Don’t Let These 6 Leadership Mistakes Make You Look Foolish
No one likes to feel
foolish-- especially leaders. Here Inc. columnists protect you from becoming an
April fool.
Leadership
isn't easy. Some people make it look that way because they have good instincts,
but the best leaders know they can't rely
on always having the right approach. Sometimes what seems obvious or sound can
be the exact opposite of what's required in a given circumstance.
Being
ignorant about leadership choices is not so bad; at
least you are uncomfortable enough in your ignorance to search for better answers
or choices. Feeling foolish happens when you think you knew the right move and
it turns into a total
disaster.
My
Inc. colleagues and I have all been there ourselves and are happy to share
below what we've learned so we can help you stay out of the fool column this
month.
1. Don't bet on potential.
I
was twenty-five when I started my first company. I was surprised by what I was
able to accomplish when put to the challenge; it made me think that people can
reach their full potential with the right opportunity and encouragement. I
have learned the hard way over the years that potential is only part of the
equation. Often, I would give people opportunities well within their capability
only to wind up disappointed and embarrassed in front of the team. I now
understand that all the potential in the world won't amount to anything if a
person doesn't have the desire. Sometimes I can help someone develop and enhance their desire, and other
times I have had to help people see that their true desire lay elsewhere and
cut them loose.
2.
Don't make assumptions.
I
once said to a female employee who looked (to me) very pregnant, "Hey,
congratulations! When are you due?" She replied, "I had my son three
months ago." And that's all we need to say about that.
Jeff
Haden--Owner's
Manual
3.
Keep your finger on the pulse.
Nothing
makes a leader look more foolish than being out of touch with his or her
organization. I once worked at a small company where the CEO held forth one
evening about his management philosophy. "What if that approach creates a
revolving door?" I asked him. There was a subtext to my question: One
department head was so brutal her employees transferred or quit within six
months or less. But he answered me proudly: "I would never allow a
revolving door at this company!" My friends and I had a good laugh the
moment his back was turned. Moral: Make sure you have people around you who
will tell you the truth, not what you want to hear.
Minda
Zetlin --The
Laid Back Leader
4.
Be sure about where you place blame.
One
of the worst faux pas any manager or leader can make is to blame an employee
for doing something wrong, when he or she had nothing to do with it. Many years
ago when I was a manager in charge of a small department of 15 people, I did
just that--blaming one of my employees for some transgression that led to a
major problem for one of our customers. In reality, he was not the source of
the problem, one of his coworkers was. Not only was the employee justifiably
upset with me for putting the blame on him, but some amount of the trust I had
built with him instantly went away. Suffice it to say, I learned not to put the
blame on anyone without first being absolutely sure. ‘
Peter Economy--The Leadership Guy
5. Don't
make promises you can't keep.
At
one point in my corporate career my employer did some major downsizing. To
"keep morale up" the CEO suddenly decided to become an approachable
guy. He announced to over five hundred employees that he was willing and eager
to listen to our concerns, making a production of assuring us that his
"door was always open". What an impossible promise to keep!
Naturally, it was rare that an employee could take advantage of this open door
policy, so it became a running joke in the company. In the long run this
strategy caused more harm than good. Don't make promises you cannot keep, even
if they are well intended.
Marla
Tabaka--The
Successful Soloist
6. Be
careful playing interference.
As
a leader, you will find others will try to bring you their problems and make
those problems yours. Playing interference can make you look like a fool and
cause dissension in the ranks. Some advice to keep you from making this common
mistake: First, if they aren't getting along with another individual, make sure
they have tried to resolve the conflict on their own. Second, if they think
that a process is broken, make sure they offer up some potential solutions.
Third, if they don't know the answer to a question, ask them what steps they
have taken to find it before coming to you. A smart leader understands their
role is to empower others to do their jobs, not to do their jobs for them.
That's just foolish.
Eric
Holtzclaw--Lean
Forward
BY KEVIN DAUM
http://www.inc.com/kevin-daum/don-t-let-these-6-leadership-mistakes-make-you-look-foolish.html
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