8 BECOME AN EXCEPTIONAL LEADER: 10 COMMON LEADERSHIP MISTAKES

(EXTRACTION FROM LEADERSHIP SKILLS at http://www.mindtools.com)

Experience is the name every one gives to their mistakes.

– Oscar Wilde

Avoiding Universal Pitfalls

It's often said that mistakes provide great learning opportunities.

10 COMMON LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT MISTAKES
Lack of Feedback	·        Failing to provide feedback is the most common mistake. ·        Provide prompt feedback and giving people opportunity to improve their performance.
Not Making Time for Your Team	·        So wrapped up in your own workload that you don't make yourself available to your team. ·        Learning how to listen actively to your team. ·        Develop emotional intelligence so that you can be more aware of your team and their needs.
Being Too "Hands-Off"	·        Many leaders want to avoid micromanagement.  But going to the opposite extreme (with a hand-offs management style) isn't a good idea either – you need to get the balance right.
Being Too Friendly	·        People are happier working for a manager that they get on with. ·        Get the balance right between being a friend and being the boss.
Failing to Define Goals	·        People can't be productive if they have no idea what they're working for, or what their work means.
Misunderstanding Motivation	·        Many leaders make the mistake of assuming that their team is only working for monetary reward. ·        Find out what truly drives your people.
Hurrying Recruitment	·        It’s important to have a full team when your team has a large workload. ·        Hurrying recruitment can lead to recruiting the wrong people for your team: people who are uncooperative, ineffective or unproductive.
Not "Walking the Walk"	·        Need to be a role model for your team. ·        If you want to shape your teams’ behavior, start with your own.  They'll follow suit.
Not Delegating	·        Delegation does take a lot of effort up-front, and it can be hard to trust your team to do the work correctly. ·        Unless you delegate tasks, you're never going to have time to focus on the "broader-view" that most leaders and managers are responsible for.
Misunderstanding Your Role	·        Once you become a leader or manager, your responsibilities are very different from those you had before. ·        It’s easy to forget that your job has changed, and that you now have to use a different set of skills to be effective.