Ten Mistakes

Posted on April 19, 2011 by Ronald T. Brown, Ph.D.

It have been proven that "leadership development" is fundamentally about experience. Whether good or bad.

We learn from job changes, stretch assignments, people, and in a variety of other ways. And it the experiences that are the hardest – that we can learn the most from.

So when it comes to leadership, mistakes are good... if they are learned from. Here are 10 mistakes every leader should make - and then learn from:

1. Take too long to fire a problem performer. This is probably the number one regret seasoned executives express. They waited too long to take action on a poor performer. They kept their head in the sand in denial, thought they could perform a miracle and save the employee, or were aware of the problem - but just didn’t want to face it.

2. Putting too much emphasis on credentials and experience in a hiring decision - and not enough on personality and cultural fit.

3. Not having a vision. Without a clear and compelling vision, it is very hard for teams or organizations to have a clear sense of purpose, priority, or mission. Corporate actions will then revert to mundane, business as usual, reactive behaviors. Too many leaders drift from keeping the vision centered and in focus.

4. Not managing upwards. Many leaders operate under the assumption that “no news is good news”, or “my performance speaks for itself” when it comes to their relationship with their boss. It is important to keep your manager informed of your team’s accomplishments, and to build a solid relationship that can be leveraged when needed.

5. Overrelying on a few strengths and not paying attention to personal development. It is easy to continue to fall back to the same handful of strengths that got you to where you are. However, without continuous development, you will stop growing and fall behind.

6. Not listening. This is often a blind spot for leaders, and sometimes it takes a major screw-up to get them to realize it’s a problem.

7. Trying to be liked by everyone. Leading change usually means ruffling someone’s feathers. Being a leader requires developing a thick skin and being able to take the heat - without taking it personally.

8. Not asking for help. Driving around lost for hours because you’ve got too much pride to ask for directions might make a funny commercial, but as a leader, it can have disastrous consequences.

9. Ignoring your peers. Some leaders make the mistake of paying attention only to their boss and employees. The inability to build coalitions with fellow peers prevent that leader from getting the cooperation needed in order to solve cross-functional problems or complete needed change.

10. Not seeking, or being open to feedback. Leaders have a flawed and incomplete understanding of what it feels like to work for them. Thus they need feedback. In addition, because they wield power over others - they are at great risk of acting like an insensitive jerk - and not realizing it.

(Adapted from a blog by Dan McCarthy)