8 Common Mistakes You Will Never See Successful Leaders Do

Just about everyone can agree to some level or another that it takes a special kind of person to become a successful leader. Regardless of the industry they are involved in, these powerhouse people tend to be seen as superhuman from the rest of society due to their unique cocktail of skills and characteristics that position them to run thriving businesses. But as widespread as that notion might be, their rise to the top involves more than just leveraging their instilled leading natures and innovative perspectives; it also entails being mindful of not making the all too common leadership mistakes – 8 of them to be exact. 

What are those common leadership mistakes exactly? 

1. Vacillating 

Vacillating in the leadership world is when someone has difficulty being straightforward. They are those people who may say a lot of words in a meeting but offer no real value or clear answers to the questions the team is trying to solve. The concept as a whole can make others question a leader's credibility for their lack of coherence and ability to be direct/honest, making it something successful leaders avidly avoid doing at all costs.

2. Breaking/Not Fulfilling Promises

Breaking or not fulfilling promises is actually a very common mistake aspiring leaders make, and usually not on purpose. You see, it can be tempting to make empty promises to customers, clients, or team members to make them feel better about something. You may even have the fullest intentions of keeping those promises. However, sometimes the day can get too complex or your promises are too over the top that you end up dropping the ball – hard. Even if it was not your goal, not meeting promises illustrates a lack of integrity and can make others see you as untrusting. On the other hand, successful leaders never make promises they can’t keep because their word is often their strongest bond. 

3. Tardiness 

Being late to important things, in general, is seen as unprofessional and aggravating to the other party as it showcases a lack of respect for them and their time. For leaders, it can even mean the difference between building strong working relationships and networks with others or not. All in all, time is precious at every level of the pyramid, and being punctual is the first step in demonstrating that they appreciate them and their collaboration value. This is why successful leaders tend to schedule and plan their days well in advance to always be on time (or early) for every occasion. 

4. Too Much Multi-Tasking 

This one may sound strange, but a common leadership mistake is the idea that a leader needs to be an expert multi-tasker. Yes, multi-tasking is an excellent skill to have, but it can actually hinder progress than help it. According to Entreprenur.com, multi-tasking can harm progress, productivity, quality of work. Not to mention it can also drop one’s IQ by 15 points. Yikes. Now, if a leader happens to have a natural ability to multi-task, they do not make the mistake of maximizing that skill. They aim to do a few vital tasks a day to optimize results, which is where delegation comes into the picture.

5. Leading on The Basis of Fear 

If you find that you are leading with fear, that is an error that should be corrected as soon as possible. Biologically speaking, the brain contains a prominent section that can enable leaders to operate using fear as their baseline, aka 'lizard brain.' This is the fight or flight area that can be triggered in leaders, which can become the catalyst for protruding pessimism, worry, and of course, fear that others around you can feel. Since leaders need to be seen as confident and positive to unify their teams and unlock a brighter future, leading by fear is something they proactively sway away from. 

6. Letting Their Ego Take the Driver’s Seat 

Leading by ego is a leadership killer, in more ways than one. Striving to be the center of attention, taking all the credit for successes, constantly trying to prove something, and not taking criticism well are all things that can diminish your reputation and push your team away. Plus, big egos can result in poor judgment calls that hurt the business’s future instead of supporting it. Instead, successful leaders are open about their flaws, allow others to have the spotlight when applicable, and are always willing to be proven wrong to better their approaches. In fact, they welcome others to challenge their perspectives, ideas, and plans because that is where genuine growth and success lie. 

7. Not Taking Calculated Risks 

Believe it or not, being a successful leader stems from taking vetted, calculated risks that help them reach new levels of prosperity. Since taking risks is often seen as scary and unknown, it leads to the mistake of staying stagnant and not taking any risks at all. This may keep a business running, but it will likely not allow it to advance. That is not to say to take any and all risks to raise the company/team bar, but being more open to the idea is something great leaders are always on the lookout for. Even if the risk taken does not play out according to plan, it can enable you to learn from them and become better both personally and professionally.  

8. Lack of Persistency 

Lastly, successful leaders avoid the common leadership mistake of lacking persistency. Being persistent in every business endeavor is key to following through with your actions and obtaining the favorable end result you are striving for. This equates to not giving up when things get tough and being willing to readjust initial plans to reach the targeted goals. Being persistent also ties deeply with taking risks, watching market trends/demands, and being patient rather than reverting too soon.

Summary – Where Do YOU Stand?

Though this post was designed to highlight key leadership mistakes that successful leaders don’t do, it also aimed to help you see if you align with them yourself. Did you happen to resonate with any of the above common mistakes in leadership? If so, don’t throw in the towel just yet or deem yourself a failure. Overall, some people are born with the right instilled characteristics, whereas others it comes as a learned behavior later in life – which is perfectly okay. 

But you know what?

If you have gotten this far, you are already on the right track to reform your approaches and become the leader you wish to be for you, your company, and your team. With that, the best thing to do now is to work on building upon your strengths, readjusting your approaches, and reprogram your ways of thinking to create the best foundation to succeed. In summary, as long as you are mindful of that and are proactively working towards combating any weakness you may have, then your future as a great leader is something you have nothing to worry about.

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