The Most Common Mistake Leaders Make (Part 2)
Last week, we covered some of the most common mistakes made by leaders. There were too many to cover in one post, so today, we have a part 2!
6. They don’t take full responsibility for communication
Many people don’t take complete ownership of their communications. We frequently assume that by sending a message or saying something out loud, we have handled our piece of the communication. As a result of this, many messages are incompletely received or not received at all. Communication is not just about what you say, it’s about how you say it, when you say it, and whether you confirm receipt and understanding. When you have an important conversation, ensure that you’re considering all aspects of verifying that what you want to say is entirely clear. This may involve taking into consideration the time of day, form of communication (verbal, electronic, face to face), and absolutely includes asking questions afterwards to validate the message has been completely understood. Try questions like “Do you have any concerns about this?” or “Was anything I said unclear or confusing?”.
7. They avoid or outsource difficult conversations
For most leaders, one of the worst parts of their job is giving tough feedback, laying someone off, or otherwise being into an uncomfortable conversation. Despite how hard this can be, it’s critical that it’s not avoided or put onto someone else. Avoidance typically means that a bad situation will continue to be problematic, or perhaps even escalate. Outsourcing the job is both a form of avoidance and a pattern that will lead to eroded respect for a leader over time. When you need to have a tough conversation, prepare by thinking about what you want the outcome to be. Are you trying to gather information? Are you communicating that a problem exists? Are you trying to solve the problem with the other party, or are you telling them what’s going to happen? Plan (at a high level, not a script) what you want to say, and stick to being as objective and professional as possible.
8. They don’t establish appropriate boundaries
We’ve all had or heard about a leader that wants to be everyone’s best friend, or the leader that works 100 hours a week, or the leader who overshares about their personal life. Part of what makes workplaces feel safe is reasonable rules of engagement that are clear and followed. As a leader, you need to be aware of the power differential between you and the people you serve, as well as the importance of modeling good boundaries. For example, you may feel that the people you work with genuinely like you, and want to spend time with you outside of work. Sometimes, you’re right. The problematic thing is, if you’re wrong, many people will feel very uncomfortable declining invitations or closeness due to fears of retaliation. This also applies to overtime work. If you are working extra hours, most people on your team will feel pressure to do the same. Any time you have power over people, you must be extra careful not to put anyone in a situation where they feel they can’t say no.
9. They don’t have a balanced relationship with risk and failure
By default, many people are risk and failure averse. When you’re in a leadership position, it is usually necessary to do some work on that relationship. Almost all of the best ideas and innovations come from taking a measured risk, because anything new or novel is going to feel uncomfortable at first. When leaders have a comfortable relationship with measured risk, it will extend to their team as well. Empowering your team to feel supported in trying things that aren’t sure wins will result in some failure. However, if failure is treated as a learning opportunity, or information gathering exercise, it opens the door to the possibility of truly creative thinking. We recommend doing some reflection on your own relationship with risk and failure. When was the last time you feel you “failed”? What did you learn from it?
10. They stop growing
A growth mindset is one of the most critical indicators of success, across the board, in any field. Without a growth mindset, you will stop learning and improving, because a growth mindset is just an openness to and desire for continued development. As your business grows or changes, the skills required to be excellent in your role change too. One way to nurture a growth mindset is try regularly questioning the processes you’re following. Are they still serving you? Is it time for a change?
We hope this series has been helpful in looking out for and possibly avoiding common leadership mistakes. If you’re struggling with anything we described, reach out, we can help! Fill out the contact form on this page to get started.