Theories on Why Leaders Fail to Act

Failure to Lead

Leaders who lead with ambition but fail by making a faulty choice are often the more condemned leaders but there is another group that is even less competent or at least unlucky, that being leaders who react tepidly or refuse to make a firm choice or take blame for the same. Such leaders are too tentative and are not assertive enough and this lead to a leader not being taken seriously as an executive or even a figurehead because there is cogent and strong voice dictating what is to be done and why. It is clear that trying one's best as a lead and with fervor will always stand as a better way to try and fail than to not make a decision and/or not make it quickly enough thus almost certainly leading to failure or less success.

Research

The traits of good leaders are tossed around perhaps a bit too much but most of them ring true. The facets and dimensions of a good leader are many but the most important one, to be fair, is the ability to make informed yet timely decisions and to stand behind those decisions regardless of the results. If things go awry, a good leader facilitates identifying what went wrong and why and thus plots a course to rectifiy and correct what did not happen planned. Digging a bit further, throwing good money after bad or otherwise kicking the proverbial can down the road rather than making the hard decisions that need to be made is something that can bring down a company or even an entire city like Detroit ("Better leadership," 2013).

One stumbling block to understanding what typifies bad leadership is that many of the studies, articles and punditry focuses on what makes up "good" leadership rather than focusing at least some of the time on what makes for bad leadership. If one were to make a bulleted list of what defines bad leadership, it can and should include lack of energy and/or enthusiasm, acceptance of mediocre performance, lack of clear vision or direction, poor judgment, the leader does not "walk the talk," resists new ideas, does not learn from mistakes and lacks interpersonal skills (Fibuch, 2011). Lack of passion and/or fervor alone can be devastating to the image of a firm or its leaders, the opposite of which is portrayed clearly by cutting edge leaders like General Electric's Jack Welch (Spears & Parker, 2013).

Avoiding Bad Leadership

As explored and mentioned in the research section, it is clear that the good and bad aspects of leadership should be assessed when evaluating what makes a good leader and why. A good leader will make good and informed decisions but will not be tepid about owning the decision and all of its consequences. A good leader will not hesitate when immediate action and reaction is needed. As for how to avoid a leader that engages in such folly, it has to be ensured that the leader is assertive, ready to act when needed, has a passion in what they believe. It should be clear to anyone who observes the leader what makes them tick, that they are on top of their game and what they are passionate about.

Another huge part of finding and retaining a good leader is to find one that not only holds other accountable for their responsibilities and deliverables but also holds themselves accountable for what they do right and what they do wrong. No leader is perfect but the good ones realize and understand where they went astray and why and thus are able to avoid a repetition. A leader who cannot or will not change course after making a bad decision should not be in a position of power. Consideration and analysis is an art form but it should never be done to excess, especially when it is quite clear what the right course is.