Page 9 - iNET Magazine April 2022

Kara, CEO of Optimized Career Solutions, an Executive Career Coach and
Forbes Contributor. She is a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR)
who has spent her career as a corporate recruiting leader, working closely

with decision-makers. Throughout her career, Kara has personally reviewed
over 300,000 resumes. Through her executive coaching programs, she has
helped thousands of career professionals land their dream jobs and has
been responsible for negotiating nearly $10 million in salary increases over
the last few years. Kara is passionate about helping high achievers and
leaders live impactful lives, starting with their careers.

By Kara Dennison, SPHR
Leadership Style vs. Poor Leadership Skills
Dysfunctional leadership teams and bad bosses have their own toxic, ineffective, or inappropriate style of
relating to their co-workers, but calling it a leadership style is often too generous.
Let's look at a few problem bosses and dysfunctional management tactics.

The Powerful-People Pleaser
This manager prioritizes the whims of people in power. They placate to avoid discomfort and gain favor.
Rather than empowering their team members to succeed, produce, innovate and grow, they neglect their
teams and work to impress their superiors. They flip-flop, overpromise and underdeliver, and use team
members as scapegoats when they don't hit targets.

They don't advocate for their teams, and they don't have integrity. They aren't respected by other leaders
or trusted by their teams.

The Napoleon Complex
They view their organizations strictly in a hierarchical sense and value power over relationships—they're
concerned solely with their rise to the top and rarely consider fostering respect as a two-way street. They
dictate to others and expect them to deliver.

Micromanagers
These managers won't relinquish control and often demand perfection and unrealistic timelines. They hinder
progress, squash innovation, and destroy confidence, even if unintentional. Their inability to trust their team
to use their skills and experience to solve problems and produce creates insecurities, resentments, and
frustration. They hold up deadlines, impede progress, and add stress because they won't delegate.

Workers Have Choices
Employees have the power of choice, and it's trumping the authoritarian hiring and firing power of
paternalistic companies.
Workers and stakeholders are no longer willing to tolerate unfair working conditions and toxic leadership.
Now more than ever, people feel empowered to find fulfilling work and healthy workplaces instead of taking
the first offer on the table.

While change is hard for some companies, and some are downright resistant, it is the only way to stay
competitive. We must all stay relevant in an ever-changing world.

Suppose leaders take this opportunity to level up their leadership skills, get to know their teams, focus on
company missions and long-term success. In that case, they can come out of this worker shortage with
exciting new opportunities and a leadership team that will drive growth and stability.

Leaders Need to Lead
Leadership is about guidance and collaboration, not power and control. This means listening to team
members, valuing individuals, and respecting your team members as human beings with lives, families, and
career goals.
Leaders will find that changing their priorities and a collaborative and respectful leadership style will propel
their teams to success. Driven, dedicated employees who feel valued and know they have options and
support for advancement and fulfillment will stay, but they’ll also thrive and perform.

Kara Dennison, Optimized Care Solutions
https://www.optimizedcareersolutions.com iNETrepreneur Magazine | Page 9
Email: kara@optimizedcareersolutions.com