10 Habits of Ineffective Christian Leaders

10 Habits of Ineffective Christian Leaders

Pastor Terry Hagedorn, Calvary Baptist Church, Reedsville, WV

1. Ineffective leaders lead by word only—not by word and example:

“Do as I say—not as I do!” (What you are speaks so loudly people cannot hear what you say.)

2. Ineffective leaders do not have clear objectives:

By establishing clear goals, you establish a purpose and sense of direction. Remember the hunter’s adage: If you don’t aim at something, you won’t hit it.

3. Ineffective leaders are inconsistent:

When all is said and done by the inconsistent, more is said than done.

4. Ineffective leaders never praise good work—just condemn the wrong:

Make a point of only telling people when they do something wrong. Or, praise them in a vague way, “Well, you did the best you could--I think.”

5. Ineffective leaders do not communicate effectively:

Good communication breeds good communication. So ineffective leadership causes people to not understand you--so, they respond accordingly.

6. Ineffective leaders discourage ideas and initiative:

Innovation and creativity are essential requirements for every organization to move forward. Therefore, ineffective team leaders should look to discourage team members.

7. Ineffective leaders see any change as dangerous:

An ineffective leaders makes certain he or she is unaware of the changes in dynamics in the team and do not regard change as an opportunity to improve.

8. Ineffective leaders neglect the development of team members:

This prevents members from growth and motivation. In turn, this will also stymie and stall the team as a whole.

9. Ineffective leaders do not treat team members as individuals:

All people are alike. What works for one team member will work for all—after all, they are sheeple.

10. Ineffective leaders do not learn from experience or advice:

Change means that you were wrong—else you would not need to change.