address this issue from the
perspective of millions of employees who continue to suffer injustices by these bad behaving
leaders. It seems the positive aura of light surrounding leadership overall is going dim in
many instances. Perhaps it is time to give voice to the many who work for leaders behaving
badly.


Implications suggested by the title of this article are philosophically impossible. True
leaders do not behave badly. Great leaders understand that leadership is about inspiring
creativity and shared values. Leadership is about releasing the inherent motivational energy
found in every person and instilling inspiration for others to reach the seeming impossible.
Leadership is future facing and is concerned with what will be . . . not just what is right now.


Leaders who yell at, put down, do nothing, marginalize, discourage, and ignore
employees are not real leaders. Leaders and managers who fail to engage followers or fail to
create a vision for others to follow are not leading either. These leaders (in title only) are
generally in the way of progress and are often seen by their employees as obstructionists to
moving forward. Additionally, emotionally immature leaders destroy positive motivation; erode

unity, performance and productivity eventually to the point of significant economic loss to the
organization.


In contrast, real leaders don’t just say they value employees. They live it. They value
and embrace trusting relationships; visibly demonstrate fairness, principled decision-making
and appropriate behaviors. These leaders encourage employees to be their best and help
prepare them for future leadership roles. Genuine leaders understand that doing the right
thing because it is the right thing to do creates strong organizational values and encourages
good corporate citizenship. Having these strong organizationally sustaining principles are the
foundations upon which great leaders excel in every way.


Leaders, more than any other group in an organization are in a position to make the
type of difference they often say they want to achieve. The game to play is not Simon
Says . . . the game is Follow the Leader. In general, people don’t do what leaders say to do;
they do what leaders actually do. Leaders and managers who are genuinely committed to
making a difference might consider how important it is to understand how valuable their
followers are in the competitive race. The efforts of employees are what give an organization
even the ability to compete and certainly to win. Valuing employees often begins with making
a difference in how leaders and managers treat their followers and employees. Leadership is
not about touting an ideal leadership style because there is no one best style. Leadership is
about positively influencing others to get something done. For many leaders this is no small
task.


One example of changing how things are done in organizations may be to change
how employee performance reviews are conducted. Way too often employees are subjected
to performance reviews by ill-prepared managers who have not been trained in the art of
giving feedback or in conducting reviews. Perhaps the evaluation process should be the other
way around. Research suggests when employees have a say in their manager’s performance,
leader behaviors change for the better. One way to assess whether leaders are behaving
badly is through an evaluation of the leader’s ability to lead in several areas which include the

leader’s ability to develop all of their employees, release motivational energy, and encourage
engagement in shared values for the mission ahead. In other words, are your organizational
leaders preparing themselves, employees, and the organization for the future?


If anyone wants to know whether a leader is being effective, one way would be to
take a look at what is going on around a particular manager/leader. Stop and take a moment
to observe managers and employees in their work environment. Conduct manager and
employee assimilations. Look how leaders are relating (or not) to their employees in areas of
development, motivation, and knowledge sharing. Listen to the stories going on around the
organization about particular managers and leaders. Do these stories support the values the
organization espouses to represent to stockholders, the community, and customers? If the
answer is no, then perhaps leader development in the form of coaching for leaders and
training is necessary to ensure there is consistency between what the organization says it
values and leader behavior.


Change is always a choice. Since we cannot change anyone but ourselves, every
opportunity must be made to understand all options available and make the best choice for
personal growth at all levels within the organization. Coaching is a viable option for leaders to
discover what their strengths really are and how to negate or make areas for growth
opportunities for change. As effective as the coaching process might be, coaching alone is
no guarantee a change in behaviors will occur, but it is a great place to start.


Ultimately, the responsibility and accountability for leaders behaving badly are the
work of those at the highest level of the organization. When cultural norms, processes, and
accountability for results are established and training for the desired behaviors takes place,
behaviors will change. Other benefits that will be seen as a result of improved leader
behavior could be an increase in productivity, higher retention rates, follower commitment will
be stronger, and organizational energy will be higher. Everyone wins when leaders are held
accountable for their actions and how they behave.



Leaders are no different than any of the rest of us. We all fail at something at one
time or another. We all experience loss and make poor decisions at some time in our lives. If
we can look at these encounters as opportunities to learn and grow and evolve, we are the
better for the experience. One of the best gifts a leader can give them selves is to take time
to become aware of, understand, and then accept their authentic self. Leaders behaving
badly are often a symptom of an unknown or un discussed problem lying just beneath the
surface. Hiding behind the authority that comes with a title is not an answer to solving a
problem.


Facing the realities of what is actually going on is how the process of changing
behaviors begins. We cannot change what we cannot acknowledge. Leaders, like anyone
else, must face his or her behaviors and fears and then do something. Einstein said nothing
changes until something moves. So move. If you are a leader, take the first step and
acknowledge you need help . . . not just for yourself, but also for helping your employees,
your organization, and your customers get what they need.