Donald Trump is no stranger to controversy. Ever since the self-styled property and reality TV tycoon announced his intention to run for President, he has been the subject of a range of accusations – calling into question everything from his integrity to his intelligence. But what about his leadership skills? Does Trump really have what it takes to manage such a high-profile and globally important brand as the United States of America?
Managing training experts at STL decided to look at Trump’s management style in a little more detail, paying particular attention to the management mistakes he has made in his time as POTUS.
Mistake Number One: Allowing his employees to turn on one another
The Republican party has seen more than its fair share of backstabbing and public and private arguments. As a leader, Trump should want his staff to be working together but that doesn’t seem to be the case.
Mistake number two: Undermining his employees
Trump has consistently undermined or publicly disparaged staff, demonstrating a clear lack of leadership skill. Not only does he use terms like ‘weak’ to describe his employees, but he regularly undermines them by making private agreements and going in a different direction in public.
Mistake number three: Valuing personal loyalty above overall strategy
Trump values personal loyalty to him over loyalty to the organisation. Regardless of ability, Trump will turn on anyone who doesn’t show personal loyalty, making it hard to objectively review goals or hear criticism.
Mistake number four: Regularly going off the brand message
Although we don’t know the Republican PR strategy, its fair to assume that Trumps outbursts regularly go off-script. This leaves employees confused and having to clarify something that trump has said
Mistake number five: Ignoring expert opinions in favour of gut instinct
In his explosive book ‘Fire and Fury’, Michael Wolff describes Trumps management style as “trusting his own expertise – no matter how paltry or irrelevant – more than anyone else’s”. This results in poor decisions
Mistake number six: Not delegating important decisions
Trumps over-confidence means he nearly always makes all decisions, instead of delegating them to experts. This leads to lack of trust and frustration for staff.
