Five Habits Leaders Should Avoid

Effective leaders hold themselves and those around them accountable to a clear, consistent, and high standard.

If you want to be followed, make sure that you avoid these five ineffective leadership behaviors:

1. Ignore It. Ineffective leaders either pretend not to know there is a major problem, or choose to deny it instead of facing challenges head on.
   
   
2. Someone Else’s Problem. This age old excuse undermines confidence and can breed contempt. It also fails to acknowledge the systemic nature of leadership.
   
   
3. Blame Others. This behavior is a corollary of “blaming others.” When leaders do not model a sense of personal responsibility for organizational success, they falter.
   
   
4. Cover Your Backside. Another unproductive leadership approach is trying to protect your reputation instead of making things happen. Effective leaders acknowledge a problem and take the difficult steps necessary to solve it.
   
   
5. Stall. While a wait and see attitude can be helpful when critical information is forthcoming, ineffective leaders often use a stalling tactic as an excuse for not taking responsibility and for not making the tough decisions.