Books always played a charitable function in my life for many roles I have walked through in my thirty years professional and personal life. Say, as a good husband, a good father, a dependable friend, a caring administrator, an empathetic teacher. The books I have read – on varied subjects have prepared me to become a consummate personality that I’m today.
Interestingly, I came across some ‘bad books’ too. These exceptional treatises have opened up for me some helpful viewpoints. With which I have distilled the essential and effective notions and since then have been using the inbuilt logic of these books as a conscientious gauge. These books can be read by any person, as intellectual antidotes, for some of our ingrained beliefs – about, as I have presented, about leaders and teachers: as an example.
The book is about the dark side of human leadership conditions. It shows, vividly the grey and black side of leadership. The author elaborately with vivid examples explains the seven deadly sins of leaders who do more harm than good. This book shows us the crucial difference between good and bad leadership.
The author explicitly explains how the bad leaders exercise influence, authority, and power that cause harm. This may not be deliberate, but perhaps, the result of carelessness or neglect. The resultant consequences might not be less injurious, and in some cases calamitous.
We find answers to questions we ask matter-of-factly that we never address to ourselves regarding the leader who matters to us.
“What does ‘bad leadership’ mean? Does it mean leadership that is immoral, unethical? Or does it mean leadership that is incompetent, or ineffective? To answers, these questions aren’t easy against the backdrop of world’s belief in leadership is always phenomenally, to be good”.
It is our natural preference to read about good leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln but would never lay our eyes on reading bad leaders like Robert Mugabe, Kim Jong Un- of North Korea. We go through life always asking for what is good as an example and eliminating any traces of negative that might harm us. This book speaks about what makes a leader a ‘bad’ type.
Bad leadership falls into two categories: bad as an ineffective and bad as unethical.
Ineffective leadership fails to produce the desired change. The reasons can be many: ill-conceived strategies, weak skills, poor communication, and questionable tactics ineffective leadership always fall short of its intention.
An unethical leader fails to distinguish right and wrong. Because the common codes of decency and good conduct are in some way violated, the leadership discipline is defiled.
The book classifies bad leadership into seven groups:
Incompetent
Rigid
Intemperate
Callous
Corrupt
Insular
Evil
Incompetent Leadership – the leader and at least some of the followers lack the will or skill to sustain effective action. Incompetent leaders are not necessarily incompetent in every aspect. Some leaders lack practical, academic emotional intelligence. Others are distracted, sloppy, careless unable to effectively communicate, educate, or delegate.
Rigid leadership – the leaders are stiff and unyielding. Although they may be competent, they are unable or unwilling to adapt to new ideas, new information, or changing times. A rigid leader can be successful up to a point. But if they refuse to change with the changing wind, the result will be bad leadership.
Intemperate leadership – the leaders lacks the self-control and is aided and abetted by followers who are unable to effectively intervene. “We all have a hunger that is an expression of our normal human needs. But sometimes those hungers disrupt our capacity to act wisely or purposefully” notes the Author.
Callous Leadership – here the leaders are uncaring or unkind. Ignored or discounted are the needs, wants, and wishes of most members of the group or organization, especially subordinates.
Corrupt Leadership – the leaders in this group lie cheat or steal. To a degree that exceeds the norm, they put self-interest ahead of public interest. Corrupt leaders are usually motivated by power or greed.
Insular leadership – the leader totally disregards the health and welfare of ‘the others’ – that is, those outside the group or organization for which they are directly responsible. Insular leaders establish boundaries between themselves and their followers on the one side and everyone else on the other.
“Before we consider the bad teachers, we need to put things in perspective: Thank heaven for the good teachers! We are grateful for people who have dedicated their lives to open the world to our children. We appreciate the work they do and the grueling conditions they endure. As we all know, teaching small children pays poorly, requires long hours, and commands no respect, so we wouldn’t want to do it ourselves. But we are grateful that others are willing to do the work”
“How do we show our gratitude? We give them a lot of honors because it is cheaper than paying them what they are worth”
“We are indoctrinated with the idea that all teachers are selfless and dedicated, yielding their own personal benefit for the good of the community. This is the general perception about teachers.”
“The problem lies in this general perception that all teachers are selfless and dedicated. And some are dedicated and selfless but incompetent. Teaching, like any other profession, includes people of varying abilities, from excellent to execrable.”
The author writes about the bad teachers, “I figured out that if the child exhibited learning or behavioral problems in the classroom, there was always a reason; and since all kids really want to succeed, the reason was invariably something beyond the child’s control. The more I learned about my students, and their learning styles, the better the kids became. And more I learned. The more I’m forced to confront the truth: When I blamed the children, I was compounding their problems rather than solving them. I became aware of the bad teacher I had been, and conscious of the effects of that previous bad teachers had on my current students.”
“Bad attitude, low grades, and poor behavior – they can make every child’s schooling unhappy and unproductive. What if the problem isn’t with your kids, but your kid’s teachers? Now, this Book “Bad Teachers” helps the parents’ to become an advocate of their children’s education, and protect their spirit, mind, and future from the influence of “Bad teachers” This book is a must-read for all the parents’.