Feature Story
3
LEADERSHIP STYLES THAT
DESTROY PRODUCTIVITY By Jeff McManus
“Average leaders inspire people to punch a time clock. Great leaders inspire industry and passion.” Joseph B. Wirthlin
B
ecoming an effective leader isn’t always easy. Leadership styles are often developed unintentionally, learned from others who led before you. Additionally, with all the pressures today and multiple pulls on our time and attention, it’s more challenging than ever to lead with a long-term vision in a way that develops the next generation of leaders.
Even with the best intentions, people can develop poor leadership styles that can destroy productivity. If left unchecked, poor leadership traits can be even more costly to your organization, such as by causing high turnover and requiring you to spend more time and money recruiting and training new employees. There are many leadership traits that can cause harm to an organization. Here are three leadership styles to watch out for if you’re looking to push your company to success. These styles close communication, lower morale, make your team members feel unimportant, and destroy production.
1. NARCISSISTIC LEADERS
Narcissistic leaders have a very high opinion of themselves and their ability to perform at work. They are in love with the power that being a leader affords them. Many times, these people place themselves so high above their employees that they lose touch with the common goals of the company. Narcissistic leaders act like the figurehead of the company rather than someone in the day-to-day trenches getting the job done. They may be very charismatic, but they are often acting in their own interest and ignoring the needs of the team. Narcissistic leaders often take credit for the work of the team, which leaves team members less motivated to work hard. Times quickly turn bad when team members realize they won’t receive credit or recognition for work well done, not even as a team. When this happens, employees get discouraged and will often do the minimal amount of work required to get through the day.
2. AUTOCRATIC LEADERS
Autocratic leaders see themselves as the sole decision makers in a company. When they take this to an extreme, autocratic leaders lead through authority and compliance, believing when management
20 North Carolina Turf gr a ss
n
www. nc turf gra s s . o rg
n
March/April 2020
