Being a leader is not easy. You have to inspire, motivate, and guide your team to achieve your goals. You also have to deal with challenges, conflicts, and feedback. But as a leader, you can also make some common mistakes that can undermine your credibility, performance, and relationships. Here are some of them and how to avoid them.
One of the worst things you can do as a leader is to micromanage your team. Micromanaging means controlling every detail of their work, checking on them constantly, and not trusting them to do their job. This can make your team feel frustrated, demotivated, and resentful. It can also prevent them from developing their skills, creativity, and autonomy. To avoid micromanaging, you need to delegate effectively, set clear expectations and goals, and give your team the freedom and support they need to do their work.
Leadership is a privilege & micromanagement undermines leadership. Micro-managing (MM) can have an adverse effect on team morale. Leaders can overcome this by not being insecure themselves but also having impactful communication & clear goals. Share the the big picture & their role in achieving them, inspire them to take up various objectives to play with their strength & support them to skill-up for their blind spot. Creating a culture of open dialogue within the team & driving creativity & innovation within the team can help. Delegate wherever possible & also give every team member enough headroom & legroom to operate within the framework. Iron out differences between the leader & team also among team members.
Micromanagement is one of the fatal mistakes a leader can do while managing a team , because it kills creativity and innovation, also put your team member in a situation where they might doubt their real skills and abilities to manage their tasks . To avoid this pitfall, several techniques can be done like 1- Focus on your team reaults rather than daily work routine . 2- Set clear deliverables and deadlines for team tasks to monitor progress . 3 - Learn to trust your team , it gives a great sense of ownership and accountability , also let everybody go beyond their limits to achieve their targets .
Demonstrate trust, micromanaging your team is a fast way to demonstrate you don't trust or respect your team. Instead look for ways to empower them, get them to find the answers you need and you'll build a stronger team. You should be there to support and guide the team and not to dictate how they perform their job, if there is not a problem, don't create one by dictating the team follow your way of working.
Give your team the tools to be successful without your constant oversight. Respect their decisions, trust them to problem solve, and come to you with questions when needed. Give them room to make mistakes and learn from them. Empowerment is the key to a successful team. Micromanagement is a clear sign that the leader is insecure.
Micromanaging your team can hinder productivity and morale. Instead, focus on empowering your team members by providing clear expectations, resources, and support. Delegate tasks effectively, encourage autonomy, and trust your team to deliver results. Foster open communication, provide feedback constructively, and avoid excessive monitoring. Empowering your team promotes a positive work environment and enables everyone to thrive.
Another common mistake leaders make is to avoid feedback and criticism. Feedback and criticism are essential for your growth and improvement as a leader. They can help you identify your strengths and weaknesses, learn from your mistakes, and adapt to changing situations. But if you avoid feedback and criticism, you can miss out on valuable insights, lose touch with reality, and alienate your team and stakeholders. To avoid this, you need to seek feedback and criticism regularly, listen openly and respectfully, and act on the suggestions and recommendations you receive.
Feedback und Kritik ist die einzige M?glichkeit meine Wirksamkeit zu messen. Sogar die Art und Weise des erhaltenen Feedbacks ist zweitrangig, wenn auch nicht egal. Trenne den Inhalt von der Form. Korrigiere ggf. die Form.
Embracing feedback and criticism is a hallmark of effective leadership. It's crucial to foster a culture where feedback is seen as a tool for collective growth rather than personal criticism. Leaders should actively solicit diverse opinions and create safe spaces for dialogue, demonstrating that they value improvement over ego. This approach not only enhances a leader's skill set but also builds trust and encourages a more engaged, collaborative team environment.
Stagnation: Without feedback, individuals may become complacent and fail to grow or improve. They may continue to perform tasks the same way without ever learning new skills or refining their approach.
Inserir perguntas práticas estimulando feedback durante suas conversas de acompanhamento individual é uma prática valiosa para manter ao longo de todo o ano. Quest?es como “você sente que eu te dou a aten??o e apoio necessários para que seu trabalho flua bem” ou “tem algo que eu possa ajustar para facilitar seu dia a dia” Sao muito efetivas para criar um espa?o de troca genuína e escuta do seu time.
Um erro comum entre os líderes é evitar feedback e críticas. Esses elementos s?o fundamentais para o crescimento e aprimoramento do líder, pois proporcionam insights valiosos sobre seus pontos fortes e fracos, possibilitando a aprendizagem com os erros e a adapta??o a situa??es de mudan?a. No entanto, ao evitar feedback e críticas, o líder corre o risco de perder contato com a realidade e alienar sua equipe e partes interessadas. Para evitar essa armadilha, é crucial buscar feedback e críticas regularmente, ouvindo de forma aberta e respeitosa, e agindo de acordo com as sugest?es e recomenda??es recebidas. Ao adotar essa abordagem, os líderes demonstram humildade e compromisso com o desenvolvimento contínuo.
Communication is the key to effective leadership. You need to communicate clearly with your team, your peers, your superiors, and your customers. You need to share your vision, your strategy, your expectations, and your feedback. You also need to listen to their ideas, concerns, and feedback. But if you fail to communicate clearly, you can create confusion, misunderstanding, and conflict. You can also miss opportunities, waste resources, and damage your reputation. To avoid this, you need to communicate frequently, consistently, and transparently. You also need to use different channels and methods, depending on the situation and the audience.
Effective leaders focus on specific practices rather than theories, principles, philosophies, touchstones, or other vagaries.
Clarity is one of the key things expected of a leader! When clarity is not there it leads to - confusion, duplication, productivity loss , churn, frustration and even attrition. It’s imperative for the leader to be deliberate about being clear ! Sometimes when leader themselves don’t have clarity, being vulnerable and transparent about it goes a long way..
é muito importante focar sua comunica??o no contexto, de forma que as pessoas entendam seu modelo mental e os motivadores das suas decis?es. Desta forma, mesmo quando optarem por caminhos diferentes, eles conseguir?o levar sua vis?o em considera??o e fazer uma avalia??o mais global dos problemas. Fale com naturalidade sobre falhas suas e li??es aprendidas para naturalizar a melhoria contínua trazendo leveza para a comunica??o.
Leading with proposed solutions instead of questions. When I lead with questions I avoid jumping to premature conclusions and provide better feedback.
A comunica??o eficaz é um ponto chave de qualquer lideran?a bem-sucedida. é através da comunica??o clara e transparente que é possível transmitir sua vis?o, alinhar expectativas e construir relacionamentos sólidos com a equipe, colegas, superiores e clientes. Ao compartilhar abertamente as ideias e ouvir atentamente o feedback dos outros, o líder promove um ambiente de confian?a e colabora??o, essencial para alcan?ar os objetivos organizacionais.
As a leader, you have a lot of responsibilities and demands on your time and energy. But that doesn't mean you should ignore your own development. Your own development is crucial for your success and satisfaction as a leader. It can help you enhance your skills, knowledge, and abilities. It can also help you cope with stress, maintain your well-being, and renew your passion. But if you ignore your own development, you can become stagnant, complacent, and burned out. You can also lose your edge, your relevance, and your confidence. To avoid this, you need to invest in your own development. You need to set goals, seek learning opportunities, and seek feedback and mentoring.
I'd highly recommend everyone who is in a leadership position to find a mentor or coach. You'll need an expert for guidance and more importantly, who will agree on mutually accountable for your growth. Without them, there's a very high risk of repeating the common mistakes outlined in this article. Unless you have a mechanism that can remind you of avoiding the pitfalls.
Ter um mentor é uma forma muito eficaz de n?o perder o foco em seu autodesenvolvimento. Almoce com alguém 1x por mês para falar de sua carreira e isso vai te ajudar a continuamente evoluir suas competências e calibrar suas ambi??es. Leituras também ajudam a construir repertório e nos atualizar… estabele?a uma meta, mesmo que modesta, de leituras relevantes.
Most of the companies will invest of their resoources into skills development. Don't forget about The Four Quadrants Of Leadership Development which consist skill development, performance development, mental and emotional, and moral development. Employee want to help a company that stands for something meaningful. They seek leaders who value fairness and give everyone a chance, both within the company and in society.
It's critical for people leaders to be aware of how they are learning and growing as individuals. Even if your career and team management are going well, maintaining your knowledge and skills is crucial for long-term success. People leaders should prioritize self-progression for the following reasons: to be current in your area. New technology and trends are always emerging, and the corporate environment is always changing. You'll quickly lag behind if you don't stay up to date with the latest advancements. To become a more capable leader. You must have a thorough awareness of the business and the difficulties that your team is facing in order to lead them effectively. Continued education will benefit you.
Como líder, é fácil se ver sobrecarregado por uma infinidade de responsabilidades e exigências, mas é fundamental lembrar que o desenvolvimento pessoal n?o deve ser negligenciado. Investir no seu próprio crescimento é essencial para o seu sucesso e satisfa??o como líder. Isso n?o só lhe permite aprimorar suas habilidades, conhecimentos e competências, mas também o capacita a lidar com o estresse, manter o bem-estar e reacender sua paix?o pelo trabalho. Ignorar seu próprio desenvolvimento pode resultar em estagna??o, complacência e esgotamento, além de prejudicar sua vantagem competitiva, relevancia e confian?a. Para evitar esse cenário, é crucial estabelecer metas claras, buscar ativamente oportunidades de aprendizado.
As a leader, you have to balance your own needs with your team's needs. Your team's needs are important for their performance, engagement, and retention. They include their need for recognition, appreciation, support, feedback, and growth. But if you neglect your team's needs, you can demoralize, disengage, and lose them. You can also lower their productivity, quality, and innovation. To avoid this, you need to pay attention to your team's needs. You need to acknowledge their achievements, thank them for their efforts, help them with their challenges, coach them for their improvement, and provide them with opportunities for their development.
For me understanding what each individual team member needs to be productive and successful is critical. Leaders should not lead as many "managers" do and that is with one style. Leaders should be adept at adapting their style of leadership and management to the needs of that individual team member. Especially in WFH scenarios, there may be some team members that are perfectly good working remotely without meeting regularly and others that need the weekly checkin and conversation to feel connected. Likewise, when managing KPI's this will be different with each individual. Know the type of touch points and communication needs each team member has and adjust to these needs.
Focusing team needs: Avoid Favoritism in the workplace. Leaders should refrain from playing favorites as it neglects the team's needs, ultimately undermining their morale and performance. Good leaders do not have double standards and practice what they preach. When favoritism creeps in, it weakens trust and fosters sense of unfairness among team members. Leaders should actively strive to treat all team members fairly and equally. This involves coaching individuals for improvement, appreciating and recognizing their achievements, respecting their unique contributions, ensuring all team members have access to growth opportunities. By prioritizing the needs of the team, this fosters engagement and enhances productivity in the workplace.
Um líder sem uma boa equipe estará fadado ao fracasso. Portanto, um líder de sucesso investe em sua equipe. - Fomenta a inova??o; - Incentiva a equipe a sair da zona de conforto; - apoia o desenvolvimento; - Da Feedback
El equilibrio entre atender tus necesidades y las de tu equipo es fundamental en el liderazgo. Las necesidades del equipo, como el reconocimiento y el apoyo, son cruciales para su rendimiento y satisfacción. Ignorarlas puede llevar a la desmotivación y la pérdida de talento, afectando negativamente la productividad y la innovación. Como líder, es esencial reconocer y valorar los esfuerzos del equipo, ofrecer retroalimentación constructiva y promover su desarrollo profesional. Esto no solo mejora el ambiente laboral sino que también fomenta un sentido de pertenencia y compromiso. Al equilibrar adecuadamente estas necesidades, se puede lograr un equipo más motivado, comprometido y productivo, lo cual es beneficioso tanto para los objetivos.
Neglecting to support the growth and development of your team members can result in stagnant performance and high turnover. Invest in the professional development of your team by providing training, mentorship, coaching, and opportunities for advancement.
When you are a leader, you will always face two types of decisions: “Best decisions” and “Right Decisions”. “Best” decisions aim for everyone to benefit equally, creating a win-win situation for both parties A and B. “Right” decisions consider the long-term consequences for everyone involved. It's important to remember that as you take on more leadership, you may feel lonelier. These decisions can shape your entire life. That’s why I can see a leader always eat alone during lunch??
We have to “Walk the Walk” rather than just “Talk the Talk “. "Walk the walk" involves leading by example, demonstrating the values and behaviors we expect from our team. Leaders must discipline themselves to Avoid Procrastination through effective time management strategies. This involves arriving promptly or early to the workplace, setting goals and deadlines, prioritizing tasks efficiently, avoiding unnecessary distractions like engaging in phone games during work hours. By demonstrating strong time management skills, leaders not only earn respect from the team but also encourage team members to do the same, thereby enhancing the team’s productivity. Leaders are human too! They can get support from colleagues to overcome procrastination.
Believing you must know everything- you are human. Chances are there will be things you won’t know so own up and commit to finding the answer. Believing you must do everything yourself - learn to delegate and trust that your team with support and guidance can actually deliver on their task. Believing a leader equals being a hero/shero. Create an enabling environment where others contribute and you can as a collective achieve the goals you set for your organisation. Lying in an attempt to save face and cover up your mistakes. It is better to own up to your mistakes. Apologise and people will respect you versus trying to cover up and being exposed later. Believing you can do it alone. You need others, take the team along.
Leaders can also benefit from Not thinking they should have all the answers. Knowing that your team are SMEs and can easily create solutions. Educating your team on the best ways to communicate with each other and yourself to achieve open and productive conversations.
One of the biggest mistakes I have made, particularly as a new leader, is assuming that I had to have all of the answers. I thought that a big part of my role was to know everything and steer my team independently. I quickly found out, early on in my career, that a great leader is aware of what they know and what they don't know and quickly seeks to surround themselves with individuals that collectively have the knowledge required to succeed.