I just enjoyed this piece from the Leadership Collaboratory on signs of a crippled leader.
http://linked2leadership.com/2012/03/28/7-signs-confidence-is-fading/
Monica Wofford writes of "Seven Signs your Confidence is Fading". I enjoyed this short piece as it speaks to an area generally not addressed, namely a leader losing confidence.
"Few are willing to discuss the very element that can quickly cripple a leader: Confidence."
7 Signs
1) Focused on Favorite on the Playground
2) Taking Things Personally
3) Getting Defensive
4) The Fear Factor
5) Reacting in Response
6) Quick to Hire, Slow to Fire
7) Too Much Letting Go
As you read through these, you'll find that you've seen most at play at various times in your career but perhaps not come to the conclusion that these are symptoms of a larger issue.
I particularly liked #1, focusing on the favorite. A leader on their game knows that not everyone will like all that they do. Being liked is not the criteria for leading. A good leader needs to be respected first. A leader with declining confidence though may spend more and time and focus on the local favorite as a boost to their own declining sense of confidence and morale. I've seen this one and the symptom was right on the money as an indicator of a larger confidence issue.
