How to Fix Dysfunctional Leadership Teams and Why It's Important to Do So

Leadership in an organization is meant to be the powerhouse that drives growth, fuels momentum, and creates the conditions for every team to succeed. But when dysfunction creeps in, instead of being a place where leaders seek alignment on vision, make tough calls with clarity and trust each other's judgment, misaligned goals, hidden agendas, poor communication, and unchecked egos take over—trust erodes, progress stalls, and critical opportunities slip away. Mistakes are deflected or blamed on others. Mistakes are deflected or blamed on others. Messages are inconsistent or contradictory. Messages are inconsistent or contradictory. Lack of alignment due to competing agendas. Lack of alignment due to competing agendas. Decisions are met with suspicion instead of support. Decisions are met with suspicion instead of support. When people in leadership positions can’t work together, everyone in the organization can feel its effects. What starts as mistrust, ego clash, conflict avoidance, and power plays at the top gradually trickles down, with managers and teams adopting the same habits, normalizing dysfunction, and making it a part of everyday work life. Dysfunctional leadership radiates outwards, inflicting lasting harm across the entire organization. Spot it early, and address it head-on. Weak leadership can lead to dysfunction, conflict, and a lack of focus. A board without strong leadership may struggle to make decisions, fulfill its oversight responsibilities, or effectively support the organization's strategic goals. — Hendrith Vanlon Smith Jr. Weak leadership can lead to dysfunction, conflict, and a lack of focus. A board without strong leadership may struggle to make decisions, fulfill its oversight responsibilities, or effectively support the organization's strategic goals. — Hendrith Vanlon Smith Jr. Here are the five critical dysfunctions every leadership team must guard against to unlock unwavering trust, sharper decisions, faster execution, and a culture where people are energized to deliver their best. Problems are discussed, but never solved. When members of a leadership team come together to talk about problems, it’s easy to be fooled by the energy in the room and mistake words for action. There’s a lot of debate, everyone has an opinion, but no commitment and accountability to make a clear decision and act on it. The meeting ends, and everyone leaves the room, not knowing what was finally decided, who’s responsible, and what will be the next steps. Even if the group aligns on a common decision, leaders who advocated for it at first refuse to support it outside the room. There’s little follow-through—problems linger on, more time and energy are wasted in meetings, but nothing truly changes. You can spot dysfunctional leadership when talking is the goal, not the resolution. Team members not only become frustrated with unresolved problems, but they also lose faith in their leadership teams. They stop bringing problems or raising concerns because they’re convinced it’s pointless, as nothing ever gets fixed. Some quietly go about their day by ignoring the unresolved issues and doing the bare minimum to avoid conflict—they disengage, mentally check out, and learn to work with a broken system. Others quit. And many others learn to mimic their leadership teams by pretending to problem-solve while skilfully procrastinating beneath the surface. When “all talk and no follow-through” dysfunction cascades down, it creates a culture where action becomes optional, commitments turn flexible, and accountability quietly disappears—everyone looks busy without moving anything forward. “all talk and no follow-through” To avoid this leadership dysfunction, turn leadership conversations into leadership actions: Assign one clear owner for each decision who is responsible for driving it to completion. Document decisions by clearly laying out the “what,” “who,” and “by when.” Build accountability by creating a regular cadence to track progress on leadership decisions. Recognize leaders who close the loop and deliver, not only those who speak up in meetings. Encourage team members to not only raise issues, but also call out when the problems are stuck in indecision or being overlooked. Assign one clear owner for each decision who is responsible for driving it to completion. Document decisions by clearly laying out the “what,” “who,” and “by when.” Build accountability by creating a regular cadence to track progress on leadership decisions. Recognize leaders who close the loop and deliver, not only those who speak up in meetings. Encourage team members to not only raise issues, but also call out when the problems are stuck in indecision or being overlooked. Follow-through is the cornerstone of execution, and every leader who’s good at executing follows through religiously. Following through ensures that people are doing the things they committed to do, according to the agreed timetable. ― Larry Bossidy Follow-through is the cornerstone of execution, and every leader who’s good at executing follows through religiously. Following through ensures that people are doing the things they committed to do, according to the agreed timetable. ― Larry Bossidy When leadership meetings end up in long debates with no concrete action, they drain energy, blur priorities, and send the message that action is optional. Avoid this leadership dysfunction by moving from discussion to decisive action—assign ownership, agree on deadlines, and commit to solutions even when they’re imperfect. Conflicts are avoided, not resolved. When members of a leadership team don’t share disagreements openly, avoid bringing up topics that are uncomfortable to discuss, put off difficult conversations, or soften tough feedback to avoid upsetting others, it creates an illusion of harmony. Leaders smile, nod, and appear agreeable on the surface as they avoid conflict and leave important issues untouched, but prioritizing peace and harmony over candor leads to misaligned priorities, poor decision-making, and small misunderstandings to grow into bigger problems. You can spot dysfunctional leadership when conflict isn’t confronted; it’s sidestepped. Avoidance may feel comfortable in the moment, but it always comes at a cost. When leaders avoid conflicts, they leave chaos. Leaders start making assumptions about each other instead of asking questions. Decisions are made without considering all perspectives. Poor choices go unchallenged. Creativity and innovation suffer because no one wants to take the risk of offering a different opinion. Instead of working through conflicts until there’s clarity and alignment, unresolved issues and unspoken frustrations pile up, creating a leadership team that appears aligned in meetings but is deeply disconnected behind the scenes. When leaders avoid difficult conversations, people in the team get the message “disagreeing is risky, speaking up is unwelcome, and going along with the majority is the safest choice.” They skip uncomfortable discussions, keep their opinion to themselves, and leave important issues unresolved instead of addressing them. “disagreeing is risky, speaking up is unwelcome, and going along with the majority is the safest choice.” When conflict avoidance dysfunction cascades down, it creates a culture where voicing concerns, engaging in healthy debates, and striving for the best solutions take a back seat—people nod in agreement while simmering resentment beneath. To avoid this leadership dysfunction, turn conflict into a tool, not a threat: Invite dissent on purpose by making space in meetings to voice opposing viewpoints, even if it slows down the conversation. It shows that disagreement is valued, not punished. Lead by example by openly addressing disagreements with curiosity instead of defensiveness. Model the tone and behavior you want others to follow. Agree on how to disagree by establishing a shared framework for conflict—keeping debates focused on issues, avoiding personal attacks, and committing to listening before responding. Don’t allow difficult topics to be postponed indefinitely. Address tensions early so they don’t grow into trust-breaking resentments. Invite dissent on purpose by making space in meetings to voice opposing viewpoints, even if it slows down the conversation. It shows that disagreement is valued, not punished. Lead by example by openly addressing disagreements with curiosity instead of defensiveness. Model the tone and behavior you want others to follow. Agree on how to disagree by establishing a shared framework for conflict—keeping debates focused on issues, avoiding personal attacks, and committing to listening before responding. Don’t allow difficult topics to be postponed indefinitely. Address tensions early so they don’t grow into trust-breaking resentments. When an executive decides not to confront a peer about a potential disagreement, he or she is dooming employees to waste time, money, and emotional energy dealing with unresolvable issues. This causes the best employees to start looking for jobs in less dysfunctional organizations, and it creates an environment of disillusionment, distrust, and exhaustion for those who stay. — Patrick Lencioni When an executive decides not to confront a peer about a potential disagreement, he or she is dooming employees to waste time, money, and emotional energy dealing with unresolvable issues. This causes the best employees to start looking for jobs in less dysfunctional organizations, and it creates an environment of disillusionment, distrust, and exhaustion for those who stay. — Patrick Lencioni When leaders avoid conflict, they trade progress for a false sense of peace. To prevent this leadership dysfunction from taking root, address conflicts head-on and work together to find solutions. Create an environment where healthy disagreements are encouraged, and conflicts are not treated as threats, but as opportunities to align and grow stronger together. Power plays overshadow the real work. When members of a leadership team become consumed with politics and power dynamics, when personal agendas take priority over organizational goals, and when more time is spent looking good than collaborating to solve problems, decisions may appear to be based on competence and ideas, while in reality, they’re driven by influence and who holds the most sway. When power plays dominate a leadership team, leaders guard information, challenge others’ motives, second-guess decisions, withhold support, dismiss contributions, and form inner circles to strengthen their influence by aligning with some while sidelining others. But, seeing others as competitors instead of allies stagnates organizational growth by shifting energy away from problem-solving towards guarding power and protecting egos. You can spot dysfunctional leadership when shared goals turn into individual battles of who benefits and who gets the credit. Politics at the top doesn’t just slow down progress; it infects the entire organization with fear, favoritism, and wasted energy—teams start competing with one another instead of working toward shared goals, best ideas are ignored while politically correct choices are approved, and people are met with suspicion instead of trust and support. High performers grow frustrated and either disengage or leave. Power struggles and hidden agendas not only show up at the top, but they also start trickling downwards as people learn that their success depends more on navigating politics and aligning with the right people than delivering results. They stop speaking up, sharing ideas, or challenging poor decisions with the fear of upsetting those in power. Employees learn to watch their backs rather than support one another, leading to silos, suspicion, and growing mistrust. When power plays cascade down, teamwork dies while politics becomes the game everyone learns to play—replacing creativity with conformity, truth with silence, and impact with image. To avoid this leadership dysfunction, say no to politics by clearly stating expectations: Make sure the entire leadership team is working toward a few clear, measurable priorities, not personal wins. Recognize leaders who support others, share information, and drive collective success rather than individual agendas. Don’t let hidden agendas slide. Call out power plays when they appear, and redirect focus back to the bigger mission. Explain key decisions openly so people don’t have to guess or play games to understand where things stand. Encourage open debate and candor so leaders don’t fear speaking up or challenging poor ideas. Make sure the entire leadership team is working toward a few clear, measurable priorities, not personal wins. Recognize leaders who support others, share information, and drive collective success rather than individual agendas. Don’t let hidden agendas slide. Call out power plays when they appear, and redirect focus back to the bigger mission. Explain key decisions openly so people don’t have to guess or play games to understand where things stand. Encourage open debate and candor so leaders don’t fear speaking up or challenging poor ideas. The essence of a cohesive leadership team is trust, which is marked by an absence of politics, unnecessary anxiety, and wasted energy. Every executive wants to achieve this, but few are able to do so because they fail to understand the roots of these problems, the most damaging of which is politics. — Patrick Lencioni The essence of a cohesive leadership team is trust, which is marked by an absence of politics, unnecessary anxiety, and wasted energy. Every executive wants to achieve this, but few are able to do so because they fail to understand the roots of these problems, the most damaging of which is politics. — Patrick Lencioni When leaders prioritize power over progress, everyone loses. The work stalls, opportunities are missed, and the organization pays the price for battles that should never have been fought in the first place. To prevent this leadership dysfunction, ensure leaders do not rise in power by playing a political game. Reward transparency, celebrate collective wins, and hold leaders accountable for how they achieve outcomes, not just what they achieve. False urgency replaces true focus. When members of a leadership team treat every request as urgent, every project as a top priority, and every issue as a crisis, it may appear that they’re on top of everything as issues are being tackled quickly, while in reality, they’re reacting instead of shaping the future. Leaders spend more time firefighting than building products, more energy on short-term wins than long-term success, and more effort on being tactful than thinking strategically. There’s pressure around every issue, a constant rush to decide, and chaos in prioritizing, as everything deserves immediate attention. You can spot dysfunctional leadership when leadership meetings are driven by deadlines and crises, rather than thoughtful problem-solving or strategic alignment. False urgency creates a sense of busyness without creating momentum—with confusion, half-baked solutions, wasted effort, and exhaustion. When urgency is falsified rather than grounded in real business needs, teams operate like a mad powerhouse—people in the team keep running in many different directions without actually reaching anywhere. Jumping from one task to another and being in a constant state of overwhelm and reactivity can drain team energy, increase stress, and even lead to burnout. When employees don’t get time to do deep work or experience the joy and pleasure of being in a state of flow, they feel unhappy, stuck, and dissatisfied. Mindless busyness due to a false sense of urgency does not lead to progress; it only adds to stress. Expecting your team to take urgent requests seriously and attend to them in a timely manner isn’t wrong. It’s counterproductive when every other request is given a high priority, and the team is expected to jump at the chance. When urgency dysfunction cascades down, teams learn that the importance of work does not matter anymore; it’s the speed of response that counts—they focus on looking busy and responding quickly, rather than delivering meaningful outcomes. To avoid this leadership dysfunction, shift from reactive busyness to proactive progress: Ruthlessly separate what is “urgent” from what is “important.” Use team time to focus on strategic issues, not just firefighting. Build in space for reflection, debate, and long-term planning. Slowing down may feel uncomfortable, but it prevents costly mistakes. Instead of chasing quick wins, set clear success measures tied to impact, not just activity. This keeps the team focused on results over appearances. Whenever a new crisis shows up, pause to ask: Is this truly urgent, or just noise? Encourage leaders to push back on false alarms. Ruthlessly separate what is “urgent” from what is “important.” Use team time to focus on strategic issues, not just firefighting. separate what is “urgent” from what is “important.” separate what is “urgent” from what is “important.” Build in space for reflection, debate, and long-term planning. Slowing down may feel uncomfortable, but it prevents costly mistakes. Instead of chasing quick wins, set clear success measures tied to impact, not just activity. This keeps the team focused on results over appearances. Whenever a new crisis shows up, pause to ask: Is this truly urgent, or just noise? Encourage leaders to push back on false alarms. The paradox of short-term thinking is that it often ends up being more damaging and more expensive than longer-term thinking. ― Roger Spitz The paradox of short-term thinking is that it often ends up being more damaging and more expensive than longer-term thinking. ― Roger Spitz False urgency makes leaders feel like they’re winning the race when they’re actually running in circles. Avoid this leadership dysfunction by resisting the pull of short-term fixes, focusing on the big picture, and making deliberate choices that shape the future. focusing on the big picture, focusing on the big picture Comfort wins over curiosity. When members of a leadership team stop asking tough questions, challenging assumptions, pushing boundaries, or stretching beyond what’s familiar, things may look great on the surface as everyone seems aligned, but settling for good enough and leaning on past achievements instead of imagining what could be possible gives way to complacency disguised as stability and success. Leaders try to play it safe by settling for routines, avoiding experimentation, and ignoring emerging opportunities. Decisions are made based on what worked in the past instead of what’s required in the future. Change is ignored and pushed aside as it feels risky and uncomfortable. Bold ideas are dismissed as they require confronting obstacles and learning new ways of doing things. You can spot dysfunctional leadership when leaders are more focused on preserving what they have than pursuing what’s possible. “Good enough” mindset breeds complacency. It’s the silent killer of innovation and creativity. Avoiding challenges with fear of failure, dismissing ideas because they seem too risky, or defaulting to tried-and-tested methods over bold initiatives caps a team's potential. People in the team don’t learn to navigate complex problems, confront obstacles, or course correct when things don’t work out as expected. Doing familiar things feels safe, but it also limits growth. When you set the ceiling too low for your team, you open the door for average to become the norm and invite mediocrity to settle in. It dulls your team’s ambition and prevents them from stretching their potential, taking bold risks, or striving for excellence. In such a culture, failure becomes feared instead of embraced as part of progress. New ideas feel unwelcome. Boldness is replaced by caution. The result? People in the team don’t fail, but they don’t excel either—mediocrity is silently accepted because excellence isn’t offered as an option. mediocrity mediocrity Once complacency dysfunction cascades down, comfort becomes the unspoken goal—people in the team stop pushing for more. They follow routines, execute on what’s been done before, and never step into uncharted territory. Being bored, disengaged, and under-challenged makes them passive—they go through motions, ticking boxes, and doing the bare minimum. If no one’s asking for more, why bother giving more? If bold thinking gets ignored, why take the risk? If comfort is the reward, why choose a challenge? To avoid this leadership dysfunction, value exploration over preservation: Encourage leaders to ask “what’s next?” and “what if?” instead of relying on past wins. Bring in new perspectives, research, and industry trends to stretch thinking. Avoid comfort zones by defining goals that go beyond maintaining the status quo. Anchor them in long-term impact, not just short-term metrics. Make it safe and expected for leaders to challenge assumptions and question each other. True curiosity thrives where disagreement isn’t seen as disloyalty. Recognize leaders who experiment, take smart risks, and push boundaries, rather than only rewarding efficiency and consistency. Keep the bigger “why” front and center. When leaders connect their work to a meaningful purpose, curiosity naturally grows stronger than comfort. Encourage leaders to ask “what’s next?” and “what if?” instead of relying on past wins. Bring in new perspectives, research, and industry trends to stretch thinking. Avoid comfort zones by defining goals that go beyond maintaining the status quo. Anchor them in long-term impact, not just short-term metrics. Make it safe and expected for leaders to challenge assumptions and question each other. True curiosity thrives where disagreement isn’t seen as disloyalty. Recognize leaders who experiment, take smart risks, and push boundaries, rather than only rewarding efficiency and consistency. Keep the bigger “why” front and center. When leaders connect their work to a meaningful purpose, curiosity naturally grows stronger than comfort. When a great team loses through complacency, it will constantly search for new and more intricate explanations to explain away defeat. After a while it becomes more innovative in thinking up how to lose than thinking up how to win. ― Pat Riley When a great team loses through complacency, it will constantly search for new and more intricate explanations to explain away defeat. After a while it becomes more innovative in thinking up how to lose than thinking up how to win. ― Pat Riley Improvement doesn’t happen without intention. When leaders don’t challenge the status quo or inspire learning, teams stop growing. Comfort becomes the goal—not excellence or mastery. Avoid this leadership dysfunction by resisting the pull of complacency and staying restless for what’s possible without settling for what’s familiar. Summary When leaders circle around problems without making tough calls or committing to action, it creates the illusion of progress while nothing truly moves forward. The same issues keep returning, draining time and energy. Break the cycle by enforcing accountability—assign clear owners, set deadlines, and insist on follow-through before moving on. When leaders shy away from difficult conversations, disagreements get buried rather than addressed. On the surface, it may look like harmony, but underneath, resentment festers, and trust erodes. Fix it by normalizing healthy conflict—invite diverse perspectives, make it safe to disagree, and focus on resolving issues instead of suppressing them. When leaders prioritize influence over outcomes, meetings become battlegrounds for egos rather than spaces for progress. The result is stalled decisions, wasted energy, and a culture where politics beats performance. Fix it by rewarding collaboration over competition—align leaders to shared goals and make impact, not influence, the measure of success. When everything is treated as urgent, leaders push teams into reactive mode—fighting fires instead of driving real progress. This creates burnout, confusion, and a lack of clarity on what truly matters. Fix it by slowing down to set priorities—distinguish noise from what’s mission-critical and build discipline around focusing energy where it moves the needle. When leaders stop questioning assumptions or challenging the status quo, they trade growth for the comfort of the familiar. It may look like stability, but underneath it signals stagnation. Fix it by fueling curiosity—ask tough questions, encourage experimentation, and keep pushing the team to imagine what’s possible rather than settling for what’s easy. When leaders circle around problems without making tough calls or committing to action, it creates the illusion of progress while nothing truly moves forward. The same issues keep returning, draining time and energy. Break the cycle by enforcing accountability—assign clear owners, set deadlines, and insist on follow-through before moving on. When leaders shy away from difficult conversations, disagreements get buried rather than addressed. On the surface, it may look like harmony, but underneath, resentment festers, and trust erodes. Fix it by normalizing healthy conflict—invite diverse perspectives, make it safe to disagree, and focus on resolving issues instead of suppressing them. When leaders prioritize influence over outcomes, meetings become battlegrounds for egos rather than spaces for progress. The result is stalled decisions, wasted energy, and a culture where politics beats performance. Fix it by rewarding collaboration over competition—align leaders to shared goals and make impact, not influence, the measure of success. When everything is treated as urgent, leaders push teams into reactive mode—fighting fires instead of driving real progress. This creates burnout, confusion, and a lack of clarity on what truly matters. Fix it by slowing down to set priorities—distinguish noise from what’s mission-critical and build discipline around focusing energy where it moves the needle. When leaders stop questioning assumptions or challenging the status quo, they trade growth for the comfort of the familiar. It may look like stability, but underneath it signals stagnation. Fix it by fueling curiosity—ask tough questions, encourage experimentation, and keep pushing the team to imagine what’s possible rather than settling for what’s easy. This story was previously published here. Follow me on LinkedIn or here for more stories. here LinkedIn