Impulsive Leadership Equals Poor Leadership and Is Detrimental to Your Company

Talent acquisition and retention is a growing issue in the corporate world, including corporate legal departments. According to a recent Gallup report, poor leadership is the number one reason employees quit, costing U.S. businesses $1 trillion in turnover yearly. Poor leadership leads to negative Glassdoor reviews, an endangered company reputation, and a diminished competitive advantage. This affects how the company is perceived in its industry and deters top talent from applying or accepting job offers.

A SHRM survey revealed that 84% of U.S. workers say poor leadership creates unnecessary stress and an overwhelming workload. Poor leaders are often reactive, impulsive, and unpredictable. While there are some advantages to impulsive leadership — such as being quick to adapt, having out-of-the-box ideas, and taking action quickly — there are even more disadvantages. Three ways that impulsive leadership does more harm than good to an organization are (1) lack of clear direction, including an inability to prioritize responsibilities and consider consequences; (2) instability and unnecessary stress, resulting from focusing on urgent issues and failing to identify root causes; and (3) impulsive decisions leading to poor outcomes such as dysfunction and destabilization, thus making it difficult for employees to achieve their goals.