As a business leader, you’re one of the most important people in your company. It’s a great privilege and a huge responsibility. It’s your job to motivate your employees to work their hardest for the good of the company, teach them to learn from their mistakes, and inspire them to grow and develop. And sometimes the most well-intentioned leaders mess up. Here are some mistakes leaders can make that will drive their team crazy instead of leading them to success.
Underestimating the job
If you’re assigning tasks and duties without realizing how much time and effort they’ll take, stop. Put yourself in your employees’ shoes and recognize how much work something is. If you overwork your team, you’ll make success impossible for them and cause them to resent you.
Acting impulsively
We all have bad days and good days, but make sure your emotions and your mood swings aren’t determining how you make decisions. If you make a decision on a policy or procedure and then reverse it the next week, your employees will get really frustrated. Your passion about your work is great, just make sure you’re consistent and rational.
Being indecisive
The flip side of being too impulsive is taking too long to make decisions. Your employees rely on you to make a call and if you drag your feet or keep swaying back and forth on the issue, they can’t act. Your indecisiveness paralyzes your team to the point that no progress gets made.
Ignoring input
Your employees want to feel valued and respected so listen to their ideas and concerns. Be approachable and available so that you have a pulse on how people are feeling and thinking. If you ignore their thoughts and opinions, you’ll miss out on valuable viewpoints and your employees will grow frustrated.
Leaving them wondering
Your feedback is important, so offer it. One of the worst things a leader can do is collect assignments and projects from their employees without offering any type of praise or critique. Then your employees have no idea whether they’re on the right track or totally messing up. Meet with your employees regularly enough that they know exactly where you stand on their work and feel comfortable asking for your input.
Working too little
Solidarity. You’ve got to show your team that you’re all in this together. You have to be right along with them in the trenches. If you’re never there, expecting your employees to put in more effort that you’re willing to put in, they’ll lose passion for the mission just as quickly as you did. Show your team that you prioritize your work and the company ahead of your golf game. You don’t always have to be the first to come into work and the last to leave, but you should make it apparent that you’re willing to go the extra mile.
For more tips on managing your team and leading them to success, check out our website at https://www.chiefofstaffkc.com.
Blog Written by Erin Greenhalgh