5 Surefire Ways to Fail in Leadership

Everyone who has never been a leader of an organisation has a secret list of things they would do if they ever had the chance to be in charge. Not everyone realizes or even admits to having one, but really. They do. We all do. If the following show up on your list then work quickly, as you may find yourself out the door before you really get started.

Assume everyone is on your side.Even if you win by a landslide, it’s no guarantee that every single person voted for you. Even if they did, there’s someone envying you right now. Never assume anything. Always watch your back, because nobody is going to watch it for you. Leadership can be a desolate, albeit rewarding existence. If you find yourself lonely and in need of companionship, buy a pet.

Use an organisation’s accounts to fund your personal ventures.With all these new bank accounts at your disposal now you can polish off everything on your wish list, right? Wrong! The organisation will miss the funds thanks to automatic messages sent to other high-ranking members. If you plan to pilfer funds then do it right with some creative bookkeeping. Start paying yourself for chores associated with your position, and don’t skimp on it! They can afford you, and you're worth it.

Make new rules. Change them again. Then change them back.Rules are made to be broken, not changed. Too much change gives the organisation an air of instability. If leaders don’t know what they want from their members, how are members supposed to give leaders what they want? On this same note, don’t punish the entire membership for the misdeeds of one person. If something isn’t broken, it’s almost guaranteed that a leader will break it in the process of trying to fix it. Sit back and assess the state of the organisation. Make a list of things that need change, and spend some time marking which are priorities and which allow a more slack transition. 

Romance the lesser ranks.There's nothing wrong with an age difference between two halves of a couple, but when the gap exists between higher and lower ranking members, it can only cause trouble. Besides the obvious problems like gossip, jealousy and resentment from the other members, organisational rpg romance can also carry long-term effects. If things don't work out a break-up could lead to future awkward situations. If the other lower ranking member is already involved with someone, it could lead to a lot of unnecessary drama if the details came out. As leader, your actions could trickle into the lives of other members and create a hostile work environment. Is that really how you’d like to be remembered?

Attitude is everything.So many different things affect the tenure of a leader. A primary one is the head of the organisation's attitude. If you are a leader who is positive and tries to see the bright side of situations whenever possible, that attitude will rub off on the other members. Try to be enthusiastic and don’t ask others to do a job you're not willing to do yourself. On the other side of the coin, if you have a negative attitude, focus on the worst possible outcome happening in situations, face each day with dismal apathy and push all the hard work off onto other people, expect to find yourself voted out of the position, and perhaps even organisation itself. 

Even the best of leaders can make mistakes, including the ones listed above. The best plan of attack when you find yourself on the path to failure is to pause, contemplate, prioritize and if necessary apologize. And no matter what happens, be honest with everyone -- especially with yourself.

Written by: Becky James as Penelope Swain

Edited by: Tony Celentano

Read the original publication of this article and more like it on the Achaea website!