We spend a lot of our time focussing on what good leadership looks like. But good leadership is not just a set of rules. It is a feeling that can be experienced by those who are led.

It is also true that we can feel bad leadership too, specifically, lazy leadership. Fortunately, I have not come across lazy leadership often. But the one time I did, I never forgot it.

Unfortunately, if you have never experienced good leadership, you may feel that lazy leadership is the best you can get. You may not know the difference between active and lazy leadership if lazy leadership is all you get.

However, this may be the case for leaders too. Just because you are hitting your targets, it does not mean that your team are feeling happy about your leadership. I have found that leaders who breed the best results are also more likely to neglect the feelings of their team in pursuit of their goals.

So, here are the three things that are felt by the team under lazy leadership. If you are a leader, these are three things you should look out for to ensure you are never causing your team to feel this way.

To be clear, lazy leadership does not need to come about from a lack of ambition. It may come from a fear of being held accountable or a lack of experience. And I seek to explore these in a future article, so keep your eyes peeled.

You Feel Tired

I remember days where I sat staring at the clock. Under lazy leadership, you do not feel energised to do anything or be part of the team. It is often this feeling of tiredness that leads to demotivation.

Unfortunately, more often than not, people feel tired before they even start their working day. Their task does not get them excited, and their team meetings only suck more energy out of them.

As leaders, we tend to forget how much of our energy is reflected in our team. When our team sees us tired and lacking motivation, they will more than likely reflect this behaviour. Not because they want to, but because they look to you as a source of energy.

If this feeling of tiredness is something you go through regularly, think about your priorities. Not every task should energise and excite you. After all, there will always be a task that is less fun.

However, what we prioritise as important should excite us. And for lazy leaders, prioritisation often seems to be at the bottom of their list. And this lack of seeing the necessities for their vision often filters down to the team.

You Feel Confused

If you always feel like you need to ask questions or do not know where anything is, it is often a sign of lazy leadership. Unfortunately, lazy leaders tend to blame others, so they will try to blame you.

I remember feeling confused almost every single day. And I never seemed to be 100% sure if what I was doing was correct. However, I was afraid to ask questions because the leader would often refer me to things I had already read.

Teams that are confused stay confused for quite some time. That is because it takes someone with the courage to speak up and be brave enough to look like the stupid one.

Under lazy leadership, you will feel incompetent, yet at the same time have no way to find your answers. And this occurs when leaders are not vulnerable with their team.

When leaders seek to hold all their plans in their heads and not bring their struggles, the team losses a sense of direction. It is also possible for the team to lose a connection with their leader completely. The result of this is confusion and a lack of desire to communicate this to their leader.

You Feel Undervalued

One of the most Ironic things about lazy leadership is that you feel less valued. You would expect lazy leadership to lead to a lazy team. However, it often leads to people feeling they have too much to do with little resources to get it done.

So, the team spends most of their days figuring it all out whilst trying to lead themselves. Under lazy leadership, you will frequently find yourself doing jobs that do not belong to you. You may even feel like your other team members are doing nothing.

When we believe we are doing too much whilst receiving little praise, we will often seek to leave our situation. It is human to want to be recognised for the good we do. But lazy leaders have no time and are unaware of the good their team do.

A team member that feels undervalued will often not express it to their manager or the team. Most of the time, they show it by leaving. But by then, it is too late.

So, leaders need to remind their team how valuable they are. It is easy to take a lazy approach to value your team members because a simple thank you is often enough. But leaders who take valuing their team seriously will do more than just this.

Closing Thought

For those who have experienced lazy leadership, it would be great to hear what you think is missing from this list. Let me know in the comments.

If you are a team member who is struggling with lazy leadership, I would ask you this simple question:

“Is the vision worth the cost?”

If you believe the vision of your leader is worth the cost, then seek to lead. Begin trying to change the culture and start carrying out new ideas to help bring your team together and carry out the mission.

However, if the answer is no, consider looking for a change. Your well-being is more important than a lazy leader.