The incompetent leadership: Roschier Leadership Seminars
Insights|March 24, 2025
Last week, Roschier hosted a seminar on the topic of incompetent leadership. The discussion covered questions such as what traits define an incompetent leader and what leaders need to do to avoid becoming one.
Carolina Engström-Lökken, CEO at the Executive Search Company WES, and Andreas Lökken, chief psychologist at Novare Executive Search, participated in a discussion moderated by Marie-Louise Kjellström, Chairman of the board of Novare Leadership Academy.
Key takeaways:
- Poor leadership often stems from a lack of self-awareness and emotional regulation.
- Most leadership failures are personal, not technical.
- Leadership is situational and relational – it’s about adapting and staying connected.
- Vulnerability, reflection, and humility are increasingly valued.
- Honest self-assessment and team support are key to good leadership.
What makes a poor leader? According to leadership experts Andreas and Carolina, it’s often more about lacking self-awareness than lacking skills. “It depends,” Andreas says, “but some definitions could be that you’re unable to manage yourself and your emotions. Then you’re left at the mercy of your own shortcomings.” He says poor leadership often goes hand in hand with being unable to manage relationships. In his experience, leaders typically fail for four reasons: they can’t manage themselves, can’t manage relationships with others, can’t manage their team, or can’t manage their business. “Out of these four, three are about you – and you can work on them,” he says.
Carolina sees leadership as a spectrum. “We’re all good, and we’re all bad, depending on the situation,” she says. Context matters – the team you’re leading, the assignment you’ve been given, and what’s happening in the world all play a role. She highlights the importance of identifying your “blind spot” – the things others notice that you might miss. “Find out what that is and work on it,” she says.
She also points out that leaders who don’t invest time in their teams risk creating confusion. “As an employee, you might feel unacknowledged, and that increases insecurity. That can quickly spiral into disengagement, quiet quitting, and group dysfunction,” she says. When assessing leadership potential, Carolina says she is less interested in achievements and more drawn to people who show reflection and self-awareness. “It’s the humble and vulnerable aspects I’m drawn to,” she says, though she notes that while some answers may now feel “rehearsed,” she still senses more honesty today than in the past.
Andreas highlights the balancing act leaders face. “You’re leading an organization, standing at the front, taking the hits, providing clarity and creating a sense of security. How vulnerable can you be in that position?” he says. He believes this is something leaders need to practice – appearing confident while still reflecting inwardly on their choices and motivations.
When dealing with an incompetent leader, Andreas says it’s important to remember that leadership is always a relationship – it’s something built in relation to others. “If I find myself in a stressful situation, it’s time for me to examine how I’m managing myself,” he says. “Ask yourself: why am I responding like this? If you can work around your own emotions, it becomes much easier to handle.”
Some traits are more deeply rooted. “Personality types are hard to change,” Andreas says. “Our genes shape us more than our willpower does.” Carolina adds that isolation can make any leader worse. “It’s easy to become a bad leader if you’re isolated from the group,” she says. “Everyone’s watching you – how you dress, who you talk to, who you sit with at the holiday lunch. If you’re not aware of that, it can create distance.”
Leaders are also being measured more closely than ever. “When I started out, there were hardly any employee surveys. Today, some companies conduct monthly questionnaires with 70–80 data points,” Andreas says. He warns that this can create a feedback imbalance, where employees get annual reviews, but leaders are judged monthly – leading to short-term decisions that don’t serve the organization in the long run.
Ultimately, leadership is situational. “When things are going well, it’s easy to be a good leader,” Andreas says. “When things are tough, it’s much harder. You can’t insure yourself against failure – so you need to be able to handle it.” That means asking what resources an individual has, what can be developed, and what simply needs to be accepted.
Carolina sums it up well: “You can get away with a lot if you’re just honest about it. These are my strengths. These are my weaknesses. And this is where I need support.” That support might come from the team – or from a trusted right-hand person. And to her, that’s the opposite of incompetent leadership.
The Roschier Leadership Seminar series started in 2023. Please find the previous articles in the links below.
Caroline Farberger and Annie Lööf on value-based leadership
Peter Wallenberg Jr. and Lovisa Cavalli Wallenberg on leadership over time and generations
Hans Stråberg on ultimate leadership
Ambassador Judith Gough on the art of diplomacy
Ice hockey legend and Olympic gold medalist Mats Sundin on sustainable leadership
Ambassadors Wegger Strømmen, Nicola Clase, and Jakob Nymann-Lindegren on diplomatic leadership
Eija Hakakari and Julia Macharey on outdated leadership
Lena Eliasson and Jessica Häggström continue on outdated leadership
Sami Pauni on inclusive leadership