By Otto Schmidt
We all know people who are or were great leaders who fell from grace. Human nature being what it is, with great success can come great failure. Here are some reasons why leaders fail:
Afraid to confront people or the issues at crucial times.
- Fear of consequences or reprisals, hesitancy to start conflict or confrontation, perceived weakness if decision is made, compromised or untrustworthy preparatory information.
Send unclear messages to people who work or follow him/her.
- Weak communication skills, ideas have not been formulated clearly at first, impulsivity.
Become isolated from others, secretive and unapproachable.
- Being at the top can be lonely, insulated and isolating especially if the leader loses trust in others or becomes overly self-protective and sensitive to criticism, insecurity because of awareness of having moved to a position of incompetence.
Become too idealistic and impractical. Ideas become unrealistic.
- Followers are usually brought into awareness after lengthy discussion and rehearsal. They need to be taken slowly and carefully to new destinations and levels of operation. Theory and practical application can get to be too far apart or both may not be well thought out in advance.
Communication is kept secretive from others but clear between select confidants.
- Favoritism, cronyism, elitism, and selfishness can destroy trust and lead to confrontation or upset.
Attempt to do too much in too short a time. Followers burn out or are overwhelmed.
- Everybody wants things done yesterday but it is well known that major changes in society can take up to 20 years to be reasonably accepted and people are comfortable with them. Aims, goals, and objectives may be do-able but also need integration time.
Stop listening to advisors and become more personally controlling.
- Some leaders become legends in their own minds. Their power may corrupt them. They become insecure and don't want to miss a thing and become micro-managers. Paranoia may also set in.
Secret private life is exposed and shows lack of ethics, morality, principles.
- Mistresses, wild living, criminal behavior or contacts, shady business deals, indiscretions.
Lose interest and/or control of the initial concepts or goals.
- Some people can only go so far. They are afraid of success and/or failure and stop at the peak of what they perceive to be all they need to do to achieve satisfaction.
Fail to bring key support into place in order to achieve goals.
- Some people do not want to or know how to delegate. They want to do it all themselves. Things do not move forward quickly enough or too quickly without proper support by expertise.
Make major mistakes in judgment or direction despite warnings.
- Arrogance, pride, selfishness, narcissism, greed, and other factors make the person believe he/she is invincible or infallible. There may be underlying feelings of insecurity. In some cases, watching others succeed, win or achieve fame causes a desire to have the same at almost any cost.
Contact me for professional development with a difference. I specialize in skills training. Participants in my workshops WILL be more creative, perceptive, better communicators. Otto Schmidt, Education Consultant, speaker, author - "Accent on Essential Life Skills" - http://accentonskills.com/aelsbook.htm Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Otto_Schmidt |
