New Leaders Often Make These Common (And Avoidable) Mistakes
Being a leader comes with plenty of responsibilities. Leaders are mandated with handling workplace issues, not to mention their subordinates look up to them as role models. Nevertheless, leaders are still human and are subject to error. But they can also choose to use these mistakes as lessons and become better leaders. Here are common mistakes that leaders make and how they could bounce back from them. Being too Friendly Leaders need to have a good relationship with their subordinates. However, many leaders often make the mistake of taking it too far. They try to befriend those under them in an attempt to come off as friendly and relatable. When the boundaries are not clear, leaders are likely to be biassed when making decisions. Some employees could even take advantage of the situation. Notably, leaders need to understand the need for clear boundaries. While they should be assertive, they also need to set and enforce clear boundaries. Avoiding Feedback Open communication is a vital tool for growth. Some leaders, however, avoid giving their employees feedback or only wait for scheduled performance reviews. It is worth noting that most employees are incompetent due to misunderstood employee expectations. Leaders need to precisely tell employees where they are going wrong to fix the problem as soon as possible. Similarly, it is essential for leaders to commend employees when they do a good job. That way, their morale goes up, which translates to higher productivity and employee retention.
Prioritizing Profit over People Today’s business environment is highly competitive. Therefore, leaders are mandated to ensure that organizations meet the set goals, despite the stringent conditions. Sometimes, leaders make the mistake of prioritizing profit at the expense of the people in the organization. While profit is significant, leaders need to understand that people are the most valuable assets of their organization. When employees are engaged and feel cared for, they are more innovative and productive, which translates into more profits. Leaders should look for ways to enhance employee experience consistently. Avoiding Confrontation Part of being a leader is handling disagreements and avoiding potential conflict if possible. However, some leaders make the mistake of veering away from confrontation, even when it’s inevitable. That only results in unresolved issues, which affect the overall performance. Leaders should learn ways to handle situations right away without agitating the problem. Leaders have their shortcomings. However, there is room to learn and grow. An excellent place to start would be avoiding these common mistakes.