Many individuals want to lead others at some point in their lives; people love the idea of striving for success while guiding a team of hardworking members. People want to be able to easily assume a position in which they can maintain autonomy delegate tasks, and experience both individual growth as well as the growth of their team.
However, assuming a leadership position can come with it’s challenges, especially if you are a first time leader within your company and are still learning about what the position entails. Leaders who are still learning how to lead may encounter scenarios in which they don’t know how to respond, or may worry about making mistakes that will lead to the overall failure of their team.
What are the most common leadership mistakes?
- Prioritizing the title more than the job: Too many people in leadership positions will often implement systems and when questioned about the accuracy of said systems, will merely state something along the lines of Well I’m the leader/the manager, so everyone should just listen to and follow what I say. As a leader, it is important to be consistently challenged by your team members in order to better lead them, and rather than seeing your team members as inferior and having less knowledge about a subject, you should look towards the things you can learn from them
- Taking credit for successes, and blaming others for losses: It is disappointing when an entire team contributes all their effort and works together to obtain success, or even one specific member of the team comes up with a great idea that guides the team towards a more successful outcome, but the leader is congratulated because the were in charge and therefore must have been the reason their team succeeded. A true leader will acknowledge each specific individual’s hard work and take responsibility when things don’t go according to plan rather than blaming the people they are directing.
- Being unavailable or inaccessible: a leader who is never around at the office or is unavailable to answer questions/provide feedback for their employees sends the message that they are not as supportive of their employee’s individual growth as well as the overall growth of their team.
- Not giving regular feedback about performances: a great leader will make an effort to provide feedback to their employees, even if it is a daily compliment recognizing how hard their employees have been working.
- Working less than others, but expecting more from others: Many leaders will work hard for the opportunity to lead others; in fact, they’ve been at the lowest position before and know what it is like fighting to grow and move higher up within the company. This effort and hard work shouldn’t stop once they are able to assume a leadership position. A leader who shows their employees that they are able to do the bare minimum and keep their title will lead to employees therefore practicing the bare minimum as well, essentially getting the team nowhere.
Companies big and small worldwide have begun to crack down on poor leadership qualities and have begun to improve their work culture by hosting in-depth training seminars for incoming first-time leaders as well as development panels for seasoned leaders. In fact, Starbucks has just implemented a two-day global leadership conference for all district managers that is a part of their reinvention agenda; leaders are hoping to improve their customer service skills, employee diversity recognition, and labor policies through these seminars led by top performing leaders within the company and through partners. This convention was created just a little while after outcry spread from Starbucks’ branches worldwide, with thousands of employees walking out and expressing concerns on multiple platforms due to a lack of management, training, and unfair labor laws issued.
Ways to show you can lead:
- Take initiative: when new assignments appear that offer a real chance to either use or further develop your skills
- Involve others: in your projects or offer to help others with their projects
- Share: your ideas in meetings, offer feedback to colleagues and your manager, and champion ideas in meetings when decisions are being made
- Be proactive: by maintaining a perspective on the ultimate mission, identifying needs and acting to fulfill them without waiting for management direction
- Deliver: by completing your work on time and to the standard that’s expected
Great leaders let their team shine: they do not expect all the attention and praise as the head of a team or company, instead, they celebrate their staff and recognize the hard-work and success of others
Email: info@worklifecounseling.com
Website: https://centerforworklifecounseling.com
Phone: (321) 758-5161
