17 Signs of an Insecure Leader

In the almost 5,000 articles I have written, I have never discussed the following subject.  In over 35 years of dealing with countless leaders, it has been my experience one of the most dangerous are insecure leaders.

So how do you spot one?  The following are 17 signs of an insecure leader:

1. Insecure leaders have something from in their past (pain, rejection, disappointment, abandonment, poverty, etc…) which frame their decision-making.
2. Insecure leaders will always make decisions which benefit themselves more than the organization.
3. Insecure leaders surround themselves with “yes-men” and “yes-women.”
4. Insecure leaders view differing opinions or feedback as disloyalty.
5. Insecure leaders are always giving their resume.  They continually tell stories of their personal accomplishments more than their team’s accomplishments.
6. Insecure leaders need constant validation.
7. Insecure leaders are threatened by other leaders in the organization and see them as competitors.
8. Insecure leaders frequently lose top performers.
9. Insecure leaders manipulate behaviors through fear, guilt, or emotion.
10. Insecure leaders require compensation packages at the risk of the organization.
11. Insecure leaders lack transparency in many areas of their leadership – financial, systems, decision-making process, etc…
12. Insecure leaders are crafty.  They love the gray area and rarely tell the entire story.
13. Insecure leaders lack trust.
14. Insecure leaders look for silver bullets.
15. Insecure leaders reject rules and guidelines.
16. Insecure leaders resist being under authority.
17. Because of all the items list above, insecure leaders frequently miss their goals and objectives.

If any of these qualities describe you, there is still time to address your insecurities.

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