What do bad "leaders" have in common? In its June issue, Harvard Business Review spells out some common characteristics.
- Lack energy and enthusiasm.
- Accept their own mediocre performance.
- Lack clear vision and direction.
- Have poor judgment.
- Don't collaborate.
- Don't walk the talk.
- Resist new ideas.
- Don't learn from mistakes.
- Lack interpersonal skills.
- Fail to develop others.
What's interesting reading this list is that any one of these characteristics, in big enough doses, can ruin a perfectly fine executive. We all know potentially excellent managers with an Achilles heel that undermined performance and credibility. It's the boss who is a master budgeteer, insightful mentor and master strategist -- but gets eyes rolling every Thursday as he departs for his 2:30 tee time.
The one trait I hadn't thought much about is No. 1, energy and enthusiasm. But it's true that my favorite and most effective supervisors over the years were those who could fire up a staff with their genuine passion for the work. Meanwhile, a going-through-the-motions boss can transform a bright 100-watt beacon into a flickering dim bulb just by walking into a room.
What traits do you think go into making a mediocre (or worse) manager?
For more details, read the full HBR article ($4.50) on the Ten Fatal Flaws That Derail Leaders.
Sean Silverthorne
Sean Silverthorne is the editor of HBS Working Knowledge, which provides a first look at the research and ideas of Harvard Business School faculty. Working Knowledge, which won a Webby award in 2007, currently records 4 million unique visitors a year. He has been with HBS since 2001.
Silverthorne has 28 years experience in print and online journalism. Before arriving at HBS, he was a senior editor at CNET and executive editor of ZDNET News. While at At Ziff-Davis, Silverthorne also worked on the daily technology TV show The Site, and was a senior editor at PC Week Inside, which chronicled the business of the technology industry. He has held several reporting and editing roles on a variety of newspapers, and was Investor Business Daily's first journalist based in Silicon Valley.
