There has been over 100 years of psychological research on leaders and leadership (Day & Antonakis, 2012). One thing is clear: There are tell-tale signs that a leader is good, and does the right things, or that a leader is bad, and does the opposite. Here are the main behaviors that are associated with bad leaders and leadership.
1. Lying. Polls have shown consistently that the most admired leadership quality is honesty/integrity. So, if honesty is admired, and associated with good leadership, then lying, particularly chronic lying, is a sign of a bad leader. When a leader lies, especially if the leader is caught in a lie, followers will lose trust, and without that, the effectiveness of the department, the organization, or the nation suffers.
2. Bullying. Leader bullying involves the use of power to denigrate or belittle others. When leaders bully their own followers, that is particularly bad. But leaders can also bully others outside of the collective, and that bullying of outsiders may even be cheered on by the leader’s followers. However, the use of bullying and coercion has an important downside: It leads to retaliation from the bullied party, and that can work against the leader and those who are led.
3. Nepotism/Cronyism. The very best leaders surround themselves with the best confidantes, assistants, and employees — those who are knowledgeable, talented, creative, and motivated. Nepotism – putting family members into positions of authority – or cronyism (i.e., playing favorites due to personal relationships) is problematic, but only if the choosing of relatives and friends for important positions is done over those who are more qualified (Riggio & Saggi, 2015). There’s nothing wrong with a leader choosing loyal associates, as long as those individuals are well-qualified for the job.
A bad leader and his or her tight band of cronies can make departments and organizations a living hell for employees. They do everything to make their lives easier at the followers’ (and the organization’s) expense.
4. Neglect and a Lack of Empathy. Leaders are, above all, responsible for the care of followers and their concerns. When a leader is more concerned about themself than the collective and their needs, it’s a sure sign of a problem. A leader who ignores the troubles and pains of followers is not doing the job of leading.
What Good Leaders Do
- Good leaders are concerned with ethics and do the right things (Newstead & Riggio, 2023).
- Good leaders don’t break rules, lie, cheat, or steal to get ahead.
- Good leaders limit “collateral damage.” In achieving goals, they don’t exhaust, damage, or demoralize followers. They don’t devastate the environment or needlessly waste precious resources.
- Good leaders are concerned about and work to make things better for followers. They build the talents of their workforce or supporters and help them engage in joint efforts to do things that will benefit all.
- Good leaders leave the team, the organization, or the nation better off than they found it.
