The 5 Common Leadership Mistakes You’re Probably Making and How To Fix Them.

When you are a leader, you are often held to high expectations, you are consistently under scrutiny and you set the tone for your company, department etc. According to Business News Daily, because a leader’s role is so important, you owe it to yourself and your staff to continually develop your skills as a great leader. 

This means being wise enough to recognize your weak points, and humble enough to work on correcting them. Here are five common mistakes that leaders at all levels struggle with according to Business News Daily and how you can fix them.

Lacking Humility 

Holding any position of power can be good for your ego, but don’t let that position of power create a false sense of security. It’s important that your employees know you’re not above your shortcomings. “Leaders must not be afraid to recognize their own failures,” said Joe Chiarello, owner of two Murphy Business & Financial Corporation franchises. “We all fall down at some point, but what really matters is the way we pick ourselves up and learn from our mistakes. This is what helps us grow and makes us stronger.” Leading by example and having transparency with your team if you do something wrong or make a bad decision can go a long way. 

Thinking Emotionally 

It’s easy to let your feelings about a situation influence the choice, and sometimes it makes sense to do so. But in business, using emotions as your sole justification for any choice is a bad practice. Your team needs to see the facts and logic backing up your choices if you want them to trust you. “(When you’re) making decisions based on emotion … the team may not truly understand the rationale behind the decision being made, and in many cases, rationale may not exist,” said Christopher Ayala, partner at manufacturing company Gardner & Co.

“This can lead to confusion, uncertainty of future roadmap plans or the validity of the decisions over time, slowly chiseling away at the effectiveness of the leader.” When it comes to making a decision, he suggests taking a deep breath, stepping back and holding your tongue, then thinking. As a leader, you should be sensible enough to not make a final decision without consulting the people in your company who do have experience in these areas. 

Avoiding conflict 

One of the most difficult adjustments a new leader has to make is learning how to handle disagreements or problems that arise within the group. You may want to come off as fair and balanced but avoid calling people out for their negative behavior to avoid potential conflict. Doing so will hurt your whole staff more if you don’t nip an issue in the bud.

Taking on unnecessary work 

Leaders are typically hired or promoted to their positions because they know what needs to be done and how to do it. This may be accompanied by the mentality of “if you want something done right, do it yourself,” which can be a dangerous attitude to have when managing a team. Completing or tweaking your employees’ work because it’s not to your liking — or, similarly, failing to delegate tasks — not only creates more work for you, but also hinders your team from reaching its full potential. “When leaders take on the responsibility of completing a team member’s work, they are actually doing the team and themselves a disservice,” said Nancy Mellard, national leader of CBIZ Women’s Advantage. “(It) is breeding ground for disengagement.” 

Not having faith in your abilities 

You’ve been entrusted with a leadership position because someone else trusts your judgment. Consistently second-guessing yourself can rub off on others, and before you know it, no one trusts you. Don’t be afraid to obey your gut instinct when it’s right. “While it’s important to listen to others, employees and clients alike, sometimes this can be very dangerous to an innovative startup. If you truly believe in what you are doing, it’s OK to listen only to yourself sometimes. (Be) loyal to your internal compass,” said Moran Zur, CEO of SafeBeyond. 

As a leader, it's your responsibility to set expectations and goals for your organization in addition to holding each member accountable for reaching them. Leadership blunders are inevitable, but those who learn from mistakes experience growth -- and those who don't often fail.

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