Everybody has experienced bad leadership or had seemingly incompetent management at some point. The word incompetent probably caused you to think of a handful of previous (hopefully not current) managers and leaders.

When on the journey to becoming an effective and admirable leader, it's actually very important to keep these people and their mistakes in mind. If you're not careful, you could very easily fall into the same pitfalls they did, and before you know it, you're in the same boat as them. Learn from others' mistakes.

When trying to deepen your leadership ability, it is beneficial to identify ares where you could use improvement. It might be anything from how you react to situations to how you conduct yourself at work.

In this post, we won't go through what it takes to be a successful leader; instead, we'll look at certain personality traits that might be preventing you from progressing further in your personal leadership journey.

1) Impatience

With the recent, yet drastic work culture shift that's happened in the last 2 years, patience is a must. A study conducted by Steven Anthony found that 87% of employers will permanently adopt a hybrid work model. While there are certainly many benefits to a hybrid work model, it does introduce a number of new communication, technological, and interpersonal issues — making patience more important than ever.

Impatient leaders send unspoken messages to their team that their time is more valuable than others, which can create feelings of resentment and foster an environment of competition rather than collaboration. This sort of management is highly ineffective and is sure to lead to some less-than-ideal situations.

If you find that you're frequently impatient, try to take a step back and understand the root cause. Is it because you're feeling overwhelmed? If so, can you delegate some tasks to ease the burden? If not, it may be indicative of a deeper issue such as an unrealistic workload, low self-esteem or insecurity. Once you identify the source of why you are seemingly always waiting impatiently for something, you can begin the process of making a change.

Example: you're impatiently waiting for a slide deck for a big upcoming pitch to potential investors. You said you needed it by noon and it's that time, but you haven't gotten it yet and you haven't received an update. You have a few options at this point. The natural tendency for most is to get frustrated and lean in to that impatient feeling, but in most situations you're better off giving the individual the benefit of the doubt. Here are a few ways to process this situation and deal with impatience:

Take a step back to assess the situation and try to identify if you're actually in a dire spot, or are just feeling overwhelmed. Often the stress of a project can make stakes seem much higher than they actually are.
Evaluate if your team or team member is trustworthy. Do they usually get assignments done promptly? If so, trust they are working on what you asked. It is key to trust your team, even when it's stressful!
Give grace. Hopefully your team has bought into the goal as much as you have, meaning you should be looking to teach, not reprimand. Obviously situations vary and there are times where conversations need to happen, but often the best approach to correcting is teaching.

Patiently working through challenges leads leaders to develop stronger relationships, make better decisions, and create a more positive and productive work environment. This will push your management to the next level and push you ahead in your personal leadership journey.

2) Lacking Integrity

A study done in 2020 by Deloitte found only 41% of millennials feel that business is making a positive societal impact globally. This is a huge indication that now more than ever, people in the workplace value integrity, trust, and making steps to improve culture. Meaning, to be a great leader, you need to act with integrity. When leaders lack integrity, they erode trust in their team, and lose any sense of "buy in" since employees don't think their leader is acting in their best interests.

Integrity isn't just about being honest; it's about doing what's right even when it may not be advantageous. A leader sets the tone of an organization at every moment — even when their actions aren't seen. A leader who lacks integrity often makes choices that are convenient or expedient rather than principled and right. As a result, their teams suffer and their organizations eventually crumble.

Leaders with integrity inspire trust and respect. Their teams know that they can be counted on to do the right thing — even when it's hard. And because they're willing to stand up for what they believe in, their teams are more likely to follow them into challenging situations. In the end, integrity is what separates bad leadership from great leadership.

A few questions to ask yourself next time you face a tough decision and your integrity is at stake:

Would I want someone on my team making this decision?
Is there a chance for this decision to come back and cause hard conversations?
Would I be comfortable with people knowing I made this decision?
Who benefits most from this? Me, my team, or my organization?

Knowing why you make a decision and what could happen as a result is a solid way to ensure that you are acting with integrity.

3) Micromanaging

The 2022 Microsoft Work Trend Index found that 80% of employees think they are just as or more productive since switching to hybrid work (check out our infographic on remote work motives). A link could be directly tied between the decrease of direct, constant micromanaging in a hybrid environment to productivity. If you're looking to curb your employees productivity, trust, and morale, micromanaging is the way to go.

The best leaders know how to delegate and trust their team to get the job done. They give their team the freedom to do their work, and they resist the urge to micromanage. Instead, they focus on setting clear expectations, providing adequate resources, and offering guidance when needed.

Example: Your team is working on the last stages of a product to be launched in a few weeks.

If you are constantly checking in to make sure everything is getting done the way it should be, you're likely causing more harm than good. It's unlikely that your team is unaware of the weight of these final weeks, so your presence actually may be causing extra unneeded stress. It's important to be present with your team, but it is just as important to know when not to be present in management. Here are a few easy ways to cut back on your micromanaging:

Be more intentional with your feedback. Be concise, have action steps ready, and know when the right time to give it is.
Don't resist delegation. Delegating is a fantastic way for your team to be able to take ownership over a project, and shows that you trust them to get the job done.
Look at the big picture. More often than not, a small detail or setback won't hinder the final project as much as you may think.
Empower your employees to make decisions. By allowing them to have input and make choices on their work, they'll feel a better sense of freedom and creativity. If they know the specifications of a task, they'll more than likely know the best way to do it.

4) Unawareness / Ignorance

Microsoft's 2022 Work trend index also identified that personal wellbeing or mental health was the number 1 reason people left their jobs. Being aware of the issues, hangups, or stresses people on your team are experiencing is one of the best ways to support your team and prevent unnecessary turnover.

Awareness starts with understanding your team. You will understand your team much better if you know the answers to these three questions:

What motivates them?
What stresses them out?
What makes them feel valued?

Once you know how they function, you are able to cater your management style to individuals rather than attempting a "one size fits all" model that often leads to ineffectiveness. Take the time to ask your team what communication styles they prefer. Ask what they are struggling with or wanting to improve. Knowing these answers will help you to avoid many management pitfalls.

The workplace is continually changing. And this is good, because the way we are working doesn't work. Employees are more powerful in today's workplace culture, and they are especially likely to demand that leaders hear what they have to say.

Align yourself with a mentor, coach or management development program to increase your management skills. Or check out this white paper on how the workplace is changing: "Work Isn't Working: New Solutions for Leadership and Productivity." It is important that you do not become stagnant in your management style but continue to learn and grow as an effective leader.

Aside from being aware of your team, you also need to be aware of yourself. It is impossible to be effective in management without being aware of your own needs. You need to know your limits, what you excel at, and how to best manage your time and energy. Being unaware of these things will lead to burnout, frustration, and will really set you back on your personal leadership journey. Be aware of how you best work. This will set yourself, your team, and your organization up for success.

5) Apathy

As a manager, one of the quickest ways to lose the trust of your team is by being apathetic. If you're unwilling to take your team where you want it to go or unwilling to put in the necessary effort, they'll see that as permission to do the same. Apathy is contagious, and it can quickly spread through an organization when left unchecked.

That is why it is so important for leaders to be aware of their personal leadership journey at all times. Are you allowing yourself to regress in your leadership ability? Are you a worse leader than you were a year ago? Knowing where you are and where you want to be makes it more difficult to become complacent.

By staying committed and engaged, you set the example for your team and set the bar. People are encouraged, motivated, and inspired when their leaders are passionate. It also shows that you're not just asking them to do something you aren't willing to do yourself.

6) Easily frustrated

The National Library of medicine found that 7.8% of Americans over 18 show signs of poorly controlled anger. While you may not consider yourself a part of this group, anger and frustration are traits that run rampant through leadership. Frustration in management is one of the biggest things that will hinder you on your personal leadership journey.

Rather than flying off the handle, a good leader will take a step back to assess the situation. They will then come up with a plan to address the issue at hand in a productive way. Personal growth is an important aspect of your leadership journey.

There are many ways to deal with frustration constructively and easily. Below are a few tips:

Take a few deep breaths and count to ten before responding. This will help to clear the mind and allow for a more reasoned approach.
Write down what is causing the frustration. Once it is out of the head and on paper, the issue may seem a bit more manageable.
Talk to a trusted friend or colleague. This can be one of the best ways to let off some frustration, and can provide some much-needed perspective. Seeing the issue from an outside perspective is an effective way to find peace about a situation and avoid getting into a feedback loop.

Everyone gets frustrated from time to time, but it’s how we deal with it that makes all the difference.

7) Reactive

A major management mistake is to be reactive instead of proactive. This usually happens when a leader is trying to put out fires instead of preventing them from happening in the first place. It's important to always be thinking ahead, and to have a plan for every possibility. If a leader is constantly reacting to problems, it's a sign they have have significant room for growth.

Reactive leaders are constantly caught off guard which can lead to bad decision making. They also tend to waste a lot of time and energy that could be used more constructively elsewhere. And when things go wrong — as they inevitably will — a reactive leader is often to blame. Reactive leadership shows a lack of respect for your team.

Being proactive is an important leadership quality and is one all leaders should strive for. Proactivity allows for margin in both your own and your team's workload, which will be evident in the quality of work. It also demonstrates a level of trust — you trust your team to be able to handle what comes their way, and they trust you to set them up for success.

Being proactive can also reduce stress and anxiety about deadlines and workloads because you've put in the work to prepare for everything that comes your way, meaning you'll rarely be taken off guard by something. It's easy to see why being proactive is such an important leadership quality.

Read more about how your brain responds and adjusts to workplace turbulence in this Forbes article by Curt Steinhorst: 3 Mind Traps That Sabotage Leadership In Turbulent Times.

The Necessity of Trust

There is a line connecting most of these attributes: bad leadership loses trust. If you are operating without trust within your team, you are going to be ineffective as a leader. Trust is something that needs to be earned over time, through consistency and follow-through.

The hard thing about trust is that it's very difficult to get back once lost. So if you are looking to improve as a leader, start by assessing where the trust level is within your team. If it's low, take some time to gauge what could have been the cause of that and start to figure out how you can rebuild that trust.

When trying to examine your leadership effectiveness, try to remain impartial and leave emotion out of it. Try to look at it from a neutral perspective, and remember that the end goal is for you to be a much better leader, so the refining and struggle of improvement will be worth your time.

If you're looking to find ways to help increase productivity, build trust with your team, or take the next step on your personal leadership journey, check out our additional blogs or book Curt Steinhorst as a keynote speaker for your organization.

Ready to dive deeper? Check out Curt Steinhorst's TedX Talk, best-selling book, Forbes Column, and YouTube Channel.

7 Things Keeping You from Being a Great Leader