What are the Dangers of Leadership by Fear and Intimidation?
A technique implemented by some managers in their workplace is to lead their staff through intimidation and fear. Unfortunately, it's a leadership technique that does work: a leader who's feared by their staff may find that they get more out of them, just as a leader who is is too laid-back with their workers may see that they're not putting a hundred percent effort into their workload.
However, there may be some huge repercussions to leading by fear. Here is a list of the effects that it can have on a leader's employees:
1) It might create stress - Leading by fear may seem to increase productivity in the short run, but if it results in workers becoming more stressed, rushing their work and possibly making mistakes as they go along, feeling burnt out and ultimately having more sick leave, productivity in the long run could be hit hard.
2) It could be a creativity killer - Employees who are managed by a leader with an iron rod won't be more creative, even if that leader relies on them to be. Having a stance of creativity and seeking out opportunities such as innovating, trying new things and taking risks will be severely reduced, as staff might become scared that trying out any of those things will aggravate the guy or girl in charge. Therefore in creative industries, leading by fear can have enormous repercussions to the development and growth of employees and the business as a whole.
3) Staff will not want to work with you (by choice) - Employees who are managed by an approachable, friendly leader who looks after them will like to work for them more frequently - it is as simple as that. Rather than simply doing what is needed, you may see that they will make an extra effort and produce work surpassing all expectations. This may carry across to other departments and teams, who might be more agreeing to carry out favours or get stuff done fast for you, even though they possibly shouldn't be. The alternative is that employees will not do anything past what you've asked them to do.
4) Your employees will become 'yes men' - Just like human beings in general, not all leaders are perfect and we can all make mistakes. The issue with leading by fear is that if you propose a strategy or project that people disagree with, they may be too nervous to speak their mind, disagree or have their say in general. Instead, you may find that workers will agree with whatever you suggest, regardless of their opinion on it. This could have a major damaging effect on long-term strategies - a member of the team should not be lynched for advising against an opinion or recommending an alternative option; in fact they should be applauded for it.
5) Survival will be about looking good, not being good - Sadly, especially in the current economic crisis with redundancies being made and teams being slimmed down, employees will be concerned about individual survival more than anything else. Sometimes it is not that simple for a leader to determine which staff are the most clever or talented, with less worthwhile employees giving off a vibe of excellence in the hope that they will seem better, even though they aren't at all really. When it comes to the crunch, what would a leader like: a team of talented workers, or a team of cut-throats who will do or say anything to outlast their colleagues?
6) It will cause talented staff to seek out another employer - In the end, the talented folks will look to go elsewhere in their field. Leading by fear leads to unmotivated, demoralised and unhappy workers, who won't want to work for you. Even in hard economic times, with an increasing number of unemployed people and less jobs, opportunities still appear and people will move on. There could even be situations of putting off new staff, if they come across rumours of what it's like working there or if they are able to obtain a glimpse of the leadership style whilst in a job interview.
This does not mean to suggest that a leader must cater to the wants and needs of their employees - a leader who is soft on their team members is just as lousy as a leader who is far too intimidating for their own good. However, a manager should learn to be patient, calm, a good listener and compassionate, whilst still being strict and not afraid to discipline workers if there are genuine issues. Getting the balance right can result in a team that is passionate, productive, efficient and happy, something that can be gotten without the need to lead by fear.
However, there may be some huge repercussions to leading by fear. Here is a list of the effects that it can have on a leader's employees:
1) It might create stress - Leading by fear may seem to increase productivity in the short run, but if it results in workers becoming more stressed, rushing their work and possibly making mistakes as they go along, feeling burnt out and ultimately having more sick leave, productivity in the long run could be hit hard.
2) It could be a creativity killer - Employees who are managed by a leader with an iron rod won't be more creative, even if that leader relies on them to be. Having a stance of creativity and seeking out opportunities such as innovating, trying new things and taking risks will be severely reduced, as staff might become scared that trying out any of those things will aggravate the guy or girl in charge. Therefore in creative industries, leading by fear can have enormous repercussions to the development and growth of employees and the business as a whole.
3) Staff will not want to work with you (by choice) - Employees who are managed by an approachable, friendly leader who looks after them will like to work for them more frequently - it is as simple as that. Rather than simply doing what is needed, you may see that they will make an extra effort and produce work surpassing all expectations. This may carry across to other departments and teams, who might be more agreeing to carry out favours or get stuff done fast for you, even though they possibly shouldn't be. The alternative is that employees will not do anything past what you've asked them to do.
4) Your employees will become 'yes men' - Just like human beings in general, not all leaders are perfect and we can all make mistakes. The issue with leading by fear is that if you propose a strategy or project that people disagree with, they may be too nervous to speak their mind, disagree or have their say in general. Instead, you may find that workers will agree with whatever you suggest, regardless of their opinion on it. This could have a major damaging effect on long-term strategies - a member of the team should not be lynched for advising against an opinion or recommending an alternative option; in fact they should be applauded for it.
5) Survival will be about looking good, not being good - Sadly, especially in the current economic crisis with redundancies being made and teams being slimmed down, employees will be concerned about individual survival more than anything else. Sometimes it is not that simple for a leader to determine which staff are the most clever or talented, with less worthwhile employees giving off a vibe of excellence in the hope that they will seem better, even though they aren't at all really. When it comes to the crunch, what would a leader like: a team of talented workers, or a team of cut-throats who will do or say anything to outlast their colleagues?
6) It will cause talented staff to seek out another employer - In the end, the talented folks will look to go elsewhere in their field. Leading by fear leads to unmotivated, demoralised and unhappy workers, who won't want to work for you. Even in hard economic times, with an increasing number of unemployed people and less jobs, opportunities still appear and people will move on. There could even be situations of putting off new staff, if they come across rumours of what it's like working there or if they are able to obtain a glimpse of the leadership style whilst in a job interview.
This does not mean to suggest that a leader must cater to the wants and needs of their employees - a leader who is soft on their team members is just as lousy as a leader who is far too intimidating for their own good. However, a manager should learn to be patient, calm, a good listener and compassionate, whilst still being strict and not afraid to discipline workers if there are genuine issues. Getting the balance right can result in a team that is passionate, productive, efficient and happy, something that can be gotten without the need to lead by fear.