15 Practices of Leaders Who Lead by Fear

Some posts need no qualifying comments. So let’s get right into it. The following are 15 Practices of Leaders Who Lead by Fear:

1. Leaders Who Lead by Fear Look Angry—They never look happy. They glare and have an angry countenance. Positive body language is not part of their leadership skill set.
2. Leaders Who Lead by Fear Have Poor Communication Skills—In addition to having poor nonverbal skills, they make up for it with poor verbal skills. Their speech is loud and condescending.
3. Leaders Who Lead by Fear Are Insecure—They know they lack the ability to lead in an affirming manner. Therefore, they lead by using their position rather than their influence.
4. Leaders Who Lead by Fear Are Lazy—It is easier to lead in a hostile manner than actually doing the hard work of equipping others and building relational equity.
5. Leaders Who Lead by Fear Are Not Learners—They have not put in the sweat equity of learning how to effectively lead.
6. Leaders Who Lead by Fear Cause Others to Lose Confidence—These leaders are constantly pointing out the shortcomings of those on their teams and telling them the things they are doing wrong.
7. Leaders Who Lead by Fear Go Through a Lot of Employees, Especially Assistants—Because they do not value people, employee churn is a constant reality. Assistants are of special concern. Churning assistants is a sure sign you are a leadership bully. For more on this topic read 10 Signs You Are a Leadership Bully.
8. Leaders Who Lead by Fear Ruin Your Nights and Weekends—They take pride in leaving fireball voice messages or sending damaging emails during your family time.
9. Leaders Who Lead by Fear Major on Minor Offenses—Everyone walks on egg shells because the slightest issue or offense sets off angry leaders.
10. Leaders Who Lead by Fear Are Often in Poor Health—Having no emotional margin is often a sign they have no boundaries in other areas of their life.
11. Leaders Who Lead by Fear Are Mistaken About Loyalty—These type of leaders confuse silence with compliance.
12. Leaders Who Lead by Fear Have Dysfunctional Families—We do not live compartmentalized lives. You cannot lead by fear at the office and be a servant leader at home.
13. Leaders Who Lead by Fear Celebrate Alone—Because they have isolated everyone around them, when the organization does experience success they celebrate alone.
14. Leaders Who Lead by Fear Are Most Comfortable in Dysfunction—They are more comfortable in conflict than a healthy environment. They enjoy arguing and intimidating people. Therefore, they manufacture dysfunction.
15. Leaders Who Lead by Fear Will Soon Become Leaders Who USED to Lead by Fear—They are temporary leaders. Leading by fear is an unsustainable model. When you lead by fear, those around you pitch a tent and wait for you to make a mistake. And because you have shown no mercy or grace, neither will they.

For some of you reading this post, God in His gracious love and mercy is giving you one last chance to repent and start valuing people. If not, you will soon become a leader who USED to lead by fear.