11 Sneaky Leadership Habits That Have Your Team Raising Eyebrows—and It’s Written in the Stars!
Added on August 21, 2025 inASTROLOGY CARDS
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Ever feel like you’re the captain of a ship where half the crew is convinced the captain’s compass is broken? Yeah, been there. I openly confess: managing people is my Achilles’ heel — I know the mission, but getting everyone on board? That’s a whole different beast. Maybe it’s my quirks, or my “on the spectrum” brain doing its own thing, but it turns out there are sneaky habits that quietly make people wonder if you’re really the boss material. Funny enough, with Mercury doing its usual dance in retrograde, communication hiccups feel almost cosmic, right? So, if you’ve ever caught yourself wondering why your leadership vibe feels a bit … shaky, let’s dive into the 11 subtle slip-ups that could be sending mixed signals — without you even realizing it. Ready to see if you’re secretly your own worst boss? LEARN MORE.
I’ll be the first to admit that I have an issue: I tend to be a manager in need of a lot of coaching. In other words, I know what needs to be done, but that doesn’t always mean that I will be able to convince people to do the tasks they need.
Much of this is because of my mannerisms and my “on the spectrum” neurodivergence. Over time, I’ve asked others what causes others to question a person’s leadership and done a little research. Here are some of the biggest problems that make your leadership look shaky.
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One of the things that I personally noticed as a manager is that I often have to keep my speech clear, concise, and not too goofy with certain people. As weird as it sounds, some people just don’t take people who are bubbly seriously, even when they’re the smartest in the room.
Be honest with yourself. Do you carry yourself in a traditionally professional manner? If you don’t have a corporate vibe, you might not be able to grab people’s attention enough to do what you tell them to do.
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Some people just don’t mesh well in any team. The Harvard Business Review notes that some people like to undermine others at work, and that fixing it often requires an understanding of the power dynamics.
If you’re in charge, that means you should be careful about who you hire. If you notice they seem uninterested in sticking to the program, cut your losses sooner rather than later. It’s better to have one person who is all-in instead of five who are just floating around.
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In a lot of ways, the workplace is a lot like the schoolyard. If you allow one brat to disrespect you, people will assume you’re a doormat. It’s important to recognize when an employee or team member is disrespecting you, challenging you, or otherwise undermining the organization.
Makeda Andrews notes that employees who try to buck your authority through disrespectful means (such as gossiping or going around you) are best treated as underperforming. They can turn a work environment toxic if you let them. Taking time to correct the behavior ASAP is a quick way to safeguard your organization.
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The workplace is not a place where you should show your emotional side. The easiest way to undermine confidence in your leadership is to have a temper tantrum, or worse, burst into tears when you are expected to remain professional.
Screaming at your employees is not okay and it’s viewed as a form of workplace abuse. It makes your employees trust you less and makes top performers choose a different workplace. Besides, it’s really immature.
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There are many instances when asking for input is a smart idea, such as during a brainstorming session. However, there is a difference between input and reassurance. Employees will notice when a boss seems insecure about their decisions.
Good managers know they need to have a certain level of confidence projected at their employees. If you keep asking people if you’re making the right decision, they will eventually start to question your own abilities, too.
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A friend of mine was a manager of approximately 50 people. He always would offer me advice, the most common of which was an adage he lived by: “You have two ears and one mouth, so try to listen twice as often as you speak.”
Leaders aren’t meant to know everything. They’re meant to make people work together so they get the best people in the best seats, each of whom offers their own expertise. Listen to your employees when you come up with plans. Over 75% of managers don’t adequately listen to their employees. If you want to achieve great results, join the 25% who do.
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Part of a good manager’s portfolio of skills deals with their ability to understand people. Almost half of all employees don’t feel understood at work, and that ends up causing issues while at work. They may see decreased morale, lose out on significant wins, or even see higher turnover rates.
Most people notice when a boss doesn’t try to understand people. Smart employees often end up questioning their leadership as a result of that alone.
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Communication is 99% of leadership. You need to be able to explain exactly what you want from people if you want them to perform well. This includes KPIs, the deliverables, the timeframe, and what you expect from them.
Most people start to notice something amiss in leadership when their questions remain unanswered and instructions remain vague. It’s a fine line between allowing autonomy and having unclear communication.
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We all know at least one person who has been unable to keep up with the demands of their workload. We tend to call those people “underperformers” or “ex-employees,” depending on the situation.
People take note of a leader who can’t seem to get on top of deadlines. It’s not a good look, and it tends to make people assume that the person in charge isn’t really the right person for the job.
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Shocker! People do not come out of the womb with an idea of how to do a particular job in your organization. Good leaders are the ones who understand the importance of having a set, standardized level of training for all employees.
If you’re a veteran of a larger organization, chances are high that you’ll notice an issue with teams that have no formal in-house training. In some fields, that alone is a sign that it’s time to question your boss.
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In an ideal world, employees would understand why you make the decisions you do, what the plan is, and how you want to evolve the company. That’s not always entirely doable, but if you remain tight-lipped while making highly counterintuitive moves, watch out.
Most employees want to have some semblance of transparency, or at least, a reason to the madness that makes sense. If you can’t give them a decent explanation, you might as well expect a shift in the way they see your leadership.
Ossiana Tepfenhart is a writer whose work has been featured in Yahoo, BRIDES, Your Daily Dish, Newtheory Magazine, and others.
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