If you’re going to avoid sub-par leadership in your MSP business, you’ve got to know the signs. These can be difficult to determine at times, because those who are poor leaders can cover their tracks well. Oftentimes, to some degree, they know what they do isn’t strictly on the up-and-up, so they’ll work to make themselves appear better than they are. You’ve got to take an oblique approach in recognizing whether management is truly qualitative or not.
The following are several signs of poor leadership:
Tactics Rooted in Fear
Your MSP business needs to keep an eye out for management that isn’t afraid to throw its weight around. Granted, sometimes rank is a very important thing to parley in terms of managerial facilitation. But some managers just try to scare employees into being productive. While this may motivate them, it’s also a great way to ensure they make a large number of unnecessary fear-derived mistakes. Managers who rely on fear tactics are bad for employees and your business. Either get rid of them or put them in a non-leadership role or rehabilitate them, if there’s a way to do that feasibly.
Inter-Office Politics That Are Divisive
Sometimes someone will be promoted to management and use their power to additionally promote their friends. Instead of looking out for the company, they look out for themselves and, as a result, the company suffers. Promotion and delegation must be related to appropriateness and skill, not inner-office political posturing.
Bad Morale
When leadership is bad, employees don’t enjoy coming to work, they don’t feel they have a hope in the future, and their performance lags. When morale is low, so is productivity. Keep an eye on morale. Sometimes, economic flux or another difficulty can be the cause, but oftentimes, bad leadership may be a culprit.
Your MSP business will be more successful with leaders who care for employees, don’t play politics, and work toward the betterment of the company rather than personal interests.
