11 reasons why leaders fail and how to avoid the pitfalls

By Jenny Ostick, business psychologist and leadership coach
From passive resistance to being eager to please, here are the top leadership derailers and how to avoid them, says business psychologist Jenny Ostick

According to business psychologist and leadership coach Jenny Ostick, being an effective leader requires a combination of skills, experience, and personal attributes that not everyone possesses.

“Even the most successful leaders can fail, and the reasons for their failures can often be attributed to their personal traits and behaviours,” says Jenny who has spent the last 20 years working with leaders across the globe and has worked with the likes of Deloitte, Virgin, Nestle and Coca-Cola to name a few.

Here, Jenny explores 11 common reasons why leaders fail and provides tips on how to avoid these pitfalls.

“By understanding these behaviours and taking steps to address them, you can improve your leadership effectiveness and ensure the success of your organisation.”

Volatile leaders are those who are easily frustrated and emotional, causing them to overreact to criticism and become quickly disappointed. This behaviour can lead to people holding back from having tough conversations with you and not providing important information until it's too late. As a volatile leader you often wear your heart on your sleeve and can quickly become excited or discouraged about new projects. You may also give up easily, which can be seen as a lack of perseverance. My top tip if you are a volatile leader is to learn to recognise your early warning signals and remove yourself from the situation before losing control.

A sceptical leader can be challenging to work with. You tend to distrust others, expect to be disappointed, and hold grudges. You can be cynical and argumentative and are always alert for signs of disrespect or betrayal. Skeptical leaders also tend to obsess over what can go wrong and may not take action due to your mistrust. You need to question your assumptions and challenge the belief that others deliberately demean or wrong you.

If you are an overly cautious leader, you will avoid taking risks and tend to be afraid of making mistakes. Cautious leaders often require a lot of information and reassurance before making decisions and may miss out on opportunities because you take too long to decide. You also tend to avoid situations where you may feel awkward or embarrassed, and do not share your opinions or engage in debates. To combat this, confront your fears and articulate your worst-case scenarios, in order to decrease your fear of making mistakes.

In business, an aloof leader is someone who appears indifferent and unconcerned about others. You tend to act independently without consulting your team, and your detachment can lead to misreading social cues and hurting people's feelings. Symptoms of an aloof leader include disengaging during tough times, creating a cold culture, limiting close relationships, being emotionally distant, and avoiding conflict. To avoid these problems, focus on building relationships, showing empathy, and actively engaging with your team.

A passive-resistant leader has a hidden agenda and doesn't follow through on commitments. You use political savvy for your own gain and won't disclose your position on critical issues. You avoid conflict and may privately criticize others. Cynicism is common among those working with you. To overcome passive resistance, you must engage in honest self-reflection and acknowledge the need to change your ways before you derail your career.

As an arrogant leader you have excessive pride, an inflated view of your self-worth, and a blinding belief in your own opinions, making you stubborn and self-righteous. Signs of an arrogant leader include dominating others, denying your faults, not being open to learning, refusing to be accountable, and not recognising your limitations. My top tip for an arrogant leader is to share the credit and recognise the contributions of others to your success.

Mischievous leaders act impulsively and don't consider the consequences of their actions. You break rules, cover up mistakes, and don't take the time to win people over. Mischievous behaviour often shows up in accounting scandals as you think the rules don’t apply to you. Mischievous leaders need to think before acting by slowing down your decision-making and conducting a realistic appraisal of the consequences of each option.

If you are an eccentric leader you tend to be unpredictable and demonstrate unusual behaviour, which can make it difficult for others to take you seriously. You may have a million great ideas but struggle to execute them, and you often believe you are unusually creative and visionary. Eccentric leaders can be inspiring, but you can also frustrate and confuse your team members. To avoid getting stuck and failing to bring your ideas to life, you should build a team with strong executors who can turn your ideas into reality. Additionally, it is important for eccentric leaders to recognise when it's time to move on from an idea and focus on something else.=

Perfectionist leaders are highly critical of themselves and others, often struggling with delegation and micromanagement. You can be inflexible, miss the real goal, and frequently miss deadlines due to your obsession with flawlessness. This can lead to low morale and poor performance. My top tip for perfectionist leaders is to stop criticising others and to focus on giving praise, as it has been shown to increase performance. Perfectionist leaders often acknowledge their tendency, but don’t comprehend the real cost. Reflect on the true cost of your perfectionism - the impact of your high stress levels, those opportunities you missed as you were too caught up in the details. And what about the low performance and morale in your team?

Leaders who are eager to please tend to prioritise winning the popularity contest and seek approval from others. You often avoid conflict and challenge, lack priorities and direction, and poor performance often runs rife. As a result, you may lose the respect of your colleagues and team members. My top tip for such leaders is to identify what you stand for. What are your personal and leadership philosophy, values, beliefs and points of view? Use this as a framework for analysing issues and making decisions. By doing so, you can prioritise your goals and make decisions that align with your values, rather than focusing on pleasing others.

Effective leadership is crucial for organisational success, but many leaders fail due to personal traits and behaviours. Whether it's volatile behaviour, scepticism, or arrogance, leaders can develop negative traits that can harm their professional relationships and limit their potential.

However, by becoming aware of these traits and taking steps to address them, leaders can overcome their weaknesses and become more effective. That is why it is so important for leaders to engage in honest self-reflection.

Ultimately, the success of a leader depends on your ability to recognise your blind spots, build strong relationships, and stay focused on your goals. By doing so, you can avoid the pitfalls of ineffective leadership and lead your organisation to success.

Jenny Ostick is a Business Psychologist and Leadership Coach who is on a mission to make good leaders exceptional leaders. She has spent the last 20 years working with leaders across the globe and has worked with the likes of Deloitte, Virgin, Nestle and Coca-Cola to name a few. You can receive her free guide ’11 Reasons Leaders Fail (And How to Not Be One Of Them) which includes guidance and coaching on how to address each of the 11 derailers.

Jenny Ostick

Volatile leaders are those who are easily frustrated and emotional, causing them to overreact to criticism and become quickly disappointed. This behaviour can lead to people holding back from having tough conversations with you and not providing important information until it's too late. As a volatile leader you often wear your heart on your sleeve and can quickly become excited or discouraged about new projects. You may also give up easily, which can be seen as a lack of perseverance. My top tip if you are a volatile leader is to learn to recognise your early warning signals and remove yourself from the situation before losing control.

A sceptical leader can be challenging to work with. You tend to distrust others, expect to be disappointed, and hold grudges. You can be cynical and argumentative and are always alert for signs of disrespect or betrayal. Skeptical leaders also tend to obsess over what can go wrong and may not take action due to your mistrust. You need to question your assumptions and challenge the belief that others deliberately demean or wrong you.

If you are an overly cautious leader, you will avoid taking risks and tend to be afraid of making mistakes. Cautious leaders often require a lot of information and reassurance before making decisions and may miss out on opportunities because you take too long to decide. You also tend to avoid situations where you may feel awkward or embarrassed, and do not share your opinions or engage in debates. To combat this, confront your fears and articulate your worst-case scenarios, in order to decrease your fear of making mistakes.

In business, an aloof leader is someone who appears indifferent and unconcerned about others. You tend to act independently without consulting your team, and your detachment can lead to misreading social cues and hurting people's feelings. Symptoms of an aloof leader include disengaging during tough times, creating a cold culture, limiting close relationships, being emotionally distant, and avoiding conflict. To avoid these problems, focus on building relationships, showing empathy, and actively engaging with your team.

A passive-resistant leader has a hidden agenda and doesn't follow through on commitments. You use political savvy for your own gain and won't disclose your position on critical issues. You avoid conflict and may privately criticize others. Cynicism is common among those working with you. To overcome passive resistance, you must engage in honest self-reflection and acknowledge the need to change your ways before you derail your career.

As an arrogant leader you have excessive pride, an inflated view of your self-worth, and a blinding belief in your own opinions, making you stubborn and self-righteous. Signs of an arrogant leader include dominating others, denying your faults, not being open to learning, refusing to be accountable, and not recognising your limitations. My top tip for an arrogant leader is to share the credit and recognise the contributions of others to your success.

Mischievous leaders act impulsively and don't consider the consequences of their actions. You break rules, cover up mistakes, and don't take the time to win people over. Mischievous behaviour often shows up in accounting scandals as you think the rules don’t apply to you. Mischievous leaders need to think before acting by slowing down your decision-making and conducting a realistic appraisal of the consequences of each option.

If you are an eccentric leader you tend to be unpredictable and demonstrate unusual behaviour, which can make it difficult for others to take you seriously. You may have a million great ideas but struggle to execute them, and you often believe you are unusually creative and visionary. Eccentric leaders can be inspiring, but you can also frustrate and confuse your team members. To avoid getting stuck and failing to bring your ideas to life, you should build a team with strong executors who can turn your ideas into reality. Additionally, it is important for eccentric leaders to recognise when it's time to move on from an idea and focus on something else.=

Perfectionist leaders are highly critical of themselves and others, often struggling with delegation and micromanagement. You can be inflexible, miss the real goal, and frequently miss deadlines due to your obsession with flawlessness. This can lead to low morale and poor performance. My top tip for perfectionist leaders is to stop criticising others and to focus on giving praise, as it has been shown to increase performance. Perfectionist leaders often acknowledge their tendency, but don’t comprehend the real cost. Reflect on the true cost of your perfectionism - the impact of your high stress levels, those opportunities you missed as you were too caught up in the details. And what about the low performance and morale in your team?

Leaders who are eager to please tend to prioritise winning the popularity contest and seek approval from others. You often avoid conflict and challenge, lack priorities and direction, and poor performance often runs rife. As a result, you may lose the respect of your colleagues and team members. My top tip for such leaders is to identify what you stand for. What are your personal and leadership philosophy, values, beliefs and points of view? Use this as a framework for analysing issues and making decisions. By doing so, you can prioritise your goals and make decisions that align with your values, rather than focusing on pleasing others.

Effective leadership is crucial for organisational success, but many leaders fail due to personal traits and behaviours. Whether it's volatile behaviour, scepticism, or arrogance, leaders can develop negative traits that can harm their professional relationships and limit their potential.

However, by becoming aware of these traits and taking steps to address them, leaders can overcome their weaknesses and become more effective. That is why it is so important for leaders to engage in honest self-reflection.

Ultimately, the success of a leader depends on your ability to recognise your blind spots, build strong relationships, and stay focused on your goals. By doing so, you can avoid the pitfalls of ineffective leadership and lead your organisation to success.

Jenny Ostick is a Business Psychologist and Leadership Coach who is on a mission to make good leaders exceptional leaders. She has spent the last 20 years working with leaders across the globe and has worked with the likes of Deloitte, Virgin, Nestle and Coca-Cola to name a few. You can receive her free guide ’11 Reasons Leaders Fail (And How to Not Be One Of Them) which includes guidance and coaching on how to address each of the 11 derailers.

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