With October, come thrills and chills but there’s something more terrifying than haunted houses or ghost stories, Outdated leadership practices!  in the spirit of the season, let's unmask some common leadership horrors and, more importantly, how to avoid them.

1. The Zombie Leader: Walking the Walk, but Not Talking the Talk

Zombie leaders are the ones who show up—attending meetings, sending emails, ticking boxes—but aren’t fully present. Their lack of genuine engagement drains the energy from their teams, leading to low morale and underperformance.

L&D Tip: Breathe Life Into Your Leadership
Help your leaders shake off that zombie-like disengagement by focusing on emotional intelligence and authentic communication. Start with training focussed around team trust building exercises, so that they can build not just predictive trust with their teams, but vulnerability based trust. More than this, measure your leaders by both EQ and IQ - and assess where you have inbalances to inform your training needs.  

2. The Invisible Leader: Disconnected and Distant

Much like the Invisible Man, these leaders are nowhere to be seen. Particularly in hybrid or remote work environments, a lack of visibility can leave teams feeling isolated and unsure of expectations, which damages performance and productivity.

L&D Tip: Visibility Matters
Equip your leaders with a structured communication strategy to maintain strong, consistent connections with remote or hybrid teams. Encourage them to set up weekly 1:1 check-ins focused not just on tasks but also on team members’ well-being and development. Additionally, introduce "visibility hours"—dedicated time slots where leaders are available for informal catch-ups, much like an open-door policy in the office. Use collaborative tools like Trello for task tracking or Slack for instant communication, and schedule regular team huddles with clear agendas to ensure everyone stays aligned. Leaders should also make time to celebrate small wins and acknowledge efforts publicly, creating a sense of engagement and trust within the team.

3. The Frankenstein Leader: A Patchwork of Skills

Frankenstein’s monster was cobbled together from different parts, and some leaders can feel just the same - pieces of knowledge and skills awkwardly stitched together. Without a clear, coherent development path, their leadership style can feel disjointed.

L&D Tip: Build Holistic Leadership Skills
Help leaders avoid this piecemeal approach by offering structured development programmes that provide well-rounded leadership skills. Cover everything from decision-making and empathy to agility and resilience, so they lead with confidence in any situation.

4. The Haunted Leader: Haunted by Past Mistakes

Every leader has their skeletons in the closet, but some become paralysed by past failures, unable to move forward with conviction. This hesitation can stifle innovation and hinder team progress, leaving a lingering fear and uncertainty across the organisation.

L&D Tip: Fail Forward
Help leaders shift from dwelling on past mistakes to using them as learning opportunities. Create a structured process for "post-mortem reflections" after key projects or initiatives. During these sessions, encourage leaders to identify what went wrong, what worked, and most importantly, what they will do differently next time. Document these reflections in a "Lessons Learned" repository to turn past failures into a valuable resource for future decision-making. Additionally, introduce peer learning circles where leaders can openly share their setbacks and how they’ve moved forward, fostering a culture of transparency and resilience. By reframing failure as a tool for growth, leaders not only free themselves from their past but also model healthy risk-taking for their teams.

5. The Trickster Leader: Overpromising, Underdelivering

A leader who promises the moon but can’t deliver is the worst kind of trickster. Overpromising and underdelivering erodes trust and damages team morale. Whether it’s unrealistic deadlines or unachievable goals, the impact of broken promises can be long-lasting.

L&D Tip: Keep It Real
Encourage leaders to adopt a "commitment contract" approach, where they clearly outline goals, deadlines, and the resources needed to meet them. Pair this with regular "progress checkpoints"—short, scheduled updates where leaders assess progress against commitments and communicate any potential roadblocks early on. This transparency allows teams to adjust expectations and fosters trust. Equip leaders with tools for SMART goal-setting and train them in capacity planning, ensuring they commit to goals based on realistic workloads. Encourage leaders to practice under-promising and over-delivering—building trust by consistently exceeding expectations rather than falling short.

The Perform Platform: Unmasking the Potential of Your Leaders

If these spooky leadership traits sound familiar, it’s time for a change. At Perform, we help L&D leaders empower their leaders and teams to become high-performing powerhouses. Our platform offers tools and insights that transform the way leaders and teams work together.

Here’s how we do it:

• Leadership DNA Profiles: Gain deep insights into your leaders' strengths and blind spots, enabling more effective, tailored development.
• Team Profiles: Understand the behavioural drivers of your team across 18 core areas to create a harmonious, high-performing team dynamic.s
• Leadership Coaching: Equip leaders with both live monthly group coaching and access to 24/7 digital coaching that gives same day expert leadership advice to help navigate live challenges.
• Leadership Development Subscription: Provide leaders with continuous training through a mix of on-demand learning, live monthly classes and an always up to date leadership and management resource library to equip every level of leader with the tools they need to succeed.

If any of the leadership scenarios we outlined resonated and you're looking for a solution to support your leaders in elevating their performance, book a demo with a Perform expert.

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