Many leaders make these five mistakes and don’t even realize it until they’re asked to pack up their desks.
Before you get the boot, read about these mistakes and why they could cost you your job if you don’t take action sooner rather than later.
Low Emotional Intelligence
Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is the ability for a person to identify, comprehend, and regulate their own emotions, as well as identify, comprehend, and influence the emotions of other people. Not only does this cover the ability to recognize and name our emotions, it also requires us to take ownership of those feelings and manage our behaviors as a response.
When leaders allow their emotions to run the show, they are much more likely to make poor decisions that can affect the attitudes and success of everyone on their team. In addition, exhibiting low emotional intelligence can significantly harm the way team members view their leaders. They will begin to question whether or not the leader is trustworthy, stable, reliable, credible, and even capable of leading them effectively.
No Accountability or Mentorship
Have you ever noticed how the greatest leaders have a leader, coach, or mentor of their own? Bill Gates, Gandi, Mother Teresa: each one was only able to become a leader after being led.
This is because no single leader (or human, for that matter) is perfect. We are all susceptible to making mistakes and poor decisions. Having a mentor who can see all sides objectively is essential for every effective leader.
Have you run your ideas for your business by an expert you trust? Have you invited an unbiased 3rd party to give you feedback on your leadership style? Do you have someone you can turn to for leadership advice when you don’t know the right answer?
If not, you are setting yourself up for your own demise (or demotion).
Lack of Vision
One of the greatest mistakes leaders make is neglecting to create a clear vision for what they want their teams to accomplish.
It is not enough to answer your employees’ questions as they arise! You, as the leader, are responsible for proactively guiding the ship and making sure your team knows exactly where your practice/business is going, why you’ve chosen that direction, and how it aligns with the core values of your business.
Without a clear vision in place, employees are more likely to underperform from a lack of motivation, direction, and clarity on what exactly they should be working towards. And who does their underperformance reflect on? You guessed it… You!
Unclear Expectations and Goals
As a leader, identifying your expectations is the very first step in setting your team up for success. Unfortunately, many team leads and managers make the mistake of assuming that they and their employees are all naturally on the same page.
Businesses with unclear expectations usually experience the following consequences:
- Low employee engagement and buy-in
- High employee turnover
- Loss of top talent
- Strained team relationships
- Poor company culture
- Failure to meet goals and benchmarks
- Negative impacts to the bottom line
Not Praising/Rewarding Team Members
In 2017, Globoforce conducted an extensive study on employee productivity and found that 74% of employees said they would work harder if their efforts were better recognized or appreciated. 56% of respondents said recognition from senior leaders, managers, and peers is the most motivational.
It is important for leaders to regularly give their team members positive feedback and recognition in the moment to make them feel like their work is valuable and that they are an essential contributor to the business’s success. This motivates team members to keep adding value by doing their best work.
On the contrary, leaders who neglect to praise and reward their high-performing team members are at the greatest risk for losing their top talent. Sooner or later, these leaders find themselves without any A-players, which again reflects badly on their own performance and ability to lead others well.
Do you demonstrate any of these common leadership mistakes? It’s time for you to assess your leadership skills.
Here a few actions you can take:
- Take my FREE leadership assessment to see how your leadership style and people management skills stack up against best practices.
- Learn more about my 6-session coaching package, designed to help you craft a vision for your business, achieve buy-in from your team, and execute the necessary goals to bring you towards success.
- Learn more about my 12-session coaching package, which features all the benefits of the 6-session package in addition to 6 weeks of emotional intelligence coaching to help you become an extraordinary leader.
About Dr. Wilkerson, PD, MBA, PCC.
Do you want to increase your impact? Do you want to increase profits under your leadership? Do you want to develop and use your abilities to the fullest to better connect with and lead others? Executive Leadership Coaching covers these bases. Dr. Jerrund Wilkerson, PD, MBA, PCC, has more than 30 years of successful executive leadership coaching in the United States and internationally.
As a licensed pharmacist, he is particularly passionate about helping develop effective leaders in the healthcare community. Dr. Wilkerson has coached and trained thousands of managers and leaders. He is a certified coach and member of the John Maxwell Leadership Team.
CLICK HERE to learn more.