Every Leader Has Flaws. Here Are Four You Should Be Aware of.

Every leader has flaws.

Some personality flaws have a disproportionately negative impact on the quality and execution of strategic choices. These are far more than just annoyances, as they cast a large shadow across their organizations.

A 2021 Harvard Business Review article identified these four personality flaws of leaders. Take a moment to read through them and see if you can spot any of your weaknesses:

Number 1️⃣:

The Overconfident, Chronically Certain Leader 😎:

"You tend to overpromise and develop unrealistic strategies. You also suffer from myopia and over-determinism, oblivious to the impact of longer-term trends, complex dynamics, and disruption from new entrants."

Number 2️⃣:

The Impulsive Leader 💍:

"You experience ‘shiny object syndrome,’ which exhausts your organization, overcommits resources, and overpromise. You tend to speak in flashy, hyperbolic declarations that whip people into frenzies of excitement. This soon dies down once they catch on to the pattern of abandoning last week's big idea to pursue the next one."

Number 3️⃣:

The Rigidly Controlling Leader 😠:

"You struggle to accommodate novel or nontraditional views. This silences employees' voices, who produce low-risk, barely incremental strategies to avoid their leader's critique. Then, when it comes time to execute, the fearful organization cowers from trying anything new."

Number 4️⃣:

The Insecure Leader 😩:

"You live with a paralyzing sense of self-doubt. You worry about what others think of you and anxiously expect to fall short. You may find ways of masking these feelings with a confident game face and measured demeanor."

Now, here's a little secret: all of us can be these kinds of leaders from time to time. So the question isn't "Which are you?" but "Which are you when?"

Successfully navigating these flaws takes-

✔️ Forgiving yourself

✔️ Reflection / Meditation

✔️ Confrontation

✔️ Vulnerability

And if you’d like to talk through any of these, we’ve got you. Click here to schedule a free chat session. 🤗