5 Potential Weaknesses Of Business Leaders

One of the fundamental aspects of managing a business or team is the application of the management and leadership skills – this can either make a business sink or swim. From developing rapport with key stakeholders to ensuring employees feel confident in the company as a whole, leadership is one of the most important areas to address. Therefore, it's important to understand the common weaknesses and turn them into strengths. Here are some ideas to consider.

1. Taking Credit For Success

A weak leader is someone who always wants to be on the ground floor when the business is on the upturn. Whether it's coming up with an idea that sees the business into the next quarter or successfully acquiring a business line of credit to keep the company financially afloat, many entrepreneurs need to let go of their egos. The best way to make a business look good is to make the team look good and give credit where it is due.

2. Favoritism

Molding a diamond in the rough is amazing to see, but if you are constantly showering them with praise and ignoring everybody else, this can result in a mutiny. The quickest way to cause a divide in the team is to show favoritism for one or two members of staff. It's important to treat everybody equally, especially in smaller team environments because even little signs of favoritism can become apparent.

3. Empty Promises

Leaders need to under-promise and over-deliver, but time and time again, they adopt the politician mentality and do the complete opposite. Making promises to teams without gaining approval from the higher members of staff is only going to push them further away and set off a chain of events that will cause them to jump ship. Line managers or leaders always need to have confirmation before they start giving employees incentives.

4. Lack Of Accountability 

Leaders are responsible for teams but this means they need to bear the brunt of it if something goes wrong. If an employee has made errors, is it because they weren’t given the necessary support to perform their job? When leaders do not admit that they are at fault and take the blame, this continually highlights a lack of accountability but also a willingness to dart out the back door when the heat is on. Some people want to be leaders because they like to tell other people what to do, but the other side of the coin is facing the music when something goes wrong.

5. Not Giving Feedback

Articulating constructive feedback is important, and when a leader cannot do this, this does not allow employees to be aware of the things they can improve on. When errors continue, targets are not hit, but it also leaves employees none the wiser. Gradually, they begin to lose faith in the business. 

There are countless weaknesses that everybody has as a human being. Not all bosses are born with the right qualities to lead, but the important thing to remember is that these things can be turned around.