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NEGATIVE LEADERSHIP TRAITS
Negative Leadership Traits
Tiffany Burgi
School of Business, Liberty University
Author Note
Tiffany Burgi
I have no known conflict of interest to disclose.
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Tiffany Burgi
Email: [email protected]
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Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the various Kings in the Bible and show how some are
not examples of strong and faith filled leadership, and, thus, should not be looked at as Christian
role models. This paper analyzes the leadership styles of King Solomon, King Rehoboam, and
King Elah in the book of Kings. Discussed is how to be responsible leaders while also addressing
how the effect of irresponsible leadership impacts the lives of those around them. Additionally,
mentioned is how having a good mentor will aid in making wise decisions as a leader.
Furthermore, it is essential to note that corruption has consequences that directly impact the
leaders, but the public response toward corruption also plays a significant role.
Keywords: Leadership, corruption, mentorship, responsibility
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Negative Leadership Traits
Introduction
Leadership has many qualities that set it apart. For example, people can possess sound,
bad, and ineffective leadership traits. This kind of leadership can be seen throughout history and
is not limited to the secular world and its leaders. There are many examples of leaders in the
Bible that reflect negative characteristics. Unfortunately, people often only focus on how to be a
good leader. Sometimes focusing on what bad leadership is and how it is recognized can be
beneficial. If people look at some of the negative traits and recognize some of those traits in good
leaders, it will enable those leaders to be aware and able to change those negative characteristics
if they choose.4
Solomon Unable to Follow the Law (corruption)
Solomon had many issues as a leader. One common problem he faced was following
God's law. For example, marriages were allowed between different races but could not be
between other faiths. Solomon did not follow that law, and not only were there consequences for
him but also for his future generations. Solomon married a woman outside of his Christian faith.
"The Lord had clearly instructed the people of Israel, ‘You must not marry them, because they
will turn your hearts to their god's’" (New Living Translation, 2021, 1 Kings 11:2). He then
formed an alliance with Egypt, which was not something God wanted. Then Solomon went on to
build a temple and, at that time, it was not God's will for that. The only thing God wanted was
Solomon's obedience. These are a few of the ways Solomon decided to follow his own desires
rather than what God wanted and asked. This can be looked at and compared to leaders that
choose not to follow the laws they are under. One worldly example of this is in the political field.
When leaders turn to corruption, they are not following the laws of the institution they are under.
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"Citizens see corruption as wrong and view those engaged in it as unfit for office" (Asquer et al.,
2019, p. 292), which shows it is not only legal figures that see it as an issue. Those that leaders
oversee will witness their leader going against the law and can decide that leader is unfit to lead.
Some people have even tolerance for corrupt leaders. "Women are on average less tolerant of
corruption than men" (Afridi et al., 2017, p. 3). Not following the laws of the world have many
adverse effects, which parallels Solomon who chose not to follow God's laws.
Rehoboam’s Lack of Good Counsel
If Solomon followed God's law and did not married outside of his faith, then King
Rehoboam would not exist, therefore, Godly ways of leadership could have remained intact.
Rehoboam began his reign only desiring to hear what he wanted. He did not heed what the
counselors advised and chose to ignore the wise elders of the church. Instead, he turned to those
who would tell him what he wanted to hear. He was advised to go easy on the people, but he did
just the opposite. "’Your father was a hard master,’ they said. ‘Lighten the harsh labor demands
and heavy taxes that your father imposed on us’" (New Living Translation, 2021, 1 Kings 12:4).
He decided to force the people into labor to show them who was in charge (king). Rehoboam
looked to the wrong people for guidance because he wanted to be liked by a specific group of
people and feared by others. Having the right people and mentors to turn to will only enhance
someone’s leadership capabilities. Wise guidance is crucial. "Mentoring differs from the other
methodologies because it is based on a volunteering service, which differs from coaching and
counselling" (Gonçalves et al., 2017, p. 216). When the right mentor is found, they provide
guidance because they want to and not because they are paid to be there as a coach or counselor
would be. Finding the right people for advice will have a positive impact on one's leadership.
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"Student teachers had good relationship with their mentors which impacted positively on their
performance during teaching practice" (Ifeoma, 2016, p. 88).4
Elah’s Irresponsibility
Leaders should lead by example and in a responsible way. When the Bible discusses
Elah, it shows that he did not take his position as King seriously and behaved irresponsibly.
"Elah was getting drunk at the home of Arza, the supervisor of the palace. 10Zimri walked in and
struck him down and killed him" (New Living Translation, 2021, 1 Kings 16:9-10). His reckless
actions led to his demise. "Corporate irresponsible actions hurt the community directly and thus
have an indirect impact on persons who are part of the community" (Xie & Bagozzi, 2019, p.
570). Leaders are not only responsible for themselves, but they are also responsible for those
they lead because the decisions leaders make impact others. Leaders need to be responsible with
their choice because they have a ripple effect that they may not always be seen. Being a
responsible leader "centers on society and nature, feasible worth creation and positive change"
(Bambang et al., 2020, p. 464). This article also points out what traditional leadership looks like.
It states that traditional leadership is "overemphasizes its impact and does not sufficiently
perceive the general condition on which the leadership depends and different stakeholders with
which it interfaces" (Bambang et al., 2020, p. 464). Being a responsible leader looks at the whole
picture and not just a small part of it.4
Conclusion
When evaluating the leadership of Solomon, Rehoboam, and Elah, there are many aspects
people should not copy in their leadership style. Those kings have demonstrated what should not
be done. However, if people witness these negative traits in their own leadership styles, they
should actively strive to change those characteristics.
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References
Afridi, F., Iversen, V., & Sharan, M. R. (2017). Women political leaders, corruption, and
learning: Evidence from a large public program in India.4Economic Development and
Cultural Change,466(1), 1–30. https://doi.org/10.1086/6936794
Asquer, R., Golden, M. A., & Hamel, B. T. (2019). Corruption, party leaders, and candidate
selection: Evidence from Italy.4Legislative Studies Quarterly,445(2), 291–325.
https://doi.org/10.1111/lsq.12259
Bambang, M., Usup Riassy, C., Sintani, L., Negara, D. J., & Danes Jaya1. (2020). The role of
responsible leadership in determining the triple-bottom-line performance of the Indonesian
tourist industry .4Contemporary Economics,414(4), 463–473.
https://doi.org/10.5709/ce.1897-9254.4184
Gonçalves, M., Farcas, D., Leitão, T., Giorgakis, G., Valeriu, S. F., Traian, M. P., & Kovacs, K.
(2017). Evidence review on labour market and job place retention: Mentoring pathways
towards employment.4Journal of Organisational Transformation & Social Change,414(3),
214–238. https://doi.org/10.1080/14779633.2017.13417604
Holy bible new living translation. (2021). DaySpring; Candace Cameron Bure
Ifeoma, A. R. (2016). Assessment of students attitude and perception of teaching practice: The
case of undergraduates of Delta state university, Abraka.4World Journal of Education,46(2),
82–91. https://doi.org/10.5430/wje.v6n2p824
Merida, T. (2015).4Christ-centered exposition: Exalting Jesus in 1 and 2 kings. (D. Platt & D. L.
Akin, Eds.). B & H Publishing Group.4
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Xie, C., & Bagozzi, R. P. (2019). Consumer responses to corporate social irresponsibility: The
role of moral emotions, evaluations, and social cognitions.4Psychology & Marketing,436(6),
565–586. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.211974
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Annotated Bibliography
Afridi, F., Iversen, V., & Sharan, M. R. (2017). Women political leaders, corruption, and
learning: Evidence from a large public program in India.4Economic Development and
Cultural Change,466(1), 1–30. https://doi.org/10.1086/6936794
This journal article is found in the EconLit database. The article is found in the Economic
Development & Cultural Change Journal (EDCC). The journal was first published in 1952.
It is released quarterly. It is published by the University of Chicago Press Journals
Division. The journal is ranked 9 out of 77 in Area Studies and 126 out of 371 in
Economics. The journal focuses on all areas of economic development and cultural change.
It is a peer-reviewed journal. The author Farzana Afridi has published in 35 academic
journals, three books, and one dissertation. Their primary focus is on India. The author
Vegard Iversen has been published in 140 academic journals, 124 Journals, and three
books. The author M.R. Sharan has had only this publication. The article focuses on the
impact of women’s political leadership on corruption. The survey purpose was to see what
inefficiencies there were in village councils ran by women. They audited to see if women
leaders could catch or even outperform their male predecessors. Their findings were that
the women did catch up with their male counterparts.
Asquer, R., Golden, M. A., & Hamel, B. T. (2019). Corruption, party leaders, and candidate
selection: Evidence from Italy.4Legislative Studies Quarterly,445(2), 291–325.
https://doi.org/10.1111/lsq.12259
This journal article is found in the Political Science Complete database. The article is
found in the Legislative Studies Quarterly Journal. The journal was first published on
January 7th, 2011. It is released quarterly. It is published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of
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NEGATIVE LEADERSHIP TRAITS
the Department of Political Science at Washington University in St. Louis, MO. The
journal is a peer-reviewed academic journal. The journal focuses on disseminate scholarly
work on parliaments and legislatures, their relations to other political institutions, their
functions in the political system, and the activities of their members both within the
institution and outside. The author Raffaele Asquer has this one publication. The author
Miriam Golden has been published in 100 Academic Journals, 22 Conference Materials,
had as 20 Books. The author Brian T. Hamel has five published works. The article focuses
on how voters are not effective at removing corrupt politicians from office. They compare
the renomination patterns with those from the prior legislature when corruption lacked
political salience. Their study found that the incumbent is looked at negatively only when
corruption is notable to the public. They stressed the importance of enforcing democratic
accountability.
Bambang, M., Usup Riassy , C., Sintani, L., Negara, D. J., & Danes Jaya1. (2020). The role of
responsible leadership in determining the triple-bottom-line performance of the Indonesian
tourist industry .4Contemporary Economics,414(4), 463–473.
https://doi.org/10.5709/ce.1897-9254.4184
This journal article is found in the Business Source Complete database. The article is found
in the Contemporary Economics Journal. The journal was first published in 1982. It is
released quarterly. It is published by Wiley-Blackwell. The journal is a peer-reviewed
academic journal. It is ranked 234 out of 332 journals in the category economics. The
journal focuses on research in economics, finance, accounting, and management. The
authors Bambang Mantikei and Usup Riassy Christa have three published works in
academic journals. The authors Danes Jaya Negar, Meitiana, and Lelo Sintani, have two
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published works in academic journals. The article focuses on what role leadership plays in
enhancing innovation. They did a study to measure the effect of responsible leadership.
The sample size was 250 Indonesian people. The technique used was random. They found
that responsible leadership encourages the employees to stay innovative and makes them
believe they are able to achieve higher levels of financial, social and environmental
performance.
Gonçalves, M., Farcas, D., Leitão, T., Giorgakis, G., Valeriu, S. F., Traian, M. P., & Kovacs, K.
(2017). Evidence review on labour market and job place retention: Mentoring pathways
towards employment.4Journal of Organisational Transformation & Social Change,414(3),
214–238. https://doi.org/10.1080/14779633.2017.13417604
This journal article is found in the Academic Search Ultimate database. The article is found
in the Journal of Organisational Transformation & Social Change. The journal was first
published in 2004 and ended in 2017. They released three issues per year. It was published
by Maney Publishing. The journal's back issues were peer-reviewed and open access. The
journal focused on big challenges facing social systems in our day and towards the future.
The author Marta Gonçalves has been published 106 times in academic journals. The
author Diana Farcas has been published in 16 academic journals. The author Tiago Leitão
has two academic journal publications. The author Giorgos Giorgakis, Mihaela Pintea
Traian and Florian Valeriu have one academic journal publication. The author Krisztina
Kovacs has been published in 210 academic journals, six magazines, and two books. The
article focuses on that when mentoring is and employment policy will have a positive
result. They looked at 14 topics retention, employee, supervisor, leadership, education,
health care, and management, to see how mentorship affected it. They determined that
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three parts are needed to be effective for success and those parts are mentoring coordinator,
mentor and mentee.
Ifeoma, A. R. (2016). Assessment of students attitude and perception of teaching practice: The
case of undergraduates of Delta state university, Abraka.4World Journal of Education,46(2),
82–91. https://doi.org/10.5430/wje.v6n2p824
This journal article is found in the ERIC database. The article is found in the World Journal
of Education Journal. The journal was first published in 2011 and it is released bimonthly.
It is published by Sciedu Press. The journal is peer-reviewed and is accessed online and in
print. The journal focuses on publishing articles in the fields of education, teaching,
learning, and other relevant subjects. The author Asiyai Romina Ifeoma has been published
thirteen times in academic journals. The article focuses on a study of employed ex-post
facto design to examine teaching practice in Delta State University, Abraka, Nigeria. They
received data from 280 participants. They found that student teachers have a positive
attitude towards teaching practice. Also, that the student teachers expressed that they had a
good relationship with their mentors.
Xie, C., & Bagozzi, R. P. (2019). Consumer responses to corporate social irresponsibility: The
role of moral emotions, evaluations, and social cognitions.4Psychology & Marketing,436(6),
565–586. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.211974
This journal article is found in the Business Source Complete database. The article is found
in the Psychology and Marketing Journal. The journal was first published in 1984. It is
published monthly. It is published by John Wiley & Sons. The journal is peer-reviewed
and is accessed online and in print. The journal focuses on original research articles,
reviews, and notes dealing with the application of psychological theories and techniques to
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marketing. The author Chunyan Xie has been published 110 times in academic journals.
The author Richard Bagozzi has been published in 579 academic journals, 27 Magazines,
and ten trade publications. The article focuses on perceptions of irresponsible corporate
actions on consumers and consumer social cognition. They study corporate social
irresponsibility by examining three simple reactions people have toward corporate social
irresponsibility.
