3 Leadership Pitfalls To Watch Out for Right Now

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the current business landscape is one of rapid change. Since the pandemic started, we’ve gone through one uncertainty after another. After nearly two years of vicissitudes and erratic fluctuations, we’re no longer sure which way the pendulum is swinging – or if it ever truly comes to a rest.?

It has become obvious that we need to build resilience in our organisations and teams more than ever. At the same time, all the ongoing uncertainty risks desensitising us to potential dangers. For team leaders – but really for all of us – that can blind us to mistakes.

As Symbia continues to grow and work with companies, teams and leaders from all over the world, we see with our own eyes the gap between teams’ potential and the ability to achieve that potential.

What’s the through line that either narrows or widens this divide? In a word: leadership.

This article will highlight 3 of the main pitfalls that leaders can encounter today. Once you learn to spot the pitfalls, you can steer clear of them!

Let’s get started.

Pitfall #1 – Not prioritising between projects and business opportunities

Those who go after everything, wind up with nothing. Yet the temptation to tackle one hundred problems at once has perhaps never been higher. In practice, this means that teams are often stretched to their absolute limit. The resulting situation is far from optimal. It drains the lifeblood out of even the most motivated teams.

How does it end? To say that wellbeing is diminished is an understatement.

I understand why leaders would cast too broad a net with their strategies. Psychologically, it makes sense: in a crisis, it’s natural to hedge your bets. However, when you’re leading a team, you can’t bet on every horse in the race. You have to pick one and stick with it.

Am I saying that leaders have to be perfect? To always have 100% flawless, razor-sharp focus? No, because the reality is that business is complicated. We don’t expect miracles from leaders, but we do want them to apply their judgement, experience and expertise to take a risk, put a flag in the sand and make a choice that their teams can align behind.

At the end of the day, strategy is as much about what you aren’t doing as about what you are doing. One result of the pandemic is that there are too many backup plans being put into place for projects. It swallows up time and energy. And a leader’s job is to conserve their team’s energy so that people can focus on what matters.

It may sound like a tautology to say that leaders have to lead. But ask yourself: what differentiates leaders from everyone else? The answer: the ability and courage to prioritise properly and make decisions despite not having a crystal ball. That means picking which battles to fight and which projects to fund.

If that feels scary, that’s because it is. Part of saying no to things is having hard conversations about why it’s a no.

But I guarantee you: in 2021 more than ever, this is what we need. So make this the year of ruthless prioritisation. Your influence will increase – and your team will be much better for it.

Pitfall #2 – Becoming desensitised to the “new normal”

This pitfall comes from a place of good intentions. As some markets open up but international travel continues to be challenging, more and more leaders are opting for the 'blended' approach when bringing their teams together. They are doing this with the best of intentions: the pandemic has been long and grueling and they want to bring people back together.

But beware, because in the desire to bring your teams together, you may actually be putting a wedge between them. By not separating virtual meetings from face-to-face meetings, you wind up doing the opposite of what you set out to do because you ultimately create two separate teams: one that’s in ‘real life’ and one that’s virtual. As much as you wish to include those five people who are in Paris or the two people who are in Singapore, you’re ultimately excluding them by asking only them to dial in.

Think about it – about how we interact in physical spaces as opposed to virtual spaces. If you have a meeting that consists of six people who are in a room together and six people who are on a screen, you’re actually undercutting your inclusiveness.

Why? Instead of breaking down barriers, you’ve simply reinforced the bonds and divisions that already existed. This is not true for every meeting and it’s fine to have some hybrid – I am referring specifically to leadership sessions and team sessions whose goal is to reconnect teams.

What’s the alternative? Either have sessions fully face-to-face, or go 100% virtual. Don’t do half-half, because your team will suffer – and so will your leadership.

Pitfall #3 – Not enhancing mental fitness.

I credit leaders for putting effort into wellbeing. Hats off to them. Be it investing in resilience initiatives and trying to keep people out of burnout and frazzle or taking concrete steps to get people from minus 3 to 0, there’s no doubt that companies and those who lead them have spotted the weaknesses inherent in the pre-pandemic way of doing business. And they are experimenting with ways to solve those problems. For that, they deserve credit.

But we need to ask ourselves: is that enough?

The absence of illness, as we know, does not equal health. It’s one thing to keep people out of the funk of wellbeing and prevent dips in mindset and attitude – but it’s another thing to go the extra mile and ENHANCE mental fitness proactively. When organisations do that, people become not just well, but at the top of their game.

It’s the difference between ‘getting by’ and being strong and better able to manage agility and uncertainty.

Let’s be honest: it’s important to absolutely pat leaders on the back for any work that they are doing in the wellbeing space – particularly around mental health and mental ill health. At the same time, I challenge them – and that, reader, means you – to go further and get employees to a place of emotional and mental fitness, because I promise:

If you get employees to a place of emotional and mental fitness, you will reap the dividends.

Small, but costly pitfalls

The pitfalls I’ve pointed out may seem small, but they add up – with disastrous consequences.

As my good friend Aldo Kane says:?

“A disaster never stems from one big mistake. It’s a series of small things, all added up, that create a crisis.”

Now that you know what to look out for, you can avoid it. Don’t wait for your ship to crash into a cliffside. Take the helm and be the captain your team needs.?

I hope this has been useful. To learn about how you can avoid these and other pitfalls, visit our website , where you can learn more about our workshops and my book The Hidden Edge as well as check your resilience level by completing the Mental Fitness Scorecard . Or just send me a message here. I read every one.