Titles can give one authority but only behavior can earn respect.
How much respect you get from your followers will depend to a large degree on your inter-personal dealings with them. Be sure you are sincere because people will discern insincerity quickly.
5. Arrogance. Except in very rare cases, leaders start in their leadership ascent from the lower rungs of the organization's hierarchy.
They rise because of their ability. Unfortunately, the rise in popularity and power that goes with going up the leadership totem pole get in the heads of some. As they rise, so does their level of arrogance.
Arrogance can take many forms. It can be in the form of people who believe in themselves so much to the point of not anymore caring to listen to the opinion of the other members of the organization.
Meetings become just a venue for giving instructions on what to do without soliciting ideas from the members.
They start hating and avoiding people who disagree with them, even if the objection is done in a diplomatic manner.
In many instances, their arrogance is betrayed by their twisted interpretation of the quotation, I'd rather be right than popular.
As if popular decisions are always wrong. In their feelings of self-importance, they forget that there's another quotation that goes, "Vox Populi Vox Dei" ("The voice of the people is the voice of God.")
Not acknowledging a mistake and instead blaming others for a snafu is a sign of a weak leader.
Nobody expects anybody to be perfect, not even an extra-ordinary leader. So be humble enough to apologize for your mistakes and move fast to correct it.
Great leaders know when they have just lost a battle and must retreat in order to regroup and re-plan things to win the war in the long run.
6. Surround oneself with flatterers.
It's nice to be told that we are doing the right things and that our ideas are great.
But to be successful as a leader, you must know what is not working right, what strategies need to be revised, where the organization is failing, what decisions of yours are not applicable, and so on.
Flatterers should have no place in your circle.
They only give the wrong sense that everything is spick and span so that you will feel good.
They believe that they are giving you a favor by doing so but they are actually contributing to your downfall.
Answer to last week's teaser: Their aunt is your mother.
(Ismael D. Tabije also publishes the website BestManagementArticles.com where professionals and executives can refer to thousands of fresh management articles. Email comments to: idtabije@gmail.com.)
