How I recognize a bad leader and sign of bad leadership

In my brief career as HR personnel, I learnt few things about leadership. I think I am fortunate enough to work under various leaders. All leaders are different and most are great in their own unique ways. I find it quite hard to describe good leaders as they seem to be all different. I admire one leader for taking risks for sake of outcome but I find that quality in bad leader too. I just didn’t like how bad leader take that risks. I admire one leader for being strict and I didn’t like are also being strict. I like one leader for being frank but I didn’t like other leader though he was frank.  I can’t define good leaders but I somewhat know how bad leaders behave;

1.       Bad leader crave for attention and every work he/he does is for attention and reward. He wants to get attention of high profile people, wants to be heard in media but really doesn’t care about management of the affairs if it doesn’t suit him or her agenda.

2.       Bad leaders are too much into details not that is bad. The way they delve into details is bad. They don’t micromanage to enhance the capability of staff but to dig dirt. When employees make mistake, they dig backward to fix the person who makes the mistakes. Bad leader don’t realise, if employee is perfect, they would be not serving under their employee. On other hand, good leader look forward on how to mitigate impact of that mistakes and how to move forward.

3.       Bad leader seeks views but when views don’t validate what he or she thinks, they take it as challenge to their authority. They will not talk to you for days. On other hand, you can argue with great leader and he/she treats you with same magnanimity as before.

4.        Bad leader take credit for good outcome and blame bad outcome either on his supervisor or subordinates. He always think what he does is right and what other does is wrong. He tends to remember your one bad habit and 99 good habits. Good leader just focus one 99% strength of yours. For an instance, I crossed the red line with one leader. He was pissed off and rightly so. But he never victimizes me in any form.

5.       Bad leader thinks what he do is right and important and others are not so important. When you request for something, he will say ‘you be on my shoes, then only you will understand.’ He will go on sharing his problems and ideology instead of listing to you

6.       Bad leader has double standard. He will stick to rules when it is beneficial to you and he will justify for breaking rules when it suits his favourite. He/she will be always surrounded by his/her aye-sayers

7.       Bad leader also boasts himself or herself. For one achievement, he /she will break this into thousand thousands achievement with magnifying glass of ego. He/she will make sure that subordinate is feel indebted despite fact that it is right of subordinates. He/she will want subordinates continuous gratitude for doing what leader is expected to do.

8.       Bad leader will rate you on your sycophancy. If you have subordinate has opened his car door for him/her or carry his/her hand bag, then higher rating will be given.

These are some of the symptoms leader should know when he/she is failing;

1.       When your subordinates ignore you and pretend they are not seeing you

2.       Subordinates would have happily served in that place for decades and suddenly wants transfer

3.       When attrition rate in your organisation suddenly increase without outside factor

4.       When subordinates suddenly looks for opportunities in other departments where you have no control

5.       When your subordinates never share their views or never  contradicts you

When your subordinates do exactly what you have said and never take risks