Barbara Kellerman, a professor at Harvard University, wrote extensively about bad leadership and examined why leaders sometimes fail. What I find particularly interesting is that there is often a reason behind bad leadership. This does not mean that we should excuse bad behavior, but it does mean that we should try to understand the person before judging the leader by only one aspect of his or her life.
Human beings often carry experiences from the past—gray areas, dark areas, wounds, disappointments, and things they would rather hide. These experiences can sometimes influence the way they lead.
In fact, there are people like this around us. However, if we have an opportunity to sit down with them one-on-one and listen to their stories, we may begin to understand why they behave the way they do. Perhaps a pastor was ostracized by fellow pastors. Perhaps someone became somewhat rough because of deep wounds received from the congregation during years of ministry. There may be a story behind the behavior.
At the same time, understanding the reason does not mean approving the behavior. Leaders can change. Through education, reflection, experience, and new ideas, people can become better leaders. That is where I believe we should place our hope.
When we think about leaders, we often expect them to do everything well and to be good people. But sometimes the actions, attitudes, and drive of a leader can hurt the people around them, including those who follow them. What is more dangerous is that this can happen unconsciously.
I often remind myself to be careful about this. Yet after some time, I sometimes look back and realize, “I did not handle that correctly. I may have hurt that person.” The higher a person rises in leadership, the greater this risk becomes. Sometimes the problem is not intentional wrongdoing but simply carelessness, neglect, or a failure to recognize the effect of our behavior on others. If such behavior continues and becomes a serious mistake, it may eventually cause irreparable damage.
Leadership requires special responsibilities. Leaders must make decisions, relate to many different people, and provide direction and progress to those who follow them. Some leaders also feel that they must maintain a strong image—that they must always appear confident, powerful, and in control. But leadership is not about protecting a strong image. True leadership requires both strength and humility.
In this world, good things are often accomplished by good leaders and good followers. But it is also true that bad things can be produced by bad leaders and bad followers.
So, what makes a leader a bad leader?
Some obvious examples are a leader who speaks recklessly, feels the need to win every argument, or makes life unnecessarily difficult for those around him. Some leaders try to satisfy their own personal needs through leadership. Others sacrifice individuals by saying, “This is necessary for the good of the group.” In the process, they may actually damage the ministry or the very goal they are trying to accomplish. Some leaders also neglect ethical responsibilities.
Barbara Kellerman identifies seven types of bad leadership in her book Bad Leadership. I found these categories particularly useful as a checklist for self-examination.
- The Incompetent Leader
An incompetent leader is someone who is unable to perform the responsibilities of leadership adequately. They may have become a leader for many different reasons, but they simply do not have the ability to handle the role effectively.
This is a problem that the leader himself or herself must address.
I remember facing this question about six years after I began working at the LPM Korea Institute. I had used almost all the resources I had, and my staff had grown to the point where they were becoming as capable as I was. My own role seemed to be decreasing. For a moment, I wondered whether I had reached the point where I was no longer needed.
Perhaps that could have looked like incompetence. But leadership also means knowing when your role needs to change. Sometimes a leader’s success is demonstrated not by how indispensable he remains, but by how well others have grown.
- The Rigid Leader
A rigid leader is inflexible and unwilling to change.
Having principles is good. Standing firmly for important values is necessary. But when principles become rigidity, they can become obstacles to ministry.
I have sometimes asked myself, “Am I being too strict?”
Looking back at certain situations, I realize that I may have been. A leader can be right in principle and still be wrong in the way he treats people.
- The Intemperate Leader
An intemperate leader lacks self-control. Such a leader may react impulsively, make decisions in the moment, or allow emotions and outside influences to determine direction.
Perhaps they see something on television and immediately want to change the ministry. Perhaps someone says something they do not like, and they react immediately. Their ears may be too easily influenced.
This may not cause much damage in a small ministry. But when an organization becomes larger and more complicated, impulsive leadership can become dangerous. Large ministries require patience, discernment, and consistency.
- The Callous Leader
A callous leader is cold, insensitive, and lacking in compassion.
Being careful and disciplined is important. But people cannot work together effectively if there is no humanity in the relationship.
Leaders sometimes forget that the people around them are not simply workers, staff members, or followers. They are human beings who need encouragement, appreciation, understanding, and warmth.
Sometimes the people around a leader are simply waiting for a little warmth from that leader.
- The Corrupt Leader
Corruption may involve money, bribery, dishonesty, or the misuse of power. But corruption can take other forms as well.
A leader may become too close to powerful people for personal advantage. A leader may manipulate others to maintain his position. A leader may use authority to satisfy personal ambitions.
When leadership becomes a tool for personal benefit rather than service, corruption has already begun.
- The Insular Leader
An insular leader becomes isolated within his own way of thinking.
Such a leader may listen only to people who agree with him and reject everything outside his own theory, logic, or ministry philosophy. Eventually, one particular idea can become so dominant that everything else is viewed through that single lens.
I have heard people describe someone by saying, “His dogma is too strong.”
That can happen to leaders as well. Conviction is important, but conviction without openness can become isolation.
- The Evil Leader
The final category is the evil leader.
This is the most serious form of bad leadership—a leader who intentionally uses power to cause serious harm. Thankfully, this may not be the most common form we encounter in ordinary ministry, but it reminds us that leadership can be used not only for good but also for destruction.
When I look at these seven categories, I cannot simply point my finger at other leaders. I have to look at myself.
The role of a leader is important, but the greater the responsibility, the greater the risk. Leadership gives us influence, and influence can bless people or hurt them.
Among these seven types, I have particularly worried about the second one—the rigid leader. I have sometimes asked myself, “Am I being too strict?” And when I look back on certain situations, I think, “Perhaps I hurt them a little.”
That realization is important.
Leadership requires continual self-examination. We should not simply ask, “Am I accomplishing the ministry?” We should also ask, “What is my leadership doing to the people around me?”
Perhaps these seven types of bad leadership can serve as a personal checklist:
Am I incompetent?
Am I becoming rigid?
Am I acting impulsively?
Am I becoming callous?
Am I misusing my position?
Am I becoming isolated in my thinking?
Am I hurting others through my leadership?
A good leader is not someone who has no weaknesses. A good leader is someone who is willing to recognize those weaknesses, learn from them, and change.
Leadership is a privilege, but it is also a responsibility. The higher we go, the more carefully we must examine not only what we are doing, but also what our leadership is doing to others.