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Leadership Strengths

Leadership Weaknesses

64 Examples of Leadership Weaknesses

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A leadership weakness is an inability to get people moving in the same direction towards a worthy purpose. Leadership is a difficult to master talent that requires strategic vision, ability to delivery, influencing and communication. This is also a social pursuit that requires confidence and the ability to earn credibility, reputation and status within groups. The following are common leadership weaknesses and failures.
Avoiding accountability -- blames others
Avoids ambiguity
Avoids difficult conversations
Avoids risk taking
Biased and unfair
Complaints, defeatism and negativity
Confrontational, unreasonable or impolite
Corruption & cronyism
Cultivates a negative team culture
Disengaged and aloof
Doesn't manage risk
Doesn't plan
Fails to delegate work
Fails to provide feedback
Fails to set expectations
Failure to build support or consensus
Fears change
Feels threatened by talent
Generally uninspiring
Inability to answer questions convincingly
Inability to build and sustain relationships
Inability to compel, motivate and inspire
Inability to deliver results
Inability to influence
Inability to sell ideas or promote accomplishments
Inattention to detail
Indecisive
Ineffective issue clearing
Inefficient communication -- long pointless meetings
Inflexible
Lackluster reputation
Lacks empathy or the ability to read and use emotion
Lacks passion and energy
Lacks understanding and knowledge
Low credibility
Low tolerance for stress
Manipulative
Obsessed with obscure issues
Overanalysis
Overcommitment -- often makes promises that aren't delivered
Overly optimistic or pessimistic
Overplanning
Oversensitive -- takes everything personally
Overuse of jargon and complex language
Poor behavior or results -- inability to lead by example
Poor communication skills
Poor listening habits
Poor negotiation skills
Poor quality decisions
Poor resilience -- cracks under pressure
Poor strategic vision
Poor work ethic
Resists change
Secretive
Slow decisions
Time management -- failure to prioritize
Timid
Too harsh with criticism
Too serious -- makes everything bleak
Too strict -- destroys creativity and alienates talent
Unethical
Unimaginative vision, strategy and decisions
Unprofessional
Untrusting -- excessive monitoring and control
The list above is quite bleak as it reflects the realities of leadership in many organizations. If asked for your own leadership weakness in an interview, it is probably better to list a strength that you have been optimizing or an opportunity you are seeking. For example, "I'm not accustomed to public speaking in front of large audiences so I have been seeking opportunities to gain experience in front of a crowd."

Leadership Strengths

This is the complete list of articles we have written about leadership strengths.
Active Silence
Analysis
Authority
Bias For Action
Business Ethics
Candor
Change Management
Communication
Confidence
Consensus Building
Coolness
Credibility
Cultural Capital
Decision Making
Design Thinking
Empathy
Eye Contact
Facilitation
First Principles
Goal Planning
Grit
Humility
Humor
Knowledge
Listening
Message Framing
Negotiation
Networking
Nudges
Objection Handling
Personal Presence
Personal Values
Plain Language
Planning
Pragmatism
Problem Solving
Public Speaking
Relational Capital
Risk Management
Self-Control
Self-Direction
Small Talk
Social Proof
Storytelling
Systems Thinking
Team Culture
Vision
Wit
Work Ethic
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Leadership Development

An overview of leadership development with examples.

Leadership Strengths

A list of leadership strengths.

Leadership Examples

A list to help you identity your leadership experiences and accomplishments.

Situational Leadership

An overview of situational leadership with examples.

Leadership Style

A vocabulary for describing leadership style.

Creative Leadership

A guide to creative leadership.
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