Learn From Your Mistakes to Become a Better Leader

Joe Weinlick
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Mistakes are inevitable in business, whether you're a CEO or a low-level manager. The way you react to situations defines you as a leader. Learning from leadership mistakes and adapting your behavior accordingly sets a good example and earns the trust of your team. Understanding common errors in workplace leadership can help you identify and resolve problems with your management style.

Lack of Feedback

Professional leaders must provide feedback to help employees gauge their performance and identify areas for improvement. Without sufficient feedback, your workers are left to rely on their own perceptions, which may not be accurate. Although it may seem innocuous, failing to provide feedback — both positive and negative — is one of the most detrimental leadership mistakes you can make. It causes small problems to go unchecked for long periods of time, often sabotaging productivity or cutting profits. Worse, it leaves workers in limbo and makes them feel unappreciated, which can kill morale.

Micromanaging Workers

Another common leadership mistake is consistently micromanaging workers, or overloading employees with feedback on every aspect of every project. Micromanagement erodes worker confidence and increases frustration. It can make your employees think you do not trust them to handle their jobs competently. If you find yourself getting involved in too many low-level tasks or worrying about the tiniest details of each project, you may be guilty of micromanaging your workers. Micromanaging is often a problem for leaders who have trouble delegating tasks.

Failure to Plan

Leaders set the course for the company or a specific team. When you do not create short-term and long-term plans, you are effectively setting your team up for failure. Without goals, employees may feel adrift and directionless, which can sap motivation. A solid plan creates guidelines and gives workers a framework for progress, performance and behavior. When it comes to leadership mistakes, the failure to plan is best caught early, before your team goes off the rails.

Failure to Acknowledge and Apologize

One of the most common leadership mistakes is the failure to recognize missteps and take responsibility. Some leaders find it difficult to acknowledge their errors, often out of the fear that it may cause employees to lose confidence or feel unsafe. In the process, you can create resentment within the team. By confessing your mistakes when appropriate and apologizing for the consequences, you can establish a reputation for being humble and honest, two traits that garner respect.

Leadership mistakes have far-reaching effects that can extend beyond the individual team and into the company. By understanding the most common workplace leadership errors, assessing your behavior and taking steps to correct problems, you can improve your reputation around the office and create a high-functioning professional team.


Image courtesy of stockimages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

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