As a leader, what you say matters. Words often reveal more about your leadership than you realize. I’ve written several posts about leadership red flags. Essentially, things leaders say that are clear signs it was time to find someone else to follow.
In this post, I’ve combined all four of those posts into one: 12 leadership red flags. If you hear a leader you know say one of these things, it might be a sign that it’s time to find a new leader to follow.
Red Flag 1: “I’ve always done it this way.”
This is a leader who doesn’t have vision. Vision is the “why” or purpose behind what you do. There are a lot of great reasons why you and your team should do certain things a certain way. However, just because you’ve always done something a certain way or you’ve done it for a long time doesn’t mean that you should continue doing it.
Red Flag 2: “Because I said so.”
This is a leader who doesn’t have buy-in. Buy-in is when your team is invested in the vision or inspired by the leader. Simply bossing them around because you’re in charge is not going to help them have a personal commitment to the vision.
Red Flag 3: “Do as I say, not as I do.”
This is a leader who doesn’t have integrity. Integrity is when your words and actions are congruent. You’ve likely heard the adage, “Actions speak louder than words.” As a leader, the loudest thing you can communicate to your team is to make sure your words and actions are saying the same thing.
Red Flag 4: “I work better alone.”
This is a leader who idolizes DIY leadership or the lone-ranger model. However, that isn’t an accurate view of leadership. While you might do a lot of things well, you can’t do everything. You need help. This is why every leader needs a team. Presidents have cabinets. CEOs have teams of directors, managers, administrators, assistants, and interns. Even the actual Lone Ranger didn’t work alone; he had his teammate, Tonto.
Red Flag 5: “Failure is not an option.”
This is a leader who has a perfectionist mindset. There are three problems with this mindset. The first problem is that we are human. Meaning we’re bound to make mistakes. The second problem is that it stifles creativity and innovation. People will not risk doing anything original or adaptive if they are afraid of being reprimanded when it doesn’t work. Finally, the third problem with a “Failure is not an option” mindset is that mistakes can often be great teachers.
Red Flag 6: “My way or the highway!”
This is a leader who doesn’t receive feedback. Feedback empowers your team to ask questions, make suggestions, raise concerns, and challenge ideas.
Red Flag 7: “I don’t have time for you.”
This is a leader who isn’t present with their team. They may not say it with their words, but they say it with their actions. You may have experienced meeting with someone who spent the majority of the time responding to messages or broke away to take a call. Even though they were physically present, it felt like they weren’t really there. Being present is not just being in the same room with someone. Being present is about giving your time, attention, and interest to that person.
Red Flag 8: “Do I have to do everything myself?”
This is a leader who micromanages. Micromanagement happens when you keep power to yourself. Empowerment is when you give power to your team. As a leader, you can’t do everything. You need help. You need a team. If you want to have a team that wants to follow you, you need to give them autonomy.
Red Flag 9: “I will die on this hill.”
This is a leader who doesn’t know how to choose their battles. Choosing your battles is not about avoiding conflict. It’s about deciding which conflicts to engage in. When you engage in every small disagreement, you don’t have the time and energy to engage in more significant matters. This is why choosing your battles is important.
Red Flag 10: “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.”
This is a leader who doesn’t practice self-care. Self-care, simply put, is taking care of yourself. It’s giving yourself time to rest and recharge. When you go long periods of time without self-care, it affects not only your energy but also your effectiveness as a leader.
Red Flag 11: “I already know everything.”
This is a leader who thinks they have nothing else to learn. I often say that being a leader means being a lifelong learner. As a leader, you are never done learning.
Red Flag 12: “You should have known what to do.”
This is a leader who doesn’t set expectations. Setting expectations is about helping your team know what they need to do. This is why good hiring managers provide job descriptions. This is why good teachers hand out assignment guidelines. When people are clear on what you expect of them, they can meet those expectations. Metrics are one of the ways to do this.
If red flags point out what to avoid, then green flags point to what to pursue. Qualities like purpose, integrity, teamwork, feedback, presence, and self-care are what make a leader worth following. In my book A Leader Worth Imitating, I outline 33 leadership green flags from the life of Jesus. If you want to learn more about what makes a leader worth following, check it out here.
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Nick Chellsen 