25 Dumb Mistakes
That Very Smart Bosses Make
Very smart leaders make very dumb mistakes all the time. Maybe it's
time to stop.
As a leadership coach and business consultant, I spend a lot of time
thinking about people's mistakes. And over the years I've learned that even the smartest people have errors in judgment, blind
spots, and habits that get them into trouble.
Here are some of the dumbest mistakes that
the smartest leaders seem to be prey to:
1. Indecision.
One of the
worst things that can happen to any team or organization is an indecisive boss.
A leader who moves their group in new directions based on new feedback at the
drop of a hat, and never seems sure of the appropriate direction, will make
employees crazy and never accomplish anything of substance.
2. Hiding behind
closed doors.
Whether
they're hiding something, afraid of confrontation, or just shy, leaders who
stay behind a closed door miss countless opportunities to engage, connect with,
inspire and be inspired by their team.
3. Breaking promises.
People take
what other people say as their word. If the boss don't keep their promises, it
creates a lack of trust that endures for many long years.
4. Making
assumptions.
People in
power, especially, can do significant damage when they convince themselves they
have a grasp of a situation and set out to make assumptions without a reality
check.
5. Taking credit for
the work of others.
To take credit
for anyone else's work is egregiously wrong, but for a leader to take credit
from their team members borders on unforgiveable.
6. Thinking they know
it all.
The worst
thing a boss can do is stop being inquisitive and turn into someone whose
response to everything is "I know...." The most valuable words to a
leader are "I don't know; I'll find out."
7. Fudging
rules.
Bosses who
like lots of rules better be ready to enforce them consistently and hold
themselves to the same standard.
8. Poor scheduling.
8. Poor scheduling.
Leaders who
hold a team meetings on Friday afternoons an hour before everyone is supposed
to leave and speak for two hours will never get a "world's best boss"
coffee mug.
9. Gossip.
Gossip should
never be tolerated, let alone participating in it, especially when it comes
from the boss..
10. Bad communication.
When as the
boss you neglect to communicate important information or you leave out
important details, you are jeopardizing those who work for you.
11. Thoughtless assignments.
Some leaders
make assignments seemingly at random, wasting highly skilled senior people on
everyday tasks and handing the keys to high-stakes complex undertakings to
unproven rookies without guidance or supervision.
12. Being secretive.
A secretive
boss is ultimately communicating a lack of trust, and their behavior sets the
tone for the entire team or organization.
13. Bad timing.
When leaders
wait until the last minute to delegate time-sensitive projects, everybody looks
bad.
14. Distraction are disruptive.
Multitasking
is always poor form when you're engaged with other people. A boss who's messing
around on a screen means a team member isn't being heard.
15. Visible carelessness.
One common
example: The boss gets a report to review and demonstrates with their comments
that they missed critical details.
16. Clinging to dead wood...
Implausible as
it seems, I've heard from leaders who received resignations from their weakest
team members and went on to persuade them to stay.
17. ... while not guarding the
treasure.
The
other side of the same coin: People let top performers go without even making
an effort to keep them on board.
18. Promoting problems.
Promoting a
problem employee, even in hopes that they'll eventually transfer to a different
area, doesn't solve the problem and calls the leader's judgment into question.
19. Visible bias.
Bosses who are
racist, sexist, or biased against other groups may learn to cover up their
words, but their policies and personnel decisions still call them out.
20. Opposition to professional
growth.
Poor leaders
don't consider learning and development to be important.
21. Constant complaints.
Unrelenting
negativity is always bad, but it's even worse when it's coming from the top.
22. Lack of feedback.
Bosses who
don't provide appropriate feedback have no right to expect team members to
improve.
23. Showing up impaired.
The
old-fashioned "three-martini lunch" is supposed to be a thing of the
past, but it's surprising how many leaders still imagine themselves to be above
the rules that say you don't show up for work drunk (even a little bit) or
drugged.
24. Lack of vision.
Leaders who just
position themselves at the head of the line trudging through the daily grind
without imparting a sense of the big picture aren't really leading at all.
25. Showing off without
justification.
Photos with B-
or C-list celebrities, diplomas from unaccredited or questionable colleges,
certificates from every weekend training program--nothing fails more than an
unimpressive attempt to impress.
BY LOLLY DASKAL
http://www.inc.com/lolly-daskal/25-dumb-mistakes-that-very-smart-bosses-make.html?cid=em01014week31a
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