Your behaviour as a leader is largely tailored by some very fundamental assumption and world-views - (sometimes consciously developed and often sub-consciously evolved), that you have scripted. At work-place, they influence the chain of your behaviours and shape your transactional styles which influences the way you lead and interact with people .
Through my Coaching experiences, the 6 most self-destructive assumptions that I have noticed and traced that impair Leadership behaviours are...but before that let me share my insights of the most destructive superscript which operates in an over-drive - 'I am the Best !'
'I am the Best' superscript...is the mature line of demarcation between self-confidence required for success and over confidence that guarantees you failure. Whilst one must believe he is the best, one must also believe that in some domains other could be better as well ! Run in an over- drive, this is the worst super-script if not controlled for it has the potential tendency to consciously or subconsciously prompt the Six assumptions for leaders to their utter self-destruction:
1. 'People admire me - they love the way I work'. True & Not True. Whilst if it is genuine, it is good but if it is otherwise prompted by motivated psychophancy, this assumption can lead to total destruction. The coffee-corner will have the real assessment if your admiration. Invest in teaching English to the neighbourhood 'Ciggarettewala' and he will tell you your true & exact 'Admiration Index' based on the hosannas he hears at his 'tapri', the day long!
2. 'People will support me, irrespective of whatever wrong I do '. You are wrong. There is a supplementary.
People will support you when you are going wrong only to the extent they realise that the hand of power is still on your head or it is a one-off aberration in your behaviour. Let this assumption not deceive you.
3. 'People do not gossip about me. They do that for others'.
People gossip about everything juicy and interesting. The more powerful you are, even your smaller things will be interesting subjects for gossips. Thus, you have to be more cautious and mindful of what you say and how you behave. Your assumption that people will dare not to gossip bout you just because of occupying position of power, is only self-destructive.
4. 'Even if I lose power, they will continue to love me forever '.
No ways. The day you lose power, unless people have genuine and authentic relations with you, they will not even care to look back and greet you beyond basic courtesies. Power present relationships should not make you adopt the assumption that beyond power people will care for you or love you.
5. 'If I am not replaceable. People will not respect my Successor'.
Somewhere leaders have apparently a guiding assumption that one is such an expert and highly experienced proponent that whoever would be the Successor to his role would fail and not succeed in performing that role as well.
6. 'The system will collapse after I go'. Every leader's second most destructive assumption after - 'I am the Best' overdrive is this assumption. It makes you believe you are the Brahma - Vishnu. and Mahesh of the situation. Thus it makes you lose your balance and indulge in accesses under the belief that you are irreplaceable.
Your success and your failure are hidden in the conscious and unconscious scripts that prompt your behaviours. Realise if these are going wrong and rewrite the script to pave your way to success.