A majority of senior executives say that a lack of feedback, praise, and constructive criticism are the top leadership mistakes, according to a survey by consultancy Blanchard Group Companies.

About 80% said bosses who did not listen to them were the worst, followed by leaders who failed to set clear goals or objectives.
Three-quarters of respondents said inappropriate leadership styles as a significant error.

Failing to train and develop staff was also highlighted by 59% of those surveyed.

Jim O’Brien, managing director of the Blanchard Group, said: “These are mistakes no leader should ever make. It seems that many leaders out there do not have even the most basic, critical leadership skills they need to do their job properly and this is bad news for business.

"Bad leadership leads, ultimately, to low organisation vitality, high staff turnover and poor customer loyalty,” he added.