I propose that any one or more of the following traits would be a red flag that a person might not be ready for a leadership position. All of them are exhibited almost perfectly by Zimbabwe’s president, Robert Mugabe.
1. Lack of empathy.
I realize I just wrote a post about the importance of empathy as a leadership skill, but the lack of empathy is a key indicator of a poor leader. If the person cannot seem to put him or herself in another person’s shoes and see things from a different perspective, they will never be a truly great leader. Look at Zimbabwe. It’s ranking as of the poorest countries in the world, and Robert Mugabe thinks it is the most developed country in Africa.