Throughout my now 50+ year career in business and ministry, I have worked with, for, and around failing leaders.
Some of them (myself included) failed in relatively minor ways. At the same time, some failed spectacularly; they experienced super-nova failures. As I contemplated this half-century of experience, I noted several characteristics common among failing leaders.
9 Warning Signs of a Failing Leader
All leaders experience one or more of these nine signs occasionally. Any of them can be problematic, but usually, we can heal ourselves and others when we slip. The path to leadership failure comes when several of these signs combine and become a way of life.
When that happens, leaders are doomed to failure, often quite spectacularly.
If you are young and getting started in your career, read this list and consider whether any of these is a potential problem that might lead to your failure. If you are a bit older, think about leaders you know who have failed and see how many of these signs they exhibited before they crashed and burned.
Forewarned is forearmed!
1. Youthful Pride
Young people are prone to becoming prideful, particularly when elevated from relative obscurity to positions of leadership quickly. This is precisely what happened to Saul. One day he was out looking for escaped donkeys, and the next, he was anointed as king of the Israelites (1 Samuel 9)!
I suspect this tendency toward youthful pridefulness caused Paul to warn Timothy about selecting future leaders in the church, “He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgment as the devil (1 Timothy 3:6).
2. Insecure
While Samuel described Saul as tall and handsome, without equal among Israelites (1 Samuel 9:2), Saul struggled with insecurity. When Samuel first met Saul, Saul described himself as from the smallest tribe of Israel, and his clan was the least of all the clans (1 Samuel 9:21). Then, when it was time to anoint Saul as king, he was nowhere to be found because he was off hiding in the baggage. They had to drag him out of hiding to anoint him as king (1 Samuel 10:22)!
It is not unusual for even the most handsome, prettiest, and smartest leaders to struggle with personal insecurities that impact their ability to lead.
3. Inflated Ego
It is not unusual for people who suddenly garner praise and attention from adoring followers to have inflated egos. The inflated egos of certain politicians and celebrities come to mind right away! Men and women with inflated egos think they can do no wrong and don’t need anyone’s help or support.
As soon as Saul was anointed king, the people rallied around him, shouting, “long live the king” (1 Samuel 10:24). While men began to follow Saul, and the people followed his instructions, we never read that Saul enlisted the aid of trusted advisors, sought Samuel’s advice, or even turned to God.
4. Self-Righteous
With an inflated ego, it is not unusual for a failing leader to attribute their success to their moral superiority, a belief that their opinions and actions are more virtuous than those of others. Success, combined with a prideful heart, insecurities, and an inflated ego, causes a failing leader to have an inflated opinion of their importance and leadership.
Saul didn’t listen to his son, Johnathon, David, or even to some of his followers. His self-righteous attitude caused him to ignore everyone who tried to give him good advice.
5. Narcissistic
Narcissistic leaders are characterized by exaggerated feelings of self-importance and the need to be the center of attention. Failing narcissistic leaders are arrogant, lack empathy, and are willing to blame others for their failures.
Saul demonstrated his narcissism on at least three occasions. First, Samuel told Saul to wait for him, and together, they would offer a sacrifice to God. When Samuel did not appear as expected, Saul took it upon himself to offer sacrifices against Samuel’s specific instructions (1 Samuel 13:9-10). Second, when Saul ordered his entire army not to eat until a battle was over (1 Samuel 14:24-46). A third example of narcissism is when Saul failed to follow God’s instructions to wipe out the Amalekites and their livestock. Instead, he let their king live and plundered their sheep and cattle (1 Samuel 15:20-31).
6. Paranoia
Over time, a failing leader’s insecurities will morph into full-blown paranoia. Their paranoia often manifests as suspicion and jealousy. The paranoid leader will punish those seen as disloyal, and when accused of wrongdoing, they will become defensive and demand even deeper shows of loyalty.
Saul became increasingly jealous of David’s success in battle and the popularity he enjoyed with fellow Israelites (1 Samuel 18:9). Saul became suspicious of his son Jonathon and Johnathon’s close relationship with David. Saul was so paranoid he tried to kill both Johnathon and David three times, so David fled into the countryside to escape Saul. Then Saul, paranoid that David would take the kingdom from him, began hunting David as though David was his enemy.
7. Rejects Correction
Stubborn pride and self-righteousness often show up in a failing leader’s unwillingness to accept correction. Despite being proven wrong, they ignore reality and stubbornly proceed on a dangerous course of action.
God gave Saul several opportunities to repent and turn his life around. Still, Saul rejected God’s correction every time, falling further away from God and worsening the close relationship they once enjoyed.
8. Feigns Spirituality
On two occasions, while Saul was hunting David, David had the opportunity to kill Saul, but he refused out of respect for Saul (2 Samuel 24:17, 26:21). Saul responded with false spirituality, saying that David was more righteous than he, that he had sinned in trying to kill David, and that his actions were foolish.
Often leaders of failing moral character will dress themselves up as spiritually sincere, even repentant, and sorrowful, but it is all window dressing designed to obscure their true motives.
9. Corruption
Leaders who have fallen away from God often live secret lives of corruption. When the Philistine army confronted Saul, Saul was terrified and turned to God for direction. When God didn’t respond to him, Saul sought the advice of a witch by disguising himself and demanded she brings up the spirit of Samuel.
How often do we learn the details of a fallen leader’s secret life of corruption? They are involved with sexual sins, financial improprieties, abusive behavior, and more. They hide it all, living secret lives until they fall, and their lives are revealed.
Cumulative Effect of these Nine Signs
As I said initially, we all slip occasionally and exhibit one of these warning signs of leadership failure. If you spot yourself veering off course, take corrective action right away, and the damage to yourself and others will be minimal.
The real problem that dooms someone to leadership failure is when several of these warning signs become part of the leader’s life. The issue is these problems are usually additive and cumulative. That is, a prideful heart is often combined with insecurities, which leads to an inflated ego, self-righteous behavior, narcissism, paranoia, an unwillingness to accept correction, false spirituality, and ultimately, total corruption. Once one of these signs takes root in a leader’s life, the others are close behind, and the downward spiral to leadership failure is unavoidable.
More Articles
I have written several articles recently on a leader’s character. You can find them by typing “Character” in the search bar. Meanwhile, here are a few of my favorites.
- #473: Are All Leaders Prone to Failure?
- #471: 7 Behavioral Do’s of Incredibly Effective Christian Leaders
- #444: Is It Important to Follow the Right Leaders?
- #443: The Folly of Wasting God’s Gift of Discernment
- #442: What We Do Matters. Who We Are Matters More!
Join the Conversation
As always, questions and comments are welcome. Do you exhibit any of these nine signs of a failing leader? How about leaders you work with, around, or for?
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Category: Personal Development | Character
I worked for a man with a big ego. He was a good man who meant well, but his ego hurt his professional reputation. We all have egos and pride, the challenge is keeping them in check.
In my experience, an inflated ego is the most common of these nine signs and probably the easiest one to spot! In addition to the inflated ego, there was almost always another one or two of these signs lurking in the shadows!