The (former) Governor General of Canada, Julie Payette, recently resigned amid a 3rd-party probe that found “scathing” and “blistering” evidence she created a toxi work environment filled with harassment and bullying.
If you’re lucky, you’ll never have experienced such a boss or a toxic work environment, but in all likelihood, most people have experienced at some time or another, a bad boss and/or some kind of toxic work environment.
Which leads me to today’s five leadership mistakes (via Black Swan Group):
- Being “morally flexible”…there’s nothing worse than a leader with zero integrity. Not to mention it opens up a company to fraud and corruption if not worse.
- Lacking self-awareness…you know the type of manager that just flies off the handle and can’t control their emotions at the first sign of stress.
- Narcissistic behaviours…leaders who believe in their own self-interests and self-importance. Leaders look out for their team members and those working for them. (We recently shared some tips on how to work with narcissists in the workplace).
- Leaders who promote & recognize the WRONG people…I’ve seen this in my own experience, people who were promoted, not because they were the best person for the job but because of purely superficial factors.
- Leaders who let ego get in the way…a leader with a big ego can do more harm than good…whether they had good intentions or not. Leaders need to know how to make the best decisions vs acting based on personal advantage.