If you’re in a leadership role at your organization, you’re doing your best each day to manage tight deadlines, complex team dynamics, and high expectations of others. But in those high-pressure moments, are you empowering your team or unintentionally holding them back?

Your traits as a leader can inadvertently create stress and frustration within your team. As you review the list below, take a moment to reflect on your own leadership style and how it may be affecting your team.

Leadership traits that could be stressing out your team

1. Micromanagement –While being involved is a good thing, constantly monitoring and overseeing every detail can leave your team with little room for autonomy and feel like they can’t be trusted to do their job.
2. Poor Communication – One of the biggest stressors in any team is poor communication. Failing to provide clear instructions, expectations, or constructive feedback leads to confusion and missed marks.
3. Unrealistic Expectations – Setting impossible deadlines or demanding excessive workloads without considering the team’s capacity only leads to stress and burnout when people can’t meet them.
4. Inconsistency – Frequently changing priorities, shifting goals, or making unpredictable decisions that create instability. When priorities or decisions keep changing, it creates confusion and makes it hard for teams to stay on track.
5. Blame-Shifting – When things go wrong, leaders who shift the blame to others instead of taking accountability create a toxic work culture instead of one that encourages problem solving and collaboration.
6. Lack of Empathy – Ignoring the personal or professional challenges and well-being of your employees can signal that they are not a valued member of your team which can negatively impact employee morale.
7. Failure to Recognize Efforts – Ignoring or undervaluing hard work, achievements, or contributions makes it hard for people to stay motivated or feel appreciated. Worst yet, taking credit for the contributions of your team members.
8. Always in Crisis Mode – Operating reactively rather than proactively creates a constant sense of urgency and panic with no room for thoughtful planning or progress.
9. Favoritism & Bias – Treating some team members better than others creates resentment and destroys team morale.
10. Lack of Support & Development – Leaders who fail to provide guidance, mentorship, or opportunities for growth are likely to have team members who feel stuck and disengaged.

After reviewing these traits, do you feel seen—or maybe even called out? Either way, remember that leadership is a journey, and getting input from your team can offer valuable perspective. If a few traits felt a little too familiar, don’t panic. The best leaders aren’t perfect, they’re committed to lifelong learning. If you’re looking to explore additional resources to help level up your leadership skills, subscribe to our monthly newsletter HIVE.