Good and Bad Leaders: What differentiates them?

“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others” so wrote George Orwell in his book Animal Farm.  Animal Farm is an allegorical novella, first published in England on 17 August 1945.

The book tells the story of a group of farm animals who rebel against their human farmer, hoping to create a society where the animals can be equal, free, and happy.

Ultimately, however, the rebellion is betrayed, and the farm ends up in a state as bad as it was before, under the dictatorship of a pig named Napoleon.

Many people hold positions of leadership today, whether in political, religious, corporate or community organizations.

However, It’s important to realize that just because someone holds a position of leadership, doesn’t necessarily mean they should.

Put another way, and borrowing from the words of George Orwell, all leaders are equal by title, but some are more equal than others. Not all leaders are created equal.

The problem many organizations are suffering from is a recognition problem – they can’t seem to recognize good leaders from bad ones.

I am sure someone reading this will ask whether it’s not a contradiction of sorts to talk about bad leaders when leadership ought to be for the common good in the first place.

Are there good leaders and bad leaders around us? How can we differentiate them?

Barbara Kellerman, in her book, “Bad Leadership: What It Is, How It Happens, Why It Matters,” describes bad leadership as either ineffective or unethical or both.

She further describes seven different types of bad leadership: incompetent, rigid, intemperate, callous, corrupt, insular, and evil.

Kellerman further said that people are not idiots, and they know that bad leadership happens often and that it has a significant and inevitably detrimental impact on their lives.

Kellerman further noted “Followers are every bit as important to leadership as are leaders. You can’t have bad leadership without having bad leaders and bad followers.

If we tolerate bad leadership, we will get the leadership we deserve.” A leader is usually thought of as someone with vision and integrity and a range of other traits typically associated with being a paragon of virtue.

Have a look at what good makes good leaders extracted from the Ivey Business Journal. Good leaders are a combination of character, competencies and commitment.

I am of the view that a good leader espouses three foundational virtues which are essential for any successful leadership. A good leader;

1. Leads from the heart. Good and effective leaders lead from their hearts, which is about our character and integrity. They model what they expect their followers to reflect and do.
2. Leads with their head. Followers expect leaders to think through issues and provide leadership when decisions are required. The leader’s knowledge is the relevant information that the leader applies to his or her situation. They also lead with their heads which is all about their intellect and the application of the knowledge in their day to day life.
3. Leads with their hands. Effective leaders lead with their Hands which is about their skill, action and commitment to the purpose, values and the betterment of their followers. Leaders require both people (relational) and task skills.

Do we have examples of good or bad leaders among us?