Do you ever wonder how some people get promoted to a leadership position? Who did these people know to become a VP or Director in the organization? Billions of dollars are spent on training present and future leaders: there are special events for executives at prestigious universities, full day training's for middle managers, but how is that benefiting the employees in the workplace?

1. Rex Gatto Ph.D., BCC
Executive Coach and President
Gatto Associates LLC.
7 Habits of Lousy Leaders
Do you ever wonder how some people get promoted to a leadership position? Who did these
people know to become a VP or Director in the organization? Billions of dollars are spent on
training present and future leaders: there are special events for executives at prestigious
universities, full day training's for middle managers, but how is that benefiting the employees in
the workplace? Executives get sent to warm places in the winter and cool places in the summer.
How is that advancing the workplace and helping employees grow and develop? Who holds
leaders accountable for follow-up debriefs or action plans from executive/partner/manager
retreats and or full-day training's? Have you ever had executives or managers come back to
your office from a workshop, a retreat or a training session and relate what they learned and how
it will make the workplace better for all? New supervisors want to start their careers and follow
in the footsteps of the present leaders. What kind or role models are in the workplace place
today? There are some great leaders but those lousy leaders seem to overshadow them. With all
the money spent on leadership training, one would think leaders would be: brilliant,
philosophical, kind hearted, understanding, caring, competent, confident, people-oriented role
models, and mentors who are compassionate. However, all too often we see lousy leaders who
are self-oriented, greedy, who waste time in unproductive meetings, unable to appropriately give
feedback and are only fair presenters who do not inspire. Many people in leadership positions
think because they are knowledgeable they can lead. Here is the truth about lousy leaders.
The 7 Habits of Lousy Leaders (LLs) is based on my many years of interviews with Lousy
Leaders. As you read the 7 habits, sit back and hear the leaders talking with you about how they
lead. Use the 7 Habits as a Scorecard and compare your boss against the Lousy Leader and then
with the Successful Leader. Perhaps you are one of the lucky ones who is led by a Successful
Leader!
Lousy Leaders – Habit #1: Do Not Listen
LLs do not have the time to listen to what employees have to say. When people stop by their
offices, they continue working on the computer but tell employees they can hear what they are
saying. They don’t even look up and make eye contact, just keep working on what they’re doing,
interrupt and respond occasionally so the employees think they care. They tell people that they’re
really busy and have to get something done in the next hour. That makes people feel bad about
asking questions so they leave not getting all their points clarified. The LLs can then blame the
employees when mistakes are made. People will get the message that the LLs don’t care and stop
bothering them.
Lousy Leaders – Habit #2: Do not ask for Input
Do not ask questions or solicit input. Lousy Leaders need to show they are proud leaders and can
make decisions on their own. Getting input from followers and peers slows the process down.

2. After all they are the boss, the leader, the commander of the ship, so what could anyone tell them
that they do not already know? They tell people what they want to hear and then they decide a
course of action. LLs show and tell people their opinions are the best and most informed (what
others have to say is not important). They are and will continue to be decisive and let people
know what they think and that is the way it is. They remind followers all the time that if they do
not follow the leaders’ pontifications there is only one solution: they were looking for a job when
they found this one.
Lousy Leaders – Habit #3: Do not Trust Anyone
Trust is for suckers and the lousy leader was not born yesterday. The only ones they can really
trust are themselves and others who think just like them. Trust is an emotion that gets people into
trouble every day! They believe they are smart leaders and know exactly on whom to depend.
Trust is a feeling and the lousy leaders cannot tolerate the warm and fuzzes in the workplace;
they have a job to do and work needs to get done. Enough with the emotions! They want the
employees to get to work: what they trust is making a profit!
Lousy Leaders – Habit #4: Do Not Develop Future Leaders: They Will Be Your
Competition!
Make sure to focus on the Lousy Leaders - Me, and only on Me (LLs motto). Do not put time
into developing future leaders who could possibly take the job they have or want. The LLs
remember that they did it all on their own and there were no free handouts. Let people do it the
old fashion way on their own without any help. After all, if they are any good they will figure it
out just like the LL did. Cream rises to the top – just like the LLs. They had to struggle and come
up the old fashion way with hard work and long hours. Just because their boss may have left
after few years ago and no one wanted the job has no bearing on what real leaders need to do.
Lousy Leaders – Habit #5: Do Not Encourage or Recognize Subordinates
When people are encouraged, they get motivated and do more. That means the LLs will need to
do more to stay up with all the work they do because they are motivated. If LLs have a
moderately performing group, they could blame them for a lot of the things that go wrong. A
moderately performing team will meet the requirements that the CEO has laid out (stay under the
radar). By not encouraging people, they will work hard to try and get approval from the LLs.
Remember no one walks on water and the LLs do not want to give out too much praise and
encouragement. If they encourage people to do more then “I” will need to step up and do more,
dah. LLs already have put in long hard years and don’t need to do any more. After all, the other
Directors and VPs don’t work any harder than they do and they leave early on Fridays, and get
free parking: the LLs deserve just as much as other leaders (if not more).
Lousy Leaders – Habit #6: Tell People What To Do and By When
Employees are just an extension of the LLs. The LLs are the bosses and the ones who know the
most. They and only they know how to do things the right way, the old fashion way without
short cuts. If they give people a voice, they will be in interactive discussions all day long and

3. who has time for that? Basically, employees are lazy and really do not care about the work: they
just come to work for a paycheck. The LLs know the way things need to be done and no one
needs to tell them anything about getting the work done. Their secretaries print their emails every
day and then the LLs dictate responses to customers and employees. Their secretaries type all the
responses and that is quick, efficient, and easy. The secretaries know how to use social media
like tweets and linked in so they read them, respond so the LLs feel connected with those X and
Y Generation people. With all that knowledge out there, people need to just do what the LL says
to get the work out.
Lousy Leaders – Habit #7: Feedback, Why Use It?
Feedback is a waste of time. The only good thing about feedback is being able to tell employees
all the things they are doing wrong. The point of feedback is only to justify giving a 3% raise
each year to lazy employees who talk too much at lunch. What good does a performance
appraisal do? Each year, all the managers and VPs get together and decide how much money to
give out. Then they argue about who has the best or worst people and how to allocate money.
Feedback is then fixed so bits and pieces of money can be paid out, but just enough so the
employees don’t leave. Yeah they mope around for about a month, but then things get back to
normal. LLs do what they need to do. Employees don’t get too upset because the LLs put out
stories about competitors who are worse off than they are. This helps to keep employees in line.
AND ONE MORE THING: Going to meetings all day
Lousy leaders have back-to-back meetings all day. That keeps them busy and involved with
everyone. They go to meetings to tell people what to do, ask questions that no one can really
answer and let others know how to do their jobs. LLs only have to give opinions and really don’t
have time for much more. Meetings are the greatest alternative for working and LLs are happy
just attending meetings all day long. When the BIG bosses asks what they do, the LLs tell them
they are in meetings all day long trying to keep the company going and don’t have time for any
new projects! Come in early and start each day with meetings and end the day with a meeting.
This also keeps the LLs too busy to meet with employees who want to drop in and discuss
things. They have no time to discuss anything with anyone outside of the meetings they attend.
Time is money and they need to be in meetings.
There you have 7 Tried and True Methods to be a Lousy Leader. What you now have is a way to
make yourself into a LL role-model leader. Leadership is all about employees doing what you
tell them and making sure they keep their mouths shut.
With all of the leadership training and the billions of dollars that goes into that training, why do
we still have people in leadership positions that exhibit the 7 Habits of Lousy Leaders listed
above? In contrast, what are the 7 Habits of Successful Leaders who truly are role models and
have changed the course of the workplace? Let’s look at what Successful Leaders do.
Successful Leader – #1: Listening

4. Great leaders listen to connect with others. They listen with their eyes and ears. The leaders
listen to what is and is not said and guide the discussion in a productive and learning ways. They
listen to motivate direct reports. Effectively listening is motivating direct reports because the
direct report knows they are being listening to and that their ideas, when possible, will be
implemented.
Successful Leader – #2: Ask for input
Asking employees relates to employee engagement. The more involved employees are to a
project or the work, the more they want to see it succeed. Asking for input, effectively listening
to the input, and if appropriate implementing the ideas from the input are motivators for
employees. A leader asks and listens, demonstrates ability to effectively take the time to involve
and permit employees to be part of solutions, creative thinking, or day–to–day work. Asking for
input also gives the leader great insight into the level of thinking of the employees or peers with
whom they are working. Listening to input is one of the best way leaders learn how to
appropriately lead. Input from employees also will give leaders an idea of the level of
employees’ knowledge, confidence, and passion: major characteristics in employee maturity and
development.
Successful Leader – #3: Building Trust
Trust is the glue that holds organizations together. Trust is based on a history of two or more
people working together and communicating thoughts and feelings, and taking or not taking
action. Often in workshops, I ask participants if they trust me (people I have never met). Most
people are polite and say yes. Then they ask me if I trust them, and I say NO… we have no
history together. Another major point is that I have people ask if I distrust them again I say NO.
The opposite of trust is not mistrust. I have no mistrust with the person – we have no history.
Trust = doing what you say. Trust = showing that you are capable and the Successful Leader has
trust you can do the job. Leadership must be built on mutual trust.
Successful Leader – #4: Coaching New Leaders
Having an experienced person, demonstrating, explaining, or encouraging the less experienced
person on how to do something as a leader is what coaching is. Coaching opens lines of
communication, supports the sharing between generations, lessens aloofness or distancing by the
leader, and creates an interpersonal relationship. Coaching also is a sharing of history along with
the experiences of the coach. Organizational and or industry related history is so important to
understand the present about how the organization got where it is and possibly where it is going
to go. To have either internal or external coaching also lets the followers (new leaders) know that
they are supported and the Successful Leaders care about those employees’ careers and want
them to succeed.
Successful Leader – #5: Giving Recognition
The loudest communication in your organization is the last person promoted into a leadership
position. That promotion/recognition lets everyone know this is what is rewarded, how

5. employees are expected to act, and is recognition for everyone to see. What is recognized, people
will do. If you recognize and reward employees for being people oriented and knowledgeable,
employees will start to move in that direction. If the person you promoted is knowledgeable but
not a very good role model then people may start to act in that manner. Recognition is a
motivator! Recognition has a more lasting effect than money. A raise or bonus is shorter-lived
than recognition in front of the team or department. I had a leader once tell me he did not want to
recognize anyone in particular because he was afraid of disenfranchising others on his team.
Think about that, afraid to recognize success! Everyone is not a star. Recognition is an important
part of the workplace and leaders need to have the courage to recognize people for their
contribution.
Successful Leader – #6: Participatory Leadership
Teamwork is an essential aspect in the workplace. The old phrase “Two heads are better than
one” has proven to have merit. Participatory leadership is an approach to building a team.
Participators are leaders who involve followers, have open dialogues with followers about issues,
concerns, direction, and what actions to take. Participators involve followers in the decision
making process and coach and encourage input. There are many ways for participatory leaders to
involve followers and support and help followers learn, grow and develop.
Successful Leader – #7: Giving feedback
Feedback is the best way to develop as a leader and develop followers. While giving feedback, a
great deal can be learned about one’s own ability to observe, understand others and interpret and
evaluate the actions of others. A way to look at feedback is that it is a way to feed the future
(feed-forward). Imagine if I said to you that I want to give you some feed-forward information.
That would force you to think about applying action for the future. Often when leaders say they
are going to give employees feedback, the employees think about the past (usually something
they did wrong!). The purpose of feedback is so something can be done about the future: a
change in behavior, continuation of skills, or a new way of doing something. The key to giving
feed-forward information is to support success and what the employee is doing right.
Well there you have it: a transformation from Lousy Leader to Successful Leader. Did you keep
your Scorecard about your workplace leaders? How did your leaders rate? The next time you
have the opportunity to observe leaders, rate them and see where they score: lousy or successful
leader. Then, you have a decision to make!