For example, if someone is a hard worker that likes to get in the trenches, this can be a key differentiator in how they run a particular organization. Likewise, abilities such as thinking big or being able to articulate a clear vision can also translate well in growing a successful team. Developing a leadership style this way is authentic and genuine, and it provides a helpful starting place for leading others. However, good leaders know that they are not perfect, and that their own idiosyncrasies and insecurities also tend to shine through without them even recognizing it. In fact, often these shortcomings can even be amplified in unexpected ways within an organization, resulting in massive challenges and inefficiencies.
11 Ineffective Leadership Styles
A good leader knows that they must work hard to fix their own shortcomings, otherwise their team will never reach their full potential. Today’s infographic comes to us from Colonial Life, and it shows 11 ineffective leadership styles that can have negative impacts on an organization’s productivity or culture.
Shortcomings aren’t always obvious, and it can take some serious self-reflection to see the weaknesses in one’s leadership style.
Styles to Recognize and Avoid
Here’s a summation of the 11 types of leadership styles to avoid:
- Micro Managing Helping employees is one thing, but it’s also important to know when to take a step back. Over-management leads to an unempowered team.
- Anything Goes The opposite of micro management is also problematic as well. By letting everything fly, there is no order and it can lead to missing deadlines or low expectations.
- Autocratic In many situations, having just one person making the decisions can lead to employees carrying out projects that they disagree with or do not think will work.
- The Charge-Ahead General Charging ahead on every new project usually comes with a key weakness: a lack of patience. If managers continually get impatient with employees, it affect trust and respect within the organization.
- Complete Self-Reliance If a manager can’t trust others, then the work will pile up for that manager until it becomes unbearable. Meanwhile, employees have a tough time becoming independent in their roles.
- Dictatorial If decisions cannot be questioned, it leads to employees feeling like they are incapable or that they have no input.
- Excessive Consistency A manager with this leadership style has inflexible boundaries, and tends to be over-strict with employees. This can create resentment and lower motivation.
- Mushroom Management Severe lack of communications between management and employees leads to misunderstandings, confusion, and limited responsibility.
- The Morale Buster Criticism is important, but too much of it can hurt employee morale.
- The Screamer Too much expression of authority, or expressing it in unprofessional ways, can lead to a lack of respect between employees and management. There are other ways to articulate authority and constructive criticisms.
- Seagull Management Managers only interact with employees when there is a problem – this means employees never get praise or encouragement when it is needed. on Every year, millions of new businesses are started across the world—in 2021, nearly 5.4 million new business applications were filed in the U.S. alone. And since startups and new businesses play a significant role in shaping a country’s economic growth, encouraging entrepreneurship is vital. But what types of businesses around the world are people most interested in starting? These maps by ZenBusiness show the most popular types of businesses that entrepreneurs in nearly every country want to start, based on analyzing relevant internet search results.
Most Searched Businesses Around the World
To source the data, ZenBusiness analyzed searches from Ahrefs, specifically looking for the term “start a business” and its equivalents in local languages as of February 2022. They then found the relevant topic or keyword with the highest search volume, and organized the results into 11 different industries:
Beauty & Cosmetics Food & Drink Logistics & Infrastructure Personal Services Recycling Software Development Business & Financial Leisure & Tourism Marketing Real Estate Retail & E-Commerce
The data showed that the industries entrepreneurs are most attracted to vary greatly from country to country, depending on a variety of factors such as infrastructure, business climate, and culture. Here’s a breakdown of the most searched businesses around the world, broken down by region.
Africa
From cooking gas refills in South Africa to supplements in the Gambia, entrepreneurs across Africa seem to be interested in starting a wide range of businesses (at least according to their searches). But while the results varied across the region, the most-searched industry was personal services such as cleaning, interior design, and contracting. Cleaning was especially popular, ranking first in six different African countries. One African country worth highlighting is Morocco, where freight is the most-searched startup term across the country. This makes sense considering Morocco is home to several major ports, including the Port of Tanger Med, which is Africa’s largest port by cargo capacity.
Europe
In Europe, real estate is the most-searched industry, ranking number one in seven different countries across the continent. Over the last decade, the European Union’s real estate market has boomed—between 2010 and 2021, home prices in the EU increased by 42%. Retail is also a popular industry across Europe, with clothing-related searching taking the top spot in five different European countries.
Middle East & Central Asia
From soap production in Uzbekistan to dropshipping in Azerbaijan, the Middle East & Central Asia have the most diverse searches compared to any other region. One particularly interesting top search was in the United Arab Emirates, where imports and exports ranked first. The UAE’s economy is heavily reliant on trade, especially oil, which makes up 30% of the region’s GDP and 41% of public revenues.
Rest of Asia & Oceania
Asia and Oceania had an interesting mix of unique business searches. For instance, pig farming ranked number one in the Solomon Islands, and lawn moving took the top spot in New Zealand. But generally speaking, retail was one of the most-searched-for business types across this region, with clothing taking the top spot in countries like Australia, Indonesia, and Singapore.
North America
Across North America, retail takes the top spot for most searched business type. In fact, the top searches in nearly half of the region’s countries are related to the retail or e-commerce industry. The U.S. currently has the largest retail market in the world, although China is close on its heels. In 2021, America’s retail market was valued at over $6.5 trillion U.S. dollars.
South America
Food was the top searched industry across South America, ranking number one in half the countries across the region. In Brazil, sweets took the top spot, which might not be surprising considering the country is the top sugar cane producer worldwide. Clothing was also a popular business idea, taking the top spot in five South American countries. Which countries surprised you the most with their new business interest?
