Common Leadership Mistakes You’re Probably Making

Common Leadership Mistakes You’re Probably Making

Bad leaders avoid conflict, don't delegate work, and don't offer feedback to employees.

Leaders often make the mistake of lacking humility, vision or belief in their abilities.

A leader is a role model and should set an example of how they want their team to behave.

Being a leader comes with many responsibilities, including solving problems in the workplace and setting a good example. As a person in charge, you often have high expectations and managing a whole team of people can be intimidating.

However, no one is perfect; there is always room to learn and grow and help your employees do the same.?

1. Lack of humility

Holding a position of power can be good for your ego, but it's important that you and your employees know that you are not above your shortcomings.

"Leaders must not be afraid to recognize their own failings," said Joe Chiarello, business broker and owner of several Murphy Business & Financial Corporation franchises. “We all fall sometimes, but what really matters is how we pick ourselves up and learn from our mistakes. This is what helps us grow and makes us stronger.”

When employees recognize that failure is natural, even for leaders, they will feel more open and confident.

2. Avoiding conflicts

One of the most difficult adjustments a new leader must make is learning to handle disagreements or problems. You want to be fair and balanced while avoiding potential conflicts, but sometimes it's difficult.

"Managers often avoid confrontation and try to avoid it at all costs," said Mark Feldman, vice president of marketing at Stynt. “But when performance or personality issues go unaddressed, they get worse and set an overall tone that minimizes the urgency of fixing mistakes. If there is (any) problem, it is best to deal with it now while the situation is fresh.”

3. Being too friendly

Many leaders make the mistake of trying to befriend their subordinates in order to appear likable and approachable. While it's important to be honest with your employees, anyone in a leadership role needs to understand the importance of setting clear boundaries. Leaders are more likely to be taken advantage of when they cross the line and are too friendly with their employees.

Leaders sometimes have to make dispassionate, hard decisions, and that can be difficult if you're too friendly with your team. Set clear boundaries and enforce them.

4. Not offering feedback to employees

Avoiding feedback is a common management mistake, but open communication is key to employee growth, performance and retention.

Some leaders take a hands-off approach and only offer feedback to employees during scheduled performance reviews. This can be a major problem for your employees and the organization as a whole.

5. Taking on unnecessary work

Leaders are usually hired or promoted to their positions because they know what needs to be done and how to do it. This can be accompanied by a "if you want something done right, do it yourself" mentality, which can be a dangerous attitude when managing a team.

Completing or improving employees' work because you don't like it, or not delegating tasks not only creates more work for you, but prevents your team from reaching its full potential.