Leadership qualities are discussed quite frequently in employment circles and employee training. Many people believe they have leadership all figured out until they find themselves in a higher-up position and realize it is a bit more complex than they made it up to be in their minds. Some of these misconceptions or ignorances towards managerial positions result in many leaders making mistakes in their careers. Continue reading to discover some common leadership mistakes to avoid as you advance in your profession.
Not Delegating
Prior to becoming a leader, you may have grown so used to having your supervisors delegate tasks to yourself that you forget to do the same thing with your subordinates. Leaders have a natural tendency to try to take a lot of projects on for themselves. After all, it is this same dedication to their job that gave them the opportunity to excel in their career. However, once you’ve reached these heights, you must also form the ability to now delegate certain tasks to others. This will take lots of stress off your plate and allow you to perform your functions to the best of your ability.
Not Providing Feedback
Leaders need to be able to help their team develop and reach their full potential. However, if you’re not providing feedback to your team members, it will be hard for them to grow in their roles. The leaders of today have an important duty to raise up the leaders of tomorrow. Being able to encourage and offer words of wisdom to these individuals will give them the necessary information they need to make necessary changes in their work ethic. Providing this feedback to your employees will result in a more productive and successful business once they implement what you have to say.
Acting More Like a Friend Than a Boss
It is natural to want to be liked by your employees. But some leaders compromise their professionalism just to make friends in the workplace. You can still be friends with your coworkers and chat about life without losing your authority. Engage in cordial conversations and establish a warm presence, but do not let this stop you from calling out your employees when they’ve done something wrong or from having high expectations for them. If you become too friendly with your employees, they may find it easier to take advantage of your friendliness. This doesn’t mean you have to cut all ties with your employees. Just find a balance between being approachable and being their boss.
Expecting Perfection
Having high expectations for yourself, your employees and your organization as a whole is a crucial part of running a successful corporation. However, many leaders have fallen into the bad habit of expecting perfection out of themselves and their subordinates. Unfortunately, having these impossibly high standards often leads to burnout, poor performance and low employee satisfaction. While you should encourage your employees to do their job to the best of their abilities, you should also have patience for them when things do not go as planned. It is simply not practical to expect perfectionism. Allow shortcomings to be a healthy place for growth, and use them as a learning opportunity rather than an opportunity to express disappointment in your employees. Viewing shortcomings as learning opportunities will better position your employees for success in the future and will reflect better on you as a leader.