Leadership Nightmares: Avoid These Scary Mistakes
🎃 LEADERSHIP NIGHTMARES, and the scary truth behind them...
A client once told me: “I walked into my team meeting and got nothing but blank stares. I asked for ideas - silence. The room was colder than a morgue.” She laughed nervously when she said it, but I could tell it haunted her. This wasn’t her first “leadership nightmare.” And she’s not alone.
as halloween creeps closer
As Halloween creeps closer, let’s face it: some leadership habits are terrifying. They drain energy, kill creativity, and scare off great people.
Here are the most frightening ones, and how to wake up from the nightmare.
👻 1. The Ghost of Micromanagement Past
You think you're helping. But every time you hover, override, or second-guess your team, you haunt their confidence.
Symptoms:
Every task must be “run by you”
You rewrite deliverables at the last minute
Your team stops taking initiative
Fix: Trade control for coaching. Ask, “What support do you need from me?” instead of “Did you do this my way?”
🧛 2. The Vision Vampire
Nothing sucks the energy out of a team faster than unclear direction. When leaders stop painting the big picture, people feel lost.
Symptoms:
Projects feel scattered
Priorities shift weekly
No one knows why they’re doing the work
Fix: Declare your North Star. Then repeat it. Weekly. Tie tasks back to purpose.
🧟 3. Communication Zombies
Dead-eyed emails. Mumbled updates. No real feedback. If your communication lacks life, don’t be surprised when your team checks out too.
Symptoms:
You assume people “just know” what you mean
Feedback is rare or one-sided
Team meetings feel like a bad horror movie: predictable, painful, and no one wants to be there
Fix: Resurrect real conversations. Ask questions, encourage disagreement, and celebrate clarity.
🦴 4. Skeleton Staff Syndrome
You push for more... but give less. People burn out because the support structure is bare bones.
Symptoms:
Overlapping roles with unclear ownership
Team feels “on their own”
Morale is in free fall
Fix: Give structure, not just demands. Clarify roles. Protect bandwidth. Lead like someone who cares if your team sleeps at night.
Here’s the Good News
Every leadership nightmare has a wake-up call.
The leaders I work with don’t become “perfect”, they become aware. They shift. They show up with more presence, clarity, and trust. That’s the real leadership magic.
🎁 Want to Exorcise Your Own Leadership Demons?
Let’s talk.
Reply to this post with the word NIGHTMARE, and I’ll send you a free Leadership Scare Audit, a simple tool to uncover your top 3 team killers... and how to defeat them before year-end.
Because strong leadership isn’t fearless; it’s aware, awake, and evolving.
👋 Until next time, stay brave, and keep leading,
Vivian Campbell