10 Leadership Fails You Should Be Aware Of

Leadership is an invisible core of every organization, especially in startups. In fast-moving teams where everything happens at once and no one has time for “structures,” leadership is what determines direction and working culture. Yet it's often underestimated, delegated too late or simply done wrong. 

Globally, only 30% of employees strongly agree that someone at work encourages their development. In Germany, 45% of employees are actively looking for new jobs, often citing unclear strategy and poor communication (Gallup, 2024). While most leaders believe their teams are engaged, less than half of employees agree (Achievers, 2024). This gap shows why mistakes in vision, communication, or employee development can quickly undermine motivation and retention especially in startups.

In episode 37 of our podcast, The Naked Truth of Startups, host Alexander Türpe explored how to mess up leadership from the start and what not to do as a leader. Alexander, Managing Director of the Hightech Accelerator ExciteLab, has been part of startups himself and observed many more in his role. He’s seen firsthand how easily leadership can go wrong even when the right approach seems obvious. According to Alexander, very few people are born perfect leaders; leadership is a craft that requires self-reflection, continuous learning, and hard work.

Here are Alexander's insights into the mistakes leaders make in their roles:

1. Trying to be liked instead of leading

Early on, startup teams are often built on close relationships. You know each other well, the vibe is friendly, and everyone’s pulling in the same direction. But this friendliness can turn into a trap when leaders hesitate to lead. If you constantly try to please everyone, you stop making clear decisions. Responsibility becomes vague. Alignment fades.

Being a leader doesn’t mean being harsh. But it does mean taking a stand. You will make decisions others don’t always like. And that’s okay because leadership isn’t about popularity, it’s about clarity and direction.

2. Not having a clear vision

Your vision isn’t just what you pitch to investors. It’s what drives people in their everyday work. If your team doesn’t know what the bigger picture is, they’ll work hard, just not necessarily in the same direction.

A powerful vision isn’t something you write on the wall. It’s something you live in how you speak, decide and lead. Vision gives context to decisions. It helps teams navigate and turns effort into purpose.

3. Avoiding tough decisions 

Nobody enjoys difficult decisions, especially when they involve people you care about. But avoiding them doesn’t protect your team. It creates confusion, frustration, and eventually, disengagement.

Whether it’s changing priorities, reshaping roles, or letting go of what no longer works, the longer you wait, the more time, nerves, and money it costs you. Not deciding is also a decision and usually not a good one.

4. Micromanaging the team

You brought in people to help but you still review every email, double-check every presentation, and stay looped into every detail. That’s not leadership. That’s micromanagement. And it’s one of the fastest ways to kill team morale and slow down progress. It also ruins leaders' creativity and motivation.

Micromanagement does not promote high standards. It promotes mistrust. If you want your team to take ownership, you have to let go. Set frameworks and offer guidance so that you can stay on top of every topic, while ensuring that not everyone runs to you with every small question. 

5. Giving feedback only when there’s a problem

Many leaders think they're being approachable because they say, “My door is always open”. But accessibility isn’t the same as feedback. Most people won’t walk in uninvited, especially not with critical topics. And by the time issues come up, they’ve usually already escalated.

Feedback needs to be proactive, regular, and real. Not just in performance reviews or during conflicts. Honest conversations are the foundation of trust and the most effective tool you have to develop people and morale. Conversations give you insight into what is happening in your company, show you whether your employees' expectations are being met and above all, what needs to be changed in order to move forward.

For the rest of the insights make sure to tune into our podcast, where Alexander shares the Naked Truth of Leadership. Tune in on Spotify or Podcast.de.