What makes a good leader?

[James Fisher]

What qualities make a good leader and more importantly what makes a bad one?

 

[Mr D]

Hannibal was a good leader. Thrashed the superpower of his day multiple times.

So good with animals (elephants in his case) and a head for heights (mountains) as qualities of a good leader?

A bad one? Negative emotions, abuse, indecision. That last you really don't want in an emergency.

 

[shumicps]

A good leader always treat like positively to the team and always try to figure out how he can keep them motivated to solve their problems. All good leaders exhibit confidence everywhere and this is necessary because people always will be following their behave, particularly when things are not going right.

 

[fisicx]

Shouting. Lots of shouting. And flirting with anything in a skirt. And going down the pub at lunchtime followed by more shouting.

 

[Mr D]

Shouting. Lots of shouting. And flirting with anything in a skirt. And going down the pub at lunchtime followed by more shouting.

(Quickly changes out of kilt)

Used to have a manager who went out for a long pub lunch every Friday, was impossible to get him to do his job on a Friday afternoon he was too drunk. Had to keep him away from customer phone calls and save all work needing his input until the following Monday.

 

[The Byre]

What qualities make a good leader?

Jetpacks.

If I had a jetpack, I too could be a leader of men!

 

[Michael-Roth]

In my opinion, I think a good leader is someone who looks after the people he is leading. I have met some selfish leaders and trust me (everyone hates them).

 

[ffox]

and more importantly what makes a bad one?

Isn't that an oxymoron? - If a person is a 'bad leader' no-one will follow. If there are no followers, the person cannot be a leader.

Now, if you'd said what makes a bad manager....

 

[Mr D]

In my opinion, I think a good leader is someone who looks after the people he is leading. I have met some selfish leaders and trust me (everyone hates them).

They can still be a good leader even if selfish. History has a number of good leaders who were selfish.

 

[Blood Lust]

What qualities make a good leader and more importantly what makes a bad one?

Leadership is not about trying to force people to follow you but knowing how to get them to follow you because they want too. Basically you present to them a way forward or goal which they both agree with and which if they choose to follow you will see them get their needs met.

In a workplace context the gold standard is Maslow`s Hierarchy of Needs and Hertzberg`s Hygiene factors. Along with that training and development plans leading to future promotions. You also have to be altruistic towards your staff and look after them.

Bad leadership is any action which leads to the employee resenting you instead of wanting to follow you. So no shouting at them, bullying them, forcing them to do stuff, being disrespectful to them, exploiting them, etc. Treat them correctly and with respect instead. Bad leadership is usually the result of someone who doesnt know how to lead or someone who is too self-absorbed to treat the people under them correctly.

If you have a look at McGregor`s Theory X and Theory Y styles of leadership then Theory X is bad leadership while Theory Y is good.

With Theory X there is no respect towards the employee causing the employee to resent the leader and become demotivated. Because the self-absorbed leader cannot see themselves as the problem what happens is they become convinced the employee is lazy, not interested, incompetent, just after a wage packet, etc. Then the shouting, coercion, and attempts to give the employee a kick up the behind start. It makes the problem worse because its an even more lack of respect. Then the employee quits (and eventually the manager gets sacked for causing all the talent to abandon ship).

Despite how he is portrayed its actually Hitler who is the greatest leader in history (and by quite some margin too). If you compare Maslow`s Hierarchy of Needs against his ideology, policies, and imperialistic ambitions you will get why Germany followed him in the way that it did. From state healthcare, to breeding programs, to telling them they were special, to trying to get their country to live up to its full potential with a 1000 year Reich, its all in there.

He took care of all the psychological needs of the German people. In addition, everyone that he liked (and that is obviously not the millions he wiped out) got treated with the Theory Y style of leadership too.

 

[Mr D]

Despite how he is portrayed its actually Hitler who is the greatest leader in history (and by quite some margin too). If you compare Maslow`s Hierarchy of Needs against his ideology, policies, and imperialistic ambitions you will get why Germany followed him in the way that it did. From state healthcare, to breeding programs, to telling them they were special, to trying to get their country to live up to its full potential with a 1000 year Reich, its all in there.

He took care of all the psychological needs of the German people. In addition, everyone that he liked (and that is obviously not the millions he wiped out) got treated with the Theory Y style of leadership too.

The trouble with bad people is they aren't bad all of the time.

 

[Blood Lust]

The trouble with bad people is they aren't bad all of the time.

He was a great leader and would have made an outstanding psychologist too. But of course you had to be on his `I like you list` not the `disappear, experimentation, or slavery` ones.

 

[Mark T Jones]

The trouble with bad people is they aren't bad all of the time.

That’s differentiating between good people and good leaders.

Hitler was undoubtedly a good leader at the outset, as was Maggie thatcher (that doesnt change no matter whether you agree with them or not)

Interestingly both of them failed ,when they lost the ability to delegate and tried to micro-manage. Which suggests that personality traits are not enough

 

[Blood Lust]

That’s differentiating between good people and good leaders.

Hitler was undoubtedly a good leader at the outset, as was Maggie thatcher (that doesnt change no matter whether you agree with them or not)

Interestingly both of them failed ,when they lost the ability to delegate and tried to micro-manage. Which suggests that personality traits are not enough

I was thinking of replying using Julius Caesar for a moment but then I remembered... he got knifed in the back lol.

 

[Mr D]

That’s differentiating between good people and good leaders.

Hitler was undoubtedly a good leader at the outset, as was Maggie thatcher (that doesnt change no matter whether you agree with them or not)

Interestingly both of them failed ,when they lost the ability to delegate and tried to micro-manage. Which suggests that personality traits are not enough

There will undoubtedly be people who disagree about whether either one was that bad. But yes, they both made some good decisions and changed their society.
To some people Thatcher was so powerful she remained able to control things both after leaving office and after dying. Like other people since have had no power.

Though to be fair to Hitler he also commanded power over others since his death too.

Is that in any way the sign of a good leader? Power over others even after the death of the leader?
Its one of the powers of a beloved friend.

 

[Mr D]

I was thinking of replying using Julius Caesar for a moment but then I remembered... he got knifed in the back lol.

Knifed after achieving a lot. Including the crossing of a river that millions of people would have crossed previously.
An achievement he is remembered for 2000 years later.

 

[The Byre]

If he'd had a jetpack, he could have nipped back and forth across the Rubicon as much as he liked!