Avoid these four worst leadership styles that can sink a company.

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There is a popular saying, “People don’t leave bad jobs, they leave bad bosses.” Let’s face it, with 40 hours a week dedicated just to work, no one wants to willingly show up to a place that is emotionally and mentally exhausting.

A good leader has to keep their head in the game at all times, otherwise, they can stifle creativity, lower productivity, yield poor employee retention and contribute to poor quality of work. In this post we’ll examine the four worst leadership styles to avoid when leading your company.

1. Commander-in-Charge — The Micromanagement Leader

To be quite blunt, everyone hates a micromanager. Not only is this style annoying, but it also hinders employees’ growth and demonstrates a major distrust of a team’s ability to perform a task. The question often then becomes, “Why hire me, if you do not believe in work output?”, which given the circumstances is often a fair question.

A micromanager is their own worst enemy. According to Intelivate, toxic leaders who display this practice over the long term undergo a six-step cycle that crushes team performance: lack of trust of the team, increased control, diminished leadership effectiveness, lack of team self-sufficiency, diminished performance, and lack of trust.

A good coach practices a serve up and coach down culture. Essentially, they create a space that is empowering, where their input is heard and recognized so they are better able to own their decisions and be accountable. It is an environment that is fun and engaging, but there is accountability, which is different than micromanaging. What’s more, employees only commit to committed leaders.

2. Where’s the Boss? — The Absentee Leader

An absentee boss lives on the opposite spectrum to a micromanager. Instead of caring too much and trusting too little, they seem not to care at all. Employees are relegated to decision-makers, whether they have the training or experience needed to give valuable input.

Leaders must be present and remain invested in the development of their employees’ talents. They must coach and impart their knowledge to employees in order for the business to flourish. Another way to look at it is that no NBA team worth their salt makes it to the playoffs without a world-class coach.

3. I’m the Hotshot — The Know-It-All Leader

As a leader, there is a higher expectation of knowledge and insight that should prove beneficial to a company and its employees. However, a good leader is not a know-it-all.

Let’s unpack this some more; different departments, positions and the overall organizational structure exist for a reason. When staffed correctly, they enable a microcosm of business excellence with a depth of knowledge contributed by their varied expertise. This marrying of specializations creates a sustainable system where a company can thrive.

A know-it-all leader is the anthesis of this winning formula. This overconfidence deters learning and blocks knowledge from flowing in both directions. Furthermore, it limits insight to one point of view that often lacks a check and balance system capable of avoiding mistakes or opportunities outside one person’s limited perspective.

Good leadership involves recognizing one’s limitations and allows the experts to give guidance when and where necessary. There is, quite simply, no “I” in team. Just like not all coaches were the best players, coaches in business recognize the strengths in others that they themselves may not have.

4. Browbeating Bully — The Autocratic Leader

Leading through fear, the intimidator is a volatile authoritarian that uses fear to keep employees “in check.” Their method of poison involves spewing criticism, public and private shaming, and perhaps even taking the credit for others’ accomplishments.

They rule the company like a small fiefdom, where employees are replaceable and the authoritarian’s opinion is the final law. It creates a subjective work environment that is dependent on the leaders moods, awareness (or lack thereof) and preconceptions.

Of course, history has shown that these practices are beneficial only in the short term and hindrances to long-term success.

In the business sense, this can easily be attributed to the lack of buy-in from employees coupled with a poor understanding of the directions and decisions so staff can work effectively. Staff must be able to feel comfort and valuable in their workspace; leaders must establish strong coaching relationships with their teams to enable the best in their employees.

According to Training Industry, employees can only serve as competitive advantages to a business when they can freely share ideas, contribute to problem-solve issues, innovate to improve company operations, and are willing to go the extra mile for their company.

Effective leadership styles play a critical role in bringing about commitment and highly functional employees.

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