--- title: How to Fail as a Leader | The Sales Blog description: "Yesterday, I had the great and terrible privilege of watching a leader fail. Failure to Communicate: The leader did not communicate with his team. He left them to their own devices. The team did not communicate with each other. The lack of communication caused them to make mistakes, and the mistakes caused them to fail. […]" image: https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/shutterstock_86407405.jpg --- ### [Now booking SKO meetings for 2026/27! 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He left them to their own devices. The team did not communicate with each other. The lack of communication caused them to make mistakes, and the mistakes caused them to fail. The leader said nothing. **Failure to Believe Success Is Attainable**: As the team’s performance worsened, their leader made visible his belief that the team was incapable of success. His failure to [believe](http://thesalesblog.com/blog/2013/11/29/what-you-need-to-believe/) was immediately and irrevocably adopted by his team. He didn’t believe, so they didn’t believe either. He infected them with the belief that they could only lose, and that became their reality. **Failure to Inspire and Motivate:** The leader said nothing to inspire the team. He said nothing to instill confidence in his team. When they needed his encouragement, he withheld it, instead showing his lack of interest–and sometimes his contempt–for his team. He made no effort to help them turn things around. **Failure to Demand Success**: This leader failed to [demand](http://thesalesblog.com/blog/2013/12/29/10-laws-for-leaders/) that his team give their all, that they do their very best. The leader literally allowed his team to fail. They may have failed anyway, but he should have made clear that he was going to demand more of them, that he wasn’t going to allow them to lose. He let them give up on themselves when he should have demanded they perform. The team failed themselves, too. **No One Stepped Up to Lead**: Not one member of the team stepped up to take over the role of leader when they lost theirs. They were too young and too inexperienced to know that no one makes you a leader; you [step up](http://thesalesblog.com/blog/2011/06/10/no-one-makes-you-a-leader/) and take responsibility. One person can make a difference. Leadership is the difference between winning and losing, between success and failure. #### Questions Why is it important that a leader communicate with her team? How does a leader show her team that she believes in them? How does she inspire and motivate her team? Can you demand success? What is your responsibility when you have no leader? ###### Tags: [Leadership](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/leadership) Post by [Anthony Iannarino](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/author/anthony-iannarino) on May 4, 2014 Written and edited by human brains and human hands. ![Anthony Iannarino](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/ai-blog-profile-crop.jpg) Anthony Iannarino is an American writer. He has published daily at [thesalesblog.com](https://www.thesalesblog.com) for more than 14 years, amassing over 5,300 articles and making this platform a destination for salespeople and sales leaders. Anthony is also the author of four best-selling books documenting modern sales methodologies and a fifth book for sales leaders seeking revenue growth. His latest book for an even wider audience is titled, The Negativity Fast: Proven Techniques to Increase Positivity, Reduce Fear, and Boost Success. Anthony speaks to sales organizations worldwide, delivering cutting-edge sales strategies and tactics that work in this ever-evolving B2B landscape. He also provides workshops and seminars. Connect with Anthony on LinkedIn, X or Youtube. 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Learn how to make those tough decisions, hold yourself and your team accountable, and build a legacy with How to Lead: The Leadership E-Book. [![DOWNLOAD EBOOK](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2922376/d345d648-812a-428a-81e4-53ce30822212.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2922376/d345d648-812a-428a-81e4-53ce30822212) ## Are You Ready To Solve Your Sales Challenges? ![Anthony-Solve-Sales](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Anthony-Solve-Sales.png?width=290&height=221&name=Anthony-Solve-Sales.png) Hi, I’m Anthony. I help sales teams make the changes needed to create more opportunities & crush their sales targets. What we’re doing right now **is working**, even in this challenging economy. **Would you like some help?** [![Solve for Sales](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2922376/d3a4938b-2008-4a27-8b44-7b2223f6d035.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2922376/d3a4938b-2008-4a27-8b44-7b2223f6d035) ### Join my Weekly Newsletter for Sales Tips Join 100,000+ sales professionals in my weekly newsletter and get my *Guide to Becoming a Sales Hustler* eBook for FREE! --- ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org/", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Anthony Iannarino" }, "dateModified" : "2022-01-22T2:52:00 PM", "datePublished" : "2014-05-04 21:00:53", "description" : "Yesterday, I had the great and terrible privilege of watching a leader fail. Failure to Communicate: The leader did not communicate with his team. He left them to their own devices. The team did not communicate with each other. 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