6 Signs You Are A Dictator And Not A Leader.

Leadership  is one of the most misunderstood subjects in the world. It means many things to many people. TL Some it's about power. That is power over others. To many others,  leadership is about service. The opportunity to move people from where they are to where they should be. How you see leadership determines the character of your own leadership.  Most people who associated it with power often use it as a tool to dominate others especially their team members. They literally lord over their people. Some people who are in the position of leadership often practice dictatorship and sometimes without realizing it. The truth is, dictators  don't see and categorize themselves as one. So how do you  know when you have turned yourself into a dictator?. Here are some signs that tell you are being  a dictator and not a leader. 

You don't take criticism kindly

When you are in the habit of taking unfavourable feedbacks personal, getting hostile and making derogatory remarks on the source.You are only giving expression to tthe dictatorship spirit within while indirectly advising your people to choose silence instead of giving you helpful feedback to avoid unnecessary rancour. When no one on your team ever criticizes any of your ideas. It's an unmistakable clue that you  have been conducting yourself as a dictator.

You are self serving

Dictators are often consumed by self. Inclusiveness is one of their greatest shortcomings.  They are quick to put their interest above others and are often willing to go to any length to protect their interest even at the expense of other team members. If you constantly scheme on how to get the most out of collective opportunities with no regard to fairness or how your team members feel, you are a dictator and need to learn true leadership.

You show no geniune interest in people

For you every encounter with your people is an opportunity to make work related demands. Your relationship with your team is  about work and only work. You don't care about building connections with your people outside of work. Their welfare outside of salary never gets a mention from you. You see and treat them as a piece of office tool. No empathy. No humanity. You have nothing but an extreme transactional approach to leadership.   When your only drive is result and you 

completely have no  non-work-related relationship with any team member,you have become a dictator.

You don't communicate broadly

Communication is a key element of leadership success. It takes humility,patience and empathy  to effectively communicate to people at their own level- the way they can effectively relate to.  Dictators usually don't have it in them to care about effective and efficient dissemination of information. Their information passage often ends with the inner circle expecting the rest to glean vital information from his chosen ones without concerns about dangerous distortions.  They rather give orders and spell out what next than take out time to communicate with the team members effectively and efficiently. They use threats and extreme consequences to drive participation and compliance. 

If your different team members would provide different answers if asked your top three priorities for the year. You are probably a dictator.

You are hostile to mistakes

Experiments and mistakes are part of the creativity process that often lead to innovation and breakthroughs. Dictators are intolerant and harsh about every mistake, including innocent ones. It makes team members extensively conscious thus is keeping them away from dreaming and daring. Consequently, it's innovation that gets sacrificed.When  your 

Team members are too afraid to experiment or fail you are likely to have been a dictator.

Other people's opinions don't count

Dictators are known for their high  handedness. They have a distorted and exaggerated view of themselves thus attaching too much importance to their personal opinions while despising that of others.   When they call for a strategy session for instance, it ends up on his own terms and note. It becomes more or less an assembly for the declaration of his preconceived intentions not a brainstorming session.

If everything in your organisation starts and ends with your opinion then you could as well be viewed as a dictator.

You are controlling

Do you love to run the show for others? Dictators like to impose their personal style and options on others.They have a preconceived idea of how things should be done and they insists on it irrespective of the reality on ground. If they gave you a responsibility,you will have to do it exactly their own way or get the boots. There is no opportunity for team members to express their capabilities and uniqueness. This destroys their people's self confidence and ability to take initiatives at critical times. 

If your people always turn to you for what to do  on  every step of the way,it's a sign that you have been playing " the all knowing , sole custodian of knowledge" with your people. If you are controlling, never allowing your people to take even low risk activities without interference, you you can be described as a dictator.

Based on the above points, how do you categorize yourself? The whole essence of this discussion is  for you to  evaluate your leadership style and make the necessary adjustment.