What we cover
When we talk about leadership development, the default assumption is usually the same: build strengths, improve capability, and performance will follow.
And in many cases, that holds true.
A large body of research, including the work of Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman, shows that leaders do not need to be strong in every area to be effective. In fact, leaders with a small number of standout strengths often outperform those who are consistently average across the board. Strengths matter – and they matter a lot.
They also found that having some weaknesses does not automatically limit a leader’s effectiveness. In many cases, strong capabilities in other areas can offset and compensate for those gaps. This is an important shift from the traditional idea that leaders must “fix” every weakness to succeed.
However, their research also highlights a critical exception.
When Weaknesses Become Leadership Blockers
While most weaknesses can be offset by strengths, there is a subset of behaviours that do not follow this pattern. Zenger and Folkman identified these as “fatal flaws” – behaviours that significantly reduce a leader’s overall effectiveness, regardless of their strengths elsewhere.
This distinction matters because it challenges a common assumption: that improving leadership is simply a matter of adding more capability. In reality, certain behaviours act as constraints. When they are present, they limit the impact of everything else the leader does.
These are best understood as leadership blockers. They do not necessarily reflect a lack of intelligence, experience, or intent. Instead, they are patterns of behaviour that, over time, erode trust, alignment, engagement, or performance.
The Link Between Leadership and Business Performance
The significance of these blockers becomes clearer when considering the broader impact of leadership. Zenger and Folkman’s research demonstrates a strong relationship between leadership effectiveness and business outcomes, including employee engagement, customer satisfaction, and profitability.
In other words, leadership is not simply a cultural or interpersonal factor. It is a performance driver.
When leadership is effective, teams are more aligned, more engaged, and more capable of executing on priorities. When it is not, the effects tend to cascade – often in subtle ways at first, before becoming more visible through missed targets, disengagement, or high turnover.
This is why even a single leadership blocker can have a disproportionate impact. It introduces friction into the system, reducing the overall effectiveness of the leader and, by extension, the team.
Common Leadership Blockers and Their Impact
The following ten leadership blockers are drawn from this body of research and reflect patterns observed across a wide range of leadership contexts. They are presented here at a high level, focusing on their impact rather than detailed measurement.
Lacking energy and inspiration
When a leader appears disengaged or treats work as a burden, it influences the tone of the team. Over time, this reduces initiative and creates a more passive, low-momentum environment.
Accepting mediocre performance
Allowing underperformance to continue without intervention lowers the standard for the entire team. This often leads to disengagement among high performers and a gradual erosion of accountability.
Lack of clear vision and direction
When priorities and direction are not clearly communicated, teams continue working but without alignment. This results in fragmented effort, rework, and inefficiency.
Loss of trust and credibility
Inconsistency, unclear decision-making, or perceived self-interest can quickly undermine trust. Once credibility is weakened, even well-intentioned decisions may be questioned or resisted.
Not a collaborative team player
A lack of collaboration reduces information sharing and increases siloed behaviour. This slows progress and limits the team’s ability to solve problems effectively.
Does not model good character
When behaviour does not align with stated values, it creates confusion about expectations. Teams tend to follow what they observe, leading to inconsistent standards.
Fails to develop self after mistakes
Leaders who do not reflect or adjust their approach tend to repeat the same issues. This also discourages learning within the team, as mistakes are not openly addressed.
Lacks foundational interpersonal skills
Gaps in empathy, listening, or respect can make everyday interactions more difficult. Over time, this reduces trust and openness, limiting effective communication.
Resistant to innovation and change
When new ideas are dismissed or not genuinely considered, people are less likely to contribute. This restricts adaptability and can lead to stagnation.
Prevents development of others
When development is treated as optional, engagement declines. Teams are less likely to grow, and performance improvements become harder to sustain.
Why Leadership Blockers Are Often Overlooked
One of the challenges with leadership blockers is that they are rarely obvious. They tend to emerge through repeated, everyday behaviours rather than isolated incidents.
In many cases, they are also driven by reasonable intentions. A leader may avoid addressing performance to maintain relationships, limit communication because they believe the team already understands, or move quickly through decisions in the interest of efficiency.
Over time, however, these patterns accumulate. Without clear feedback, they can become part of the leader’s default approach.
This is why leadership blockers are often not identified through self-reflection alone. They require an external view of how leadership is experienced by others.
Identifying and Addressing Leadership Blockers
Improving leadership effectiveness is not only about developing new skills. It also involves identifying and addressing the behaviours that limit impact.
This is where structured feedback becomes valuable.
The Leader Growth Lab 360 assessment focuses on observable leadership behaviour – how leadership is experienced by the people working with you. It provides a clear view of strengths, but also highlights where patterns may be acting as blockers.
From there, the focus shifts to targeted development. Rather than attempting to improve everything at once, attention is directed to the behaviours that will have the greatest impact if addressed.
Because in many cases, leadership effectiveness does not require a complete transformation. It requires removing the constraints that are already in place.
If you want a clearer understanding of how your leadership is landing – and whether any blockers may be limiting your effectiveness – the 360 provides a practical starting point, along with guidance on how to address what you find.
