Three types of inadequate leadership — and why they’re hurting your team - a guest post by Mark Topley

I’m angry this morning.

Not for myself, but because I’ve been reminded again how deeply poor-quality leadership damages people — their confidence, their careers, their wellbeing, even their relationships and mental health. I’ve seen it first-hand, and it leaves scars that take years to fade.

 A few weeks ago, I was chatting with friends about a situation that sounded painfully familiar: a boss changing the goalposts at will, sending veiled threats by email, publicly questioning whether someone was “really” stressed despite a medical opinion, and storming into meetings to declare that “everyone’s negative” before marching out again.

 It’s appalling behaviour — and it needs to stop.

 This kind of leadership leaves a trail of destruction in its path. People quit, confidence drains away, and the good ones quietly start looking for the door. And the worst part? These leaders often believe they’re doing what’s best for the organisation. They’re not. They’re killing it, slowly and surely.

 The truth is, there are three types of poor leadership — and every one of them does damage in its own way.

1. The Toxic Leader

This one’s easy to spot. They don’t care. They use power, fear, or manipulation to get what they want. They believe control equals respect, and they’ll happily undermine, intimidate, or isolate others to maintain it.

 The toxic leader leaves behind anxiety, division, and exhaustion. They might get short-term results, but the long-term cost — to people, performance, and culture — is huge.

2. The Inept Leader

This one’s not malicious — just unconsciously incompetent. They don’t know what good leadership looks like, so they make it up as they go along. They fail to communicate, set direction, or hold standards. Teams drift. Frustration builds. Nobody’s quite sure what matters or what’s expected.

The inept leader often gets sympathy because they’re not bad people — but the damage is real all the same.

3. The Well-Meaning Leader

This type genuinely cares. They’re kind, approachable, and supportive — but they think kindness alone will carry the team. It won’t.

Kindness without consequence means that good people get bored and drift away, while the difficult ones take advantage. Well-meaning leaders shy away from challenge, hoping things will “sort themselves out.” They rarely do.

Toxic, inept, or well-meaning — none of these are what a business needs.

 What we do need is high-challenge, high-support leadership: leaders who care enough to set clear standards, hold people accountable, and support them to succeed. They make expectations visible, follow through on consequences, and stand by their team.

 One of my clients did exactly that recently. They followed through on a long-overdue termination — and were stunned by the reaction. The team were relieved. Some were celebrating. Everyone was breathing easier because the toxic presence had finally gone.

 That’s the power of courageous, competent leadership. It restores trust, lifts performance, and re-energises the whole team.

 The message is simple: we don’t need toxicity in the workplace. It has no place there. But the solution isn’t to avoid conflict or hide behind kindness either. It’s to combine compassion with boundaries, clarity with care.

 And here’s the good news: leadership can be learned. You can get better at it.

 That’s why my mission — through Great Boss — is to help people learn to lead well. Because when leaders grow, everybody benefits: the people, the culture, and the bottom line.

 In January, I’m launching a new course for practice managers designed exactly for this — to turn well-meaning or uncertain leaders into confident, capable ones who know how to balance support with accountability.

 If that sounds like you, or describes someone in your practice, look out for the details at the end of January.

Because when we learn to lead properly, everyone wins.