Leadership is proven to be one of the most important business fundamentals that should be mastered by entrepreneurs. Good leadership skills increase drastically the chances of startup success. There are some people, who are natural born leaders. Others need to spend the time to actually learn about the traits of a successful leader, to embrace their habits and to put these habits and skills in action. But how can somebody know if they are lousy leader? To help you find the answer, here are ten questions that you can ask yourself in order to determine of you are being a bad leader.
Do you feel/act like you are always right?
Bad leaders are always extremely confident in their ability to take the best decisions. Confidence is important, but it is also important to keep your self-awareness and to stay realistic in your perception. Otherwise, too much confidence can easily turn to arrogance. If you act like you are always right, it is very likely that you are not open to taking suggestions from your team members. If you constantly reject the ideas of your employees, they will soon stop even bothering to share it with you. Be flexible and more open and encourage your startup employees to share.
Do you listen well?
Bad leaders are known for their inability to communicate effectively. Poor conversational skills are the reason why many projects stay unfinished or take longer time to be completed. The listening skills of good leaders are very good – they successfully read between the lines, carefully listen to what actually is being said to them and don’t focus solely on their reply. Listen what your employees have to say and you will be able to respond more adequately.
Do you give enough credit to your employees?
Bad leaders like to take credit for all the success without to give the right recognition to their team members. They are driven by their Ego, which is hungry for approval and flattery. Successful leaders share the satisfaction of every achievement by recognizing the efforts of every member of the team. Give enough credit to your employees and you will have their determination and devotion to work even harder, because they feel appreciated.
Do you delegate?
The ability to delegate reasonably is one of the most important traits of successful leaders. It is important to find the golden middle, the balance between over delegation and under delegation. It is good to evaluate the work of your employees in order to keep a track on their progress and to show your appreciation, but it is unnecessarily to micromanage every single step that the employee does.
Do you fear change?
Successful entrepreneurs are risk takers, but they know how to take calculated risks and rarely take impulsive business decisions. They are not afraid of change, because they tend to look at it as an opportunity. Good leaders embrace change and are very flexible in their leadership style. They avoid sticking to traditional management methods, which are rarely effective in the world of entrepreneurship.
Do you believe in the power of transparency in business?
Great leaders understand the power of transparent leadership model and are open to discuss all major decisions that are affecting the future of the company. Being part of a startup team is stressful enough and has many challenges. The startup employees often feel the pressure of uncertainty and feel much better when they have more information about the situation of the company and the direction it is heading.
Do you have realistic expectations?
Good leaders are driven by ideas but know that ideas by themselves mean nothing, if there isn’t well-prepared execution plan to follow. They can be dreamers and innovators, but keep their both feet on the ground. Their expectations are realistic. On the other hand, the bad leaders get easily frustrated if the things don’t go the way they wanted. They tend to always demand more from their employees. Empathy is a stranger to them.
Do you give enough feedback?
Bad leaders give no or less feedback to their employees. They don’t find it necessarily to evaluate the work of their employees. Receiving feedback is a great source of information and is very appreciated by serious startup employees, who want to learn, improve their skills and be of a greater value to the company.
Do you focus only on the small picture?
Bad leaders tend to overlook the importance of planning in perspective. They focus on the small picture and fail to plan well and to set specific goals in the long run. They don’t find it necessarily to create clear company mission and vision, which are the two core elements of a successful startup.
Do you make your best to keep your team members motivated?
Good leaders believe in the power of dynamic and motivational company culture and tend to do everything they can to encourage and empower their employees. There is no need to break the bank in order to keep your team inspired. The important thing is to share with them that you appreciate their devotion, to recognize their importance for the company and to encourage them to grow in personal and professional level.
