Bullying Is the Worst Leader Quality

There are two main reasons for this:

1.    Sustained business success ultimately depends on creating win-win relationships.

2.    Creating caring relationships with followers is the best single predictor of leadership success.

Shouldn’t the worst leader quality be a lack of technical business skills or a lack of understanding of the specific business being led? No, because the leader can hire people who have those kinds of expertise. The CEO of Delta doesn’t need to know how to fly commercial airliners to be successful.

A leader’s job is to create an inspiring vision, formulate a plan to achieve it, and inspire followership. While this requires basic levels of competence in strategic thinking and organization, the main ingredient is an understanding of how people work and how to build win-win relationships, i.e. emotional intelligence.

What do customers want, and what are they willing to pay for it? What team members do we need to achieve our vision? What service providers will provide us with reliable quality service at a reasonable price? These are all questions about creating the win-win relationships that are the foundation of the business. Without the emotional intelligence to create these relationships a business won’t be successful over the long term.

The most common mistake I see in this regard is being domineering and insensitive to the goals and needs of others. We’ve all been taught that being “tough” is important, and it certainly is. However, bullying others ultimately leads to them being angry with you and trying to figure out how they can get even with you—likely not the relationship that will serve your best interests in the long run.

Don’t be a stranger. (770) 993-1129. tdockery@TheResolveFirm.com