Top 7 Leadership Mistakes

Leadership and management skills are something that rarely come
naturally for most people. But if you follow some basic rules and
are willing to learn how to work with people you will have things
running much more smoothly in the workplace in no time.

Here's a list of some the things you should NOT be doing.

Neglecting workers
Your workers ARE your business and they have to be treated that way.
Failing to send this message to workers can be a financial and
productivity drag for any business. Our workers are people with
feelings and emotions and have to be told in many ways how important
they are to the company.

Not being able to handle criticism
Just because you're in a leadership position does not mean that you
suddenly become immune to making the wrong decisions. As a leader
you have to listen to constructive criticism and make the changes
necessary. If a worker cares enough to share criticism, the least
you can do is listen.

Unable to delegate responsibilities
This is often a problem for small business owner / managers. We have
to trust that our workers can do the things we have done for so
long. If they really can't do the job because a particular skill is
needed, then get them the training required or hire someone that
can. A big part of leadership and management is about making sure
that things run smoothly and efficiently, and that does not mean
running from job to job doing everything ourselves!

Knowing everything
Many of the world's greatest leaders are people of average
intelligence that don't know all there is to know in their industry.
They understand that they can't possibly know everything and they
hire people that do know everything! The success of any business is
in the hands of its workers and the leading managers and
entrepreneurs of the world all strive to hire the best in their
field.

Procrastination
Putting something off till tomorrow that should be done today! Often
procrastination is a result of having no plan or list of priorities.
Look into time management and goal setting for more ideas on how to
overcome procrastination.

Lack of focus
Obviously there will be things come up during the day that require
immediate action that will distract us from our work, but we have to
have a clear set of priorities to follow. Doing a little bit of
everything gets nothing finished, causing stress and feelings of
being overwhelmed.

Afraid to change
The ability to change in business is essential. Changes in
technology, the way we deal with people, the way we present the
business, and in every other aspect of running and operating the
company. Holding on to old ways of doing things just because they've
always been done that way is a sure way to lose business. If any
aspect of the business can be improved then there has to be change,
even if this means getting rid of a poor performing worker or
product range that is no longer profitable.

As a manager or leader you have to treat your business like a garden.
Continue to water, fertilize and weed your garden and it will
continue to reap a quality harvest year after year.