Are you the KING of next falling kingdom?

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Are you the KING of next falling kingdom?




There are many Leaders that climbs the ladder of success, some continues with their the saga however others fall. If you ask a Leadership guru, he might tell you the success mantra for being a good leader is to possess or develop the Leadership skills. While that’s true but there are some unsaid habits that Leaders do possess and goes unnoticed that works with full dedication towards his destruction.

First let me clear one basic doubt that many people have, that forces them to make a huge mistake of choosing a wrong leader. “Leadership” is not “Management”, people often get confused Leaders with Managers, although it is possible to be both Leader and the Manager are the same time, but they both are different. It is highly possible to be a good Leader but a drastic manager and vice a versa.

But, that’s not what we want to discuss here. I have been fortunate enough to work with many different kind of leaders and managers in my career of over one and a half decades now, and have learnt and observed many habits that has helped me being whatever kind of a Leader or Manager I am today. While everyone talks about good habits of a leader, let me talk about some habits that I have observed in many leaders that as put me off at many occasions.

I in any case am not demeaning their leadership styles, but wants to bring few habits in light that has made me feel not so comfortable while working around or interacting with them. As it is said, Good habits are difficult to adopt, and it’s even more difficult to leave the bad ones. The primary reason for leaving the bad habits is the perspective of the person who possess it. Because the person with bad habits is convinced that whatever he is doing is correct from his point of view. Just like a drunk man would hardly agree to the fact that he can’t walk straight and must not even think about driving a car. He would rather be extra confident, that he can do it pretty well, and much better than any other.
Some such habits of leaders that I have observed over the period of time that has turned into their traits are as below


Jargonators



I have made up this word with 2 words, “Jargon” and “Terminators”. That should clearly mean, the one who could very well terminate the meaning and sense of the conversation with the constant use of Jargons.

I have met many such leaders who may be in pursuit of showcasing themselves as some different league of intellects or purely unintentionally, uses a lot of jargons, totally forgetting the fact, that not every one understands what they are trying to say. Did you meet leaders who when you talk sound amazing, but when you meet their teams, they are not that awesome. The sole reason behind it is, the wrong method of communication chosen by the leader.

speak the language that everyone can understand

You must always speak the language that everyone can understand and can follow it accordingly. What is the use of all those jargons, if at the end of the day people don’t understand what you want to say.

Let me share a small funny yet informative video that shows how difficult it is to understand when your leader talks and blabbers all those jargons.

“Walk the Talk”! What’s that?


Who is the first leader in your life? Most would say their parents, and they are correct. They are the ones that we learn the most from, and many fortunate kids even aspire to be like their parents. Now imagine, if your father stops you to smoke, giving all the reasons why you should not smoke, however, he himself is a chain-smoker or just like to smoke occasionally. In this scenario, most would say that father must quit smoking before he lectures his son on the same. Similarly, in the corporate world as a leader if you are not walking the talk, then soon you’ll loose the trust and credibility in front of your teams, who will eventually stop following you as a leader.

So, it is very important for each leader to start working on Walk the Talk aspect, because that’s one big thing in their life that’s going to add true followers with him, and will make him a successful leader



I know it all


It is said, that there is no age of learning. A good leader must never stop learning, doesn’t matter from whom, be it your peers, other leaders, your team, or even a small kid who might have met you at a coffee shop, your learning should never stop, you don’t know who will teach you what.

On the contrary, I have met many such leaders who from outside pretend that they are open to learn, however internally they are like locked treasure chest. With the feeling of “I know it all”, such leaders at one point will start to realise that how far behind they have left themselves in the race of success, because the time never stops and so is the learning.

That really does not matter how old are you in the business, you may anytime be overtaken by a 20 year old young blood and left awestruck with the ideas that will fall in front of you as ready products. Biggest example for it is Facebook, look at the way it has taken Orkut out of the business.


I do it all


Have you heard of the word “Delegation”! Yes, that’s a basic trait of a good leader, however, many leader lack this trait and have a habit of doing all of it on their own. There might plenty of reasons why they do what they do, it could be the fact that they don’t trust their team on the competency or integrity or any other reason for that matter, which is again a big trouble for a leader, because the other big skill of a leader should be to build and maintain the trust within the teams.

Other possible reason could be the feeling of insecurity, insecurity of loss of confidentiality or worst your own position. If you are insecure from your team, that someone might replace you, than better you either change your thought process or leave the role you are in. Because as I always say, nothings stays forever neither time nor would you. You must find and develop your own successors well in time.

“I do it all” attitude down not only leave you in stress of overwork but eventually will also brings down your productivity as a leader. If you are not already doing, than start delegating your work today, because if you want to move up in the ladder, you have to leave the first one.


The grudge holder

One primary skill of any good leader is to manage his own emotions, you can do no good, if you hold grudges against your own peers, team or other leaders. A good leader works towards getting to the root of the issue and give a polite solutions, instead of holding it to your heart and ensuring that the person gets to pay for it. Leaders with such trait closes the door of being approachable for other, and lead to the team with no innovative enthusiasm, as they feel scared to voice up their ideas with the fear of being perceived as the ones who stood against the leader

There is a very good saying, that every leader must read every day

Anybody can become angry - that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way - that is not within everybody's power and is not easy. - Aristotle

Bring all these traits together and do a self-assessment and see where you stand in all the above. If you find it difficult to give the feedback to yourself, then follow the feedforward. Ask others to evaluate you on the above, and work on the elimination of any possibility that you find in yourself of carrying such dangerous trait as leaders.