The Most Common Mistakes Leaders Make

We’re guessing you’ve heard that old saying: “A smart person learns from their mistakes, but a truly wise person learns from the mistakes of others.” In the spirit of spreading wisdom, we’ve collected some of the most common mistakes leaders make.

1.       They don’t aggressively delegate tasks.

There are a couple reasons why delegation matters more and more for leaders.  First, and perhaps most obviously, a leader’s time is expensive.  In a business environment, the goal is always to have the least experienced people with the ability to do a task to be the ones doing it. Second, and sometimes overlooked, a leader should do their best to elevate the folks that work with them.  You can do this through supporting people in taking on new tasks, which helps build both confidence and ability. Finally, a leader needs to have free time available.  If you are plagued by constant back-to-back meetings, you are not available for emergencies, pop-up opportunities, or generally to support people on a daily basis. The more leaders can take off their plate, the more space they have available for the most important issues that come up – which are usually not known in advance.

2.       They value doing over being.

Most people get to leadership by being excellent “doers”.  High achievers are frequently task focused, and get an endorphin or dopamine hit every time they check something off the list.  It’s very difficult, especially initially, to let go of this mentality when moving into leadership. However, the primary job of a leader is to think strategically and to motivate and inspire their colleagues. How you present yourself to your team has more effect on overall productivity than your ability to “fill the gaps” and do more yourself.

3.       They don’t prioritize self-awareness.

Prioritizing self-awareness involves reflection, continual growth, and consistently asking for (and being open to) feedback. One very important aspect of self-awareness is understanding you blind spots and filters. A leader should have a significant effect on those around them: thus, be very cognizant on the ways you’re affecting people. Your attitude can change the entire dynamic of your team.

4.       They aren’t aware of their stress responses.

The human nervous system is designed to respond to threats in the same way, regardless of whether they are physical or emotional.  Depending on your history and physiology, you will react to some things that others won’t and vice versa.  Regardless of what activates your stress responses, you need to be aware. Understanding when you’re in a state of reaction will allow you to pause until you are able to make decisions from a more grounded place. Leaders need to respond, not react.

5.       They don’t do what they say they will.

Most leaders have every intention of following through, and being good on their word. However, be aware of two very sneaky traps.  If you are a people-pleasing leader, you may be prone to being overly optimistic and have trouble with making promises that you can’t keep. For example, you may promise someone a project that you know they want, even though you don’t have the power or control to ensure that it happens. A second common trap is the leader who makes an organizational rule, then does not follow it themselves or ensure that the rest of the management team is on board. Both issues are a very fast way to erode trust in a leader and in an organization as a whole.

We hope this list has helped you get some insight on how to avoid falling into common leadership traps.

There is a follow-up to this post here!