In this part of the assignment, I will analyse the qualities listed in the case study, and rank the top three. These qualities are known as leadership derailers and although they can highlight the likelihood of a leader derailing, it is not confirmation that one will derail. There are also positive aspects to each one and the negative aspects once identified can be mitigated with coaching and development. Each of the derailers will be analysed before the top three are ranked.
Excitable leaders anticipate rejection and criticism from others. They will often have emotional outbursts and take things personally. It is difficult to please them and they require constant reassurance from others. In contrast, they are sensitive to others’ problems and feel a sense of empathy because they can relate to the pain. They provide energy and excitement when they have an opportunity to work on or lead new projects (Furnham, 2010).
Diligent leaders are authority-pleasers. They are bureaucratic, rigid and inflexible regarding rules and processes and are known to micromanage their teams.
They are difficult to please because of the high standards that they set for themselves and their teams. They approach things conservatively making them risk-averse. Highly diligent leaders are afraid to make mistakes and place so much emphasis on the details that they lose sight of the important bigger picture. Their positive traits, however, include being meticulous, conscientious, reliable and dependable. They are seen as role models because they uphold high standards and constantly display professionalism (Furnham, 2010).
In the context of the article, bold leaders are known to be narcissists. They are arrogant, vain, overbearing and dominating. These tendencies drive them to take the lead in many social and work settings. Their nature is self-serving and they have a strong belief that they are entitled to respect, admiration and other forms of special treatment. They are often blind to their faults, rejecting the idea that they made mistakes and will rather shift the blame onto others. On the other hand, bold leaders can be charismatic and energetic. People become enamoured by their confidence and charisma thereby creating a following with minimal effort (Furnham, 2010).
Reserved leaders are self-reliant and focused. They are not easily distracted and rarely display emotion. They are stoic and remain calm in difficult situations. They are not easily offended and handle criticism and judgement from others well. Under extreme pressure, reserved leaders tend to retreat and withdraw from those around them. They limit their interaction with others and become disengaged and almost invisible. They are not insightful regarding social cues and can seem cold and insensitive towards others. They tend to ignore conflict causing their teams to lose faith in them as leaders (Furnham, 2010).
Sceptical leaders are paranoid and it takes a long time for them to build trusting relationships with others. They take strong stances on issues that they feel are unethical or wrong. Due to this, they are unwilling to compromise as they firmly believe that what they stand is for is the correct view or perspective, often leading to issues with authority. They are combative, secretive and tend to project blame onto others rather than themselves. In contrast, their sceptical nature makes them careful, observant and tactical. They are prepared for the unexpected and can be viewed as being charismatic (Furnham, 2010).
Colourful leaders are attention-seeking and overly dramatic. They are self-obsessed and tend to not listen to others. They can be obnoxious, impulsive and unpredictable. They are noisy, distractible and over-committed and because of this they often cause chaos and distress among their teams, from whom they need constant attention, support and admiration. Their high energy levels can be inspirational, entertaining and fun, creating excitement and enthusiasm within groups. However, they become impatient and easily bored when required to complete repetitive, mundane administrative tasks (Furnham, 2010).
Mischievous leaders are impulsive risk-takers. They have no consideration for the repercussions that their actions may have on others. They constantly push boundaries and test limits by deliberately breaking rules or going against the grain which can irritate, frustrate and unsettle their teams. They are manipulative and cunning and will not think twice about throwing someone under the bus or creating trouble amongst team members. On the other hand, mischievous leaders can be seen as spontaneous, fun and charming. They are adaptable and they manage ambiguity well (Anon., 2019).
Cautious leaders prefer familiar people, situations and processes opting for familiarity and routine rather than variety and change. They are risk-averse and tend to delay decision making often missing opportunities that may seem obvious to others. Their cautious nature causes them to over-analyse and procrastinate. They are indecisive and controlling thereby also restricting the initiatives generated by the team. They are rigid and prefer to take a reactive rather than a proactive approach to situations. Important to note is that they are intelligent, effective, reliable and meticulous. They do, however, struggle to provide constructive feedback and articulate clear goals (Furnham, 2010).
Leisurely leaders play the victim, feeling underappreciated and disadvantaged. They are passive-aggressive in nature and will show support outwardly while driving an opposing agenda internally. Their expert blame-shifting creates mistrust amongst team members and generates animosity. This breaks down team commitment and destroys morale. Leisurely leaders are confident in their skills and abilities but sceptical about the abilities and intentions of others. It is this confidence in their abilities that make them stubborn and indifferent to feedback (Furnham, 2010).
Imaginative leaders are insightful, innovative and interesting to others. They are playful and creative and are keen to explore new ways of doing things. Such leaders can become difficult to follow as they can be eccentric, moody and single-minded. They are unpredictable and distractible and can be insensitive to others. They constantly seek attention and praise and tend to be visionary to the point of being impractical. Although fun to be around, they can leave their teams feeling confused by their direction (Furnham, 2010).
Dutiful leaders are eager to please and may struggle to express disagreement with superiors. They struggle to maintain the loyalty of the team in their attempt to please everyone by avoiding conflict and unpleasant situations. They have a strong need to be liked and respected but may not always stand up for their people due to the fear of opposing their superiors. They get stuck in a state of analysis and tend to delay or avoid making decisions completely, often relying on their colleagues to make the decision or depending on the guidance of the superior before taking a stand. They are very apologetic and submissive often leading to the loss of respect from their teams. The positive side of this characteristic is that they are generally good-natured, kind and humble (Furnham, 2010).
Furnham (2019) identifies three key factors to effective leadership. These are listed as the ability to build relationships, their level of self-awareness and their adaptability. Firstly, if an individual has difficulty building and maintaining a team, they are likely to have behaviours that are aggressive, overcommitted or suspicious. Secondly, if one is not self-aware, they are likely to behave in ways that are arrogant and self-serving and finally if one is unable to adapt to new and changing demands then one might display behaviours such as rigidity and micromanagement (Furnham, 2019) . Based on this, I would rank the top three characteristics to be aware of as bold, excitable and diligent.
In conclusion, the eleven derailers each have a set of positive and negative aspects. If the negative aspects are ignored or overlooked, it can have dire consequences for organisations and teams. However, if focus is placed on them and leaders are provided with development and coaching to address and monitor them, it can be mitigated so as to avoid management and leadership derailment.
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