A leader sets the tone for those he supervises. A weak or ineffective leadership style turns what could be a productive organization into one that is directionless, chaotic, and unable to realize its potential. Incompetent central leadership can also cause a power struggle among other remaining team members. Groups seek leadership; When leaders fail to use their powers, others will maneuver to use the power left in the vacuum. This can lead to a power struggle and backstabbing (Morgan, 2007). Averill, DeWitt, and Zimmer (1978) stated that a person is generally viewed as less responsible if their actions are interpreted as emotional rather than deliberate. While working for a former employer as a case manager for people receiving social services benefits, a popular and well-liked supervisor failed to provide consistent leadership to the members of her unit. It was his mood of the day, rather than politics, that dictated how circumstances should be handled. Although most situations must be handled on a case-by-case basis, a certain set of criteria should and must be followed to maintain program integrity. Based on this, as case managers, we helped our clients based on past practices; however, we have sometimes been called upon to explain our actions. While we worked within the rules, if she felt our actions were not in compliance, we had to defend our decisions. To reinforce the direction I took with my own cases, I often used the past actions of supervisors as precedent. Without a fair and equitable way to determine who received what, our program tended to rely on subjectivity rather than objectivity. Never really knowing what was acceptable, even if it was within the rules and regulations, it only made fruit...... middle of paper ...... a better leader now - I know what isn't working and I'm trying to do it. always remember the lessons learned from an ineffective, but very kind, supervisor. Works CitedAverill, JR, DeWitt, GW & Zimmer, M. (6/1978), Self-attribution of emotion as a function of success and failure. Journal of Personality, Vol. 46 Number 2, p323, 25p; DOI: 10.1111/1467-6494.ep7380419. Excerpted from EBSCOhostDrucker, P., 18 Famous Quotes by Peter F. Drucker. Retrieved August 30, 2011 from http://www.worldofquotes.com/author/Peter-F.-Drucker/1/index.htmlKotelnikov, V. (nd). 25 lessons from Jack Welch. Retrieved August 31, 2011 from 25 Lessons by Jack Welch: http://www.1000ventures.com/business_guide/mgmt_new-model_25lessons-welch.html Morgan, T. (2007). Master weak leaders. Business Journal (Central New York), Vol. 21 Issue 16, p26-26. Taken from EBSCOhost