Bad Leadership: 10 Warning Signs and Improvement Tips

Nobody wants to have poor leadership skills. A good leader can shape the atmosphere in a team, a department, or even an entire company – their influence can help everyone improve.

Unfortunately, the opposite is also true. Poor leadership behavior can create a toxic work environment where employees want to leave. Need proof? According to our study, 44% of respondents cited their boss as the main reason for quitting.

You’ve probably encountered a bad leader at some point – hopefully, you’ve never been one yourself. If you’re still concerned, keep reading to find out which ten traits employees most often identify as poor leadership qualities and how you can avoid them.

What is bad leadership?  

Bad leadership occurs when a leader does not support their team. This can ultimately lead to drastic consequences—especially when the company's goals and mission are lost sight of. Being a good leader is not always easy and requires a wide range of skills.  

Bad leadership manifests itself in many ways and is easy to recognize when you are in an environment with such a leadership style. It is not just a matter of a negative attitude or lack of support. Below are some typical characteristics of a bad leader.

What are some bad leadership traits?  

Do you know what qualities make a bad leader? According to the IceHrm Bad Boss Index, these are the ten most common mistakes of a bad leader:

1. Taking credit for employees' work  
2. Not trusting employees  
3. Overloading employees  
4. Not advocating for employees' pay
5. Hiring or promoting the wrong employees
6. Shifting blame in conflicts between customers and employees  
7. Failing to provide clear direction
8. Getting caught up in micromanagement
9. Focusing more on employees' weaknesses than strengths
10. Not setting clear expectations

Some of these insights may be surprising. For example, some leaders fail to give clear instructions because they believe they are granting their team creative freedom. A good leader is characterized by a balanced approach, such as providing the right amount of support without micromanaging.

Which communication skills are most important for leaders?

To be effective and successful in their position, leaders need advanced communication skills that allow them to adapt to the different communication styles of various audiences.

First, you need to understand how you usually communicate your visions and ideas. Observe how others react when you speak to determine if the reaction is positive. If they don’t seem to be listening or are not interested, you may not be communicating in the right way.

Second, you need to know your audience and try different communication styles. For example:

• Analytical communicators think logically and love data and details. So don’t just say 'Sales are positive.' Instead, phrase it like 'Sales increased by 5.2% last quarter.'
• Intuitive communicators look at the big picture. They like to focus on the main points and avoid details.
• Functional communicators prefer to proceed step by step, from start to finish. Ask them questions and be prepared for them to ask questions in return.
• Personal communicators value relationships and emotional language. Listen to them carefully and act diplomatically.

8 Ways to Effective Leadership Communication

• Use your critical thinking skills to identify the areas with the greatest weaknesses and focus on them deliberately. Continuous learning, discipline, and a confident handling of criticism and conflicts are essential.
• Be an active listener. Knowing when to listen (and actually doing so) is very important as a leader. It shows that you care about the thoughts and feedback of others. To listen actively, avoid distractions, don’t interrupt, encourage collaboration, ask questions, and take notes.
• Remove communication barriers and promote transparency. Talking openly about challenges and mistakes creates an environment of responsibility, experimentation, and trust between you as a leader and your employees.
• Be clear and precise. Speak clearly and provide examples in your instructions and explanations. This prevents misunderstandings and lays the foundation for your team's success.  
• Ask open-ended questions. Such questions encourage thorough self-reflection and consideration before answers are given. This allows leaders to receive better and more honest responses from their team members.  
• Show understanding of your employees' experiences and feelings. Empathy improves communication by fostering a better culture based on trust and teamwork.
• Show openness through your body language. Leaders communicate not only with words but also through nonverbal signals. To convey warmth and friendliness, maintain eye contact, relax your forehead, and smile.  
• Receive feedback graciously and implement it promptly. It is not helpful to ask for feedback if you respond with annoyance, anger, or irritation. Thank the person for the feedback, show that you have been heard, and work on improving based on the suggestions.  

What causes poor leadership behavior?

Most cases of poor leadership are not intentional – no one wants to be a bad leader. However, it is easy to fall into bad habits.

Here are some common causes of a lack of leadership skills:

• A negative attitude
• Assuming that knowledge alone is enough
• Excessive busyness to the point of inefficiency
• Ignoring problems or neglecting employee motivation
• Shifting responsibility onto others
• Lack of helpfulness

Can you improve poor leadership skills?

Good news: If you have fallen into bad leadership patterns, often encouragement and patience are enough to help you improve as a leader. However, sometimes more drastic measures are necessary to achieve the results required by your company.

Here’s how you can improve your leadership skills:

• Find out why you are struggling. What factors are contributing – both in the office and outside? There are various stress factors that can lead to a lack of engagement or an unwillingness to practice good leadership.
• Analyze your tasks to determine if you feel overwhelmed by your professional responsibilities. Talk to your supervisor about your challenges and their impact on expectations.
• Request training, a mentor, and ongoing support. Encouragement and patience will help you develop your own leadership style, improve your skills, and gain confidence in dealing with others.

How to Avoid the 10 Most Common Mistakes in Leadership Positions

Even if you recognize some of these mistakes in yourself, all is not lost. Try to change and avoid these behaviors with these tips – you and your team will notice a positive difference.

1. Give Your Employees Recognition

Imagine you are an employee who has given their best and worked overtime on a task, and then… your manager takes all the credit in the next meeting. Ouch.

As a leader, you might think that your success also benefits the entire team. But consider it from another perspective: if your team performs well, this shows that you are leading it excellently. Even small recognition can make a big difference. Therefore, keep track of who is working on what, and make sure that those who are particularly dedicated receive the recognition they deserve.

2. Trust your employees

As long as you haven't hired your employees for the wrong reasons (another example of poor leadership behavior), you hired them because they are intelligent and competent and possess the necessary skills for their work. Trust them!

If an employee gives you reason not to trust them, have a conversation and try to set things right. Trust is mutual – the more trust you show your employees, the more they will trust your instructions.

3. Encourage your employees to take breaks.

Completing tasks accurately and on time is important: after all, that’s what employees are paid for. But people also have friends, family, and hobbies. And everyone needs a break sometimes.

The Stanford University Graduate School of Business reported that burnout in the U.S. caused $190 billion in healthcare costs and led to 120,000 stress-related deaths. So you are not doing your company any favors by asking your employees to work overtime.

Be realistic about what your employees can handle, encourage them to take their vacation days, and have one-on-one conversations with employees who are working excessive hours to find solutions together for better work management.

4. Open Communication about Compensation

As a manager, you should be prepared to talk to your employees about compensation. You should ensure that they receive the pay they are entitled to or be able to explain why they earn what they do.

During compensation discussions, managers should keep the following in mind:

• Explain how and why compensation decisions are made.
• Ask about your employees' career goals to support them in their professional development.
• Inquire about your employees' satisfaction after a raise has been granted or denied.

5. Explain the reasons for new hires or promotions

This point is delicate, as what is considered "wrong" can be subjective. What your employees perceive as poor leadership qualities may be a matter of opinion. However, if you ensure that all employees are considered equally for promotions and carefully weigh who to bring onto your team and why, you are likely to be perceived as a good leader.

For new hires or promotions, it is advisable to share the reasons for your decision with the entire team. This can dispel any doubts within the team and at the same time show employees how they can advance their careers.

6. Make Your Own Decisions Between Employees and Customers  

Is the customer always right? Are your employees always right? The reality is: neither of them is always right – and communication is crucial here as well.  

Your employees expect your support. However, if you find yourself in a situation where you need to side with a customer, communicate your decision openly with your employees and don’t leave anyone in the lurch. A good leader does not shift blame – they take responsibility for the actions of their employees.

7. Create Clear Perspectives for Your Team

As a leader, you should provide your team with clear perspectives. Take every opportunity to teach your employees something new! People want to learn under your guidance and appreciate you as a mentor when you support their professional development. A good leader gives constructive feedback that promotes the team's progress and does not just say what employees want to hear.

8. Give your employees the freedom to do great work

It is not your job to supervise your team – and your employees don’t want that either. Don’t micromanage every step of their projects down to the last detail; instead, provide them with initial guidance and support so they can get off to a strong start.

It can be helpful to discuss with your team how much involvement in the projects is desired. Ultimately, however, you should give them the responsibility for the path to the final product. They deserve the chance to deliver outstanding work on their own.

9. Praise your employees for their strengths.  

According to the Harvard Business Review, the ideal ratio of praise to criticism is 5:1. It would be excessive to measure this exactly, but if you regularly praise your employees, they will be more open to constructive criticism.  

10. Support your employees in setting and achieving goals.  

Employees should know from day one what is expected of them. Start by setting goals during the onboarding process, and continue by defining new goals and discussing them with employees in one-on-one meetings.

Final Thoughts: Communication is the Key to Good Leadership  

You have probably already noticed that communication is a central theme in addressing these negative leadership qualities. One of the best methods you can use as a leader is regular one-on-one meetings with your employees. This creates a dialogue between you and your employees, allowing them to share their experiences with you and enabling you to give each other constructive feedback.  

Show your employees that you care about them, their career goals, and their work-related aspirations. This significantly contributes to a positive work atmosphere for both sides.

Effective leadership is fundamentally rooted in proactive and empathetic communication, trust, and the consistent prioritization of employee well-being and growth. The common pitfalls of bad leadership—such as micromanagement, lack of recognition, and unclear expectations—can be systematically avoided by adopting behaviors like active listening, giving credit where it's due, and having transparent conversations about compensation. IceHrm's Performance Management and One-on-One Meeting features are perfectly designed to support this transformation. By institutionalizing regular, structured dialogues, IceHrm helps managers avoid the mistake of neglecting employees, ensuring they provide necessary clear expectations, constructive feedback, and recognition. This process fosters the trust and accountability needed to cultivate a supportive and high-performing work environment, transforming common leadership weaknesses into strengths.