It isn’t always
easy being a leader. You need to manage the different personalities on your
team, make difficult choices, and confront issues head on before they grow into
major problems. A good leader can spur a team on to greatness, while a bad
leader can run it into the ground.
However, to
become a successful leader, there are certain qualities you need, some of which
must be developed over time.
Being a
business leader requires a conscious effort to monitor your behavior and your
leadership traits to ensure you haven’t developed any bad leadership qualities.
When you’re in
a leadership role, you’re there to provide an example for people to follow. And
it can be all too easy to make mistakes.
For managers
looking to improve, knowing how to avoid these bad leadership mistakes clearly
gives you an advantage in business. If you are aware of the various pitfalls,
you will be more likely to recognize these bad habits and adjust your
leadership style accordingly.
Serving in
leadership roles can be a heavy responsibility and mistakes can be easily made.
Having served in various educational leadership roles over the past twenty
years, I have made my fair share of mistakes. Learning to grow from these
obstacles has helped me in becoming a better leader. It has helped me to serve
others better and make considerable progress for organizations.
Here are ten
bad leadership mistakes to avoid if you’re working in a leadership role:
Lacking
Vision
Leaders without vision will fail. Leaders who lack vision cannot inspire teams,
motivate performance, or create sustainable value. Poor vision, tunnel vision,
vision that is fickle, or a non-existent vision will cause leaders to fail. A
leader’s job is to align the organization around a clear and achievable vision.
This cannot occur when the blind lead the blind.
Resisting New Ideas
Poor leaders believe change is bad. They will often say, “that’s not the way
things used to be done around here.” They cling to old ways and habits and
often stand in the way of progress. They generally want to know how things will
benefit them and don’t encourage regular feedback from coworkers.
Not “Walking the Talk”
This is one of the classic mistakes of leadership — not leading by example.
Leaders who fail in this area expect results, but rarely take the time to help
their fellow colleagues. They only delegate and never seem to come down from
their high horse to roll up their sleeves and get things done. They generally
defend their behavior by saying things like, “That’s not my job” or “I’ve done
my time.”
My Way or The Highway
As a boss, there is a delicate balance between staying in command and allowing
your employees to express their own creative ability. Although your employees
may not always have the right solution, many times they will. When you are in
charge you need to learn to guide your employees to discover the right
decisions but let them make these decisions on their own. A leader who sets a
tone of my way or the highway will create a toxic environment for employees. If
employees stick around with this kind of leader they won’t be satisfied or
happy in the long run.
Settling for Mediocre Performance
Poor leaders aim low and are complacent. They don’t respond well to high
expectations, accept that their team members do the same and are not likely to
rise to any occasion for that matter. They don’t challenge their team to
realize their potential and their favorite word is “settle.”
Micro-managing
Many first time bosses will make this mistake, part of being a boss is to learn
to let go of the responsibilities of your employees. This doesn’t mean you
don’t hold your employees accountable, it means to judge their results, not
their actions. There are many ways a beaver can build a dam, there is no
correct way to build it. If the damn washes downstream the beaver has failed,
if the dam remains in tact and provides a shelter for the beaver and it’s
family the beaver is successful, regardless of how they went about building it.
A good manager understands this and wants their employees to be productive on
their own. They will focus on the results the employee produces, not how they
go about producing them. Micro-managers do just the opposite, they focus on what
the employee is doing daily, always tracking their activity. Micro-managers
will keep all their employees on speed dial and expect their calls be answered
every time they call.
Passing the Buck
Everyone is human, we all screw up at one time or another, however as a
manager, you need to accept when your employees downfall is because of your
doing. The best of leaders will have their employees back, they will not only
take the heat when they have created a problem but will also help redirect
conflict which the employee may have mistakenly created on their own. There
will be times where an employee makes a deliberate mistake and appropriate
corrective action is required but in most cases it’s just a simple mistake, one
which could have been made by anyone.
Too Reactive
Leaders need to be proactive, not just reactive. If you find yourself spending
all of your time trying to put out fires, then you aren’t using your time
effectively. Proactive leaders have an influence on the future and form the
right alliances to advance their causes. Of course you should make sure your
group is getting all the answers and resources they need, but don’t ignore the
future.
Lack of Clarity
This is one the largest and most leadership potential-killing communication
failures that you can make. If employees lack a clear goal for what the
organization is striving to achieve, this can lead to many negative
consequences and overall chaos. When employees are not clear about the
organization’s goals or what their leaders want, they become frustrated and
their motivation nose dives. After all, if they don’t know what they are
working for, why work at all? Employees don’t like to feel directionless. A
lack of clarity can lead to mixed messages that will frustrate you, your
employees and your organization.
Failing to Develop Others
Because selfish, failing leaders view others as a threat to their position,
they are very reluctant to develop top performers into company leaders. On top
of their other nine flaws, it makes it almost impossible for anyone to want to
work under these managers. This behavior decreases productivity and makes for
poor team morale, increasing turnover in the long run.
No leader wants
to be regarded as a bad boss. To become a great leader takes time.
It’s true that
making a mistake can be a learning opportunity. But, taking the time to learn
how to recognize and avoid common mistakes can help you become productive and
successful, and highly respected by your team. Most leaders will make these
mistakes along the way, but those who learn and grow will be a step ahead in
their career.
