Horrible leadership is on prominent display in politics and in corporations across the globe.

Lost souls trained in rewards and punishment embrace romantic philosophies advanced by college professors that couldn’t succeed in the real world if their life depended on it.

Many of these autocratic ideas are predicated on the assumption that academic elites and intellectuals are uniquely qualified to offer the leadership “little people” require.

These beliefs quickly move in the direction of absolute power and the assumption that most people are incapable of functioning without supervision.

It’s all about control, and massive egos dedicated to satisfying their insatiable appetite for narcissistic supply.

Confirmation bias drives this disease, and its poisoning organizations around the world.

It’s easy to spot companies that embrace these ideas, because their public theatrics are disingenuous.

They jump on the latest trend to create the impression of being virtuous, inclusive and diverse. The problem, their actions and rhetoric are choreographed to manipulate people into believing they are morally superior.

Great leaders don’t need to hire consultants to educate their staff on diversity, they practice it, and there’s a history of equality that resonates in the organization.

Whenever politics and cottage industries coverage to create a demand for training people to embrace ideas that demand conformity, beware. It’s driven by profit and the perception of piety.

Great leaders offer vision, direction and create a culture of openness and safety, that includes being vulnerable and uncomfortable. It doesn’t mean shoving your beliefs down someone’s throat to establish a homogenous vacuum of ideas that obviates diversity of opinions.

Great leaders need to recognize the difference between political orientation and well-run businesses. Most fail to make a distinction, and it’s making certain countries and corporations incredibly weak.

So how can we recognize horrible leadership that’s taking their business in a bad direction?

6 MISTAKES THAT MAKE PEOPLE THINK LEADERS ARE WEAK:

01.NO IMPACT

Many people push pain aside or spend considerable amounts of time ruminating about the past. Both are illustrations of not “dealing” with unpleasant circumstances that cause regret. Suppressing emotions and ignoring our pain creates a plethora of problems that culminate in regret. Not running away from our past includes acknowledging our pain and choosing to be actionable about improving our future.

02. NO VISION

Bad leaders lack vision, and they meander all over the place when they are required to manage a crisis. Sound familiar? There’s nothing worse than inconsistency and vague direction for people searching for reassurance that they are working with the right organization. Struggling to react to every unexpected twist demonstrates no vision or continuity in where the organization is headed.

03. NO TRANSPARENCY

Bad leaders withhold information and often misinform people intentionally. A lie is not telling the truth, but not being transparent is also dishonest. Being candid takes courage and it creates vulnerability that inspires loyalty. People can follow someone who is honest about the challenges ahead. They can’t follow a liar or disingenuous ideologue.

04. NO AUTHORITY

Bad leaders are weak and offer bravado and arrogance instead. They convey a certain type of conviction by imposing their will on others. That’s coercion, not leadership. When leaders lack direction, they often vacillate on difficult decisions and fail to make tough choices. When people clearly recognize incompetence and lack of authority, they start to contemplate alternative options.

05. NOT LISTENING

Bad leaders are poor listeners. They are so convinced they possess the absolute truth they convey arrogance with every word they speak. Some junior members of Congress come to mind. People are so determined to impose their beliefs on other people; they vilify anyone that challenges their version of reality. Quintessential narcissists are dangerous folks in leadership positions. They don’t listen and have no desire to HEAR what anyone else has to say.

06. NO BELIEF

Bad leaders don’t believe in anything but themselves. As a result, they worship power and control and lack humility, empathy and understanding. These people gravitate toward worshiping ideas that become religion. But lack of conviction to anything outside themselves that could force them to pause and consider someone else’s opinion. In addition, they have no faith in anyone on their team, so trust suffers. They always believe they are the smartest person in the room and have little or no confidence in anyone else.

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