We've all watched talented leaders make decisions that seemed smart at the time, only to see their teams fall apart months later. I mean, some of the time, it was me making the decision, which I thought was a smart one, only to discover in hindsight that it wasn’t. We’ve all been there, let’s be honest.

The data tells a sobering story. Micromanagement costs UK businesses up to £45 billion annually in lost productivity and poor mental health.

These numbers represent real people leaving jobs, burning out, and disengaging. I've seen it happen. More importantly, I've researched why it happens and what leaders can do differently.

The Micromanager

What it looks like: You control every detail. You check in constantly. You need to approve everything before it moves forward.

The damage: 70% of micromanaged employees start looking for another job, and your team stops thinking for themselves because you've trained them not to.

What works instead: Trust your team's expertise. Set clear outcomes, then step back. When someone asks for approval on a decision they should own, ask them what they recommend and why. Then let them run with it.

The Credit Taker

What it looks like: Team achievements become your achievements in meetings with senior leadership. You present their work as your own thinking.

The damage: Companies that prioritise regular employee recognition experience 31% lower turnover. When you steal credit, you guarantee the opposite. Your best people leave first.

What works instead: Publicly recognise contributions by name. When presenting teamwork, say "Sarah developed this approach" or "The team identified this solution." Your reputation grows when your team succeeds visibly.

The Ghost Leader

What it looks like: You're unavailable when your team needs guidance. You're in back-to-back meetings, always travelling, perpetually "too busy" for the people you lead.

The damage: Leadership effectiveness is inseparable from conflict resolution and real-time support. When you're absent, minor problems become crises. Your team makes decisions without context, then you criticise the outcomes.

What works instead: Block time for your team. Make yourself genuinely available. Respond to questions within hours. Your calendar reflects your priorities. If your team isn't on it, you're not leading them.

The Firefighter

What it looks like: You thrive on chaos. Every situation is urgent. You create drama where none exists because it makes you feel important.

The damage: Your team lives in a permanent state of crisis. They can't plan, can't focus, can't deliver quality work. Burnout becomes inevitable.

What works instead: Plan ahead. Distinguish between genuine emergencies and manufactured urgency. Protect your team's focus. When everything is urgent, nothing is.

The Favouritist

What it looks like: You reward loyalty over performance. The people who agree with you get opportunities. The people who challenge you get sidelined.

The damage: You lose your best thinkers. The people who stay learn to tell you what you want to hear. Your decisions get worse because nobody gives you honest feedback.

What works instead: Reward results and contribution. Create clear criteria for opportunities and apply them consistently. Value the people who disagree with you constructively. They're protecting you from your blind spots.

The Blame Shifter

What it looks like: When things go wrong, you point at your team. When things go right, you take credit. Accountability flows down, never up.

The damage: Trust collapses. Your team stops taking risks because failure means public humiliation. Innovation dies.

What works instead: Own the outcomes. When your team fails, you failed to set them up for success. Say "I should have provided clearer direction" or "I missed the warning signs." Your team will follow a leader who takes responsibility.

The Perfectionist

What it looks like: Nothing is ever good enough. You send work back repeatedly for minor changes. You hold up projects because they're not exactly as you envisioned them.

The damage: Your team learns that effort doesn't matter. They stop trying because you'll criticise it anyway. Deadlines slip. Quality actually decreases because people rush to meet impossible standards.

What works instead: Define "good enough" upfront. Distinguish between critical issues and personal preferences. Recognise progress. Sometimes 80% done and shipped beats 100% perfect and delayed.

The Overpromiser

What it looks like: You say yes to everything without checking if your team has capacity. You commit them to deadlines they can't meet. You promise clients deliverables without asking if they're feasible.

The damage: Your team works unsustainable hours trying to deliver on your promises. Quality suffers. People burn out. Eventually, they stop caring because they know you'll overcommit them again.

What works instead: Check capacity before committing. Say "Let me confirm with the team and get back to you." Protect your people's time as fiercely as you protect your own. Saying no preserves your ability to deliver quality on what you do commit to.

The Mood-Driven Manager

What it looks like: Your team never knows which version of you they'll get. You're supportive one day, critical the next. Your mood determines their experience.

The damage: Your team spends energy managing you instead of doing their work. They avoid bringing you problems. They wait for "good days" to ask for resources. Productivity plummets.

What works instead: Maintain emotional consistency. Your team needs to know what to expect from you. If you're having a difficult day, acknowledge it briefly and commit to fair treatment anyway. Separate your emotional state from your leadership behaviour.

What This Means for You

I've demonstrated expertise in performance and coaching for nearly three decades. The pattern I see repeatedly is this: leaders who focus on behaviour over character, who value relationships over being right, who emphasise application over theory, build teams that outperform and outlast their competitors.

The research backs this up. Leaders who master emotional intelligence perform 40% higher in coaching, engaging others, and decision-making. Companies offering leadership development at all levels report being in the top 10% of their industry's financial performance.

But here's what the research doesn't capture: the daily choice to show up differently. To catch yourself micromanaging and step back. To give credit when it's easier to take it. To stay present when you're overwhelmed.

Leadership effectiveness increasingly depends on cognitive resource management over willpower. You can't willpower your way out of these patterns. You need systems, awareness, and often an external perspective to see what you're actually doing versus what you think you're doing.

The gap between how leaders perceive themselves and how their teams experience them is where most damage occurs. Closing that gap requires honest feedback, regular reflection, and the humility to change behaviour that isn't working.

Your team already knows which of these behaviours you demonstrate. The question is whether you're willing to find out and do something about it.

Because the cost of not knowing is measured in talent lost, opportunities missed, and performance that never reaches its potential. And in a market where only 27% of employees believe their managers are highly effective, the leaders who get this right have an enormous competitive advantage.

The choice is yours. The data is clear. The path forward is available. What you do next determines whether your team thrives or merely survives under your leadership.

Executive and Leadership Coaching is your solution. Contact us to discuss your needs and goals. If you were a sportsperson, you’d hire a coach…Now you do it!