Mistakes A Leader Needs to Avoid

A leader has the responsibility to overcome problems in the workplace and set a good example for his team. Managing a team while being a person in charge also places high expectations on a leader.

Even though it is required to be perfect, a leader may also make mistakes. This can also provide space to keep learning and developing as long as it helps employees to do the same.

Leader Mistakes to Avoid

There are several attitudes that usually arise from employees and need to be corrected. Unlike the case with employees, a leader or manager in a company needs to have a professional attitude as a role model. In order to reflect the attitude of a good leader, the following are things that should be avoided.

1. Avoid conflict

Adjusting a manager to handle differences of opinion or problems is not easy. Even more so when you want to be fair and impartial while still avoiding conflict. However, a good leader must understand how to deal with problems fairly.

A VP of Marketing, Mark Feldman, said that performance and personality problems that are left alone will only make the situation worse. It's best to tackle a problem right away when the situation is new and don't put off the urgency to solve it.

2. Too familiar in person

Some managers may have close friendships with their subordinates in order to appear likeable and approachable. It's good to be open to staff in the team you lead, but clear boundaries are needed.

Managers are sometimes difficult to position themselves and have a tendency to take sides when having a close relationship with their staff. For this reason, an effective leader needs to have emotional control to succeed in maintaining boundaries in behavior.

3. Avoid feedback from employees

Openness in communication is a key element for maintaining employee development, performance, and retention. However, some managers do not offer their employees or staff the opportunity to provide feedback.

Formally, this approach is only carried out if there is a performance review schedule in the company. Unfortunately, this can become a major problem if managers tend to get hands off from getting regular feedback from staff.

Many performance problems or incompetence actually arise due to differences in expectations from employees. When an employee doesn't understand what they did wrong, they won't know how to fix it.

For this reason, receiving feedback on an ongoing basis will make employees feel more recognized and valued. Providing feedback between managers and staff is as important as setting clear goals from managers.

4. Taking unnecessary work

A manager is usually put in that position knowing what needs to be done and how. Unfortunately, this is often accompanied by the mindset, “If you want to do something right, do it yourself.”

This mindset becomes a dangerous attitude for a manager who manages a team. A leader should delegate tasks, not complete or change a job to suit your wishes or preferences. This will prevent staff from reaching their full potential.

5. Not confident

A manager is also positioned to lead a team because other people believe in his judgment or potential. That confidence can be lost if you question things too often. Therefore, a good leader must also dare to take risks by following his instincts.

6. Tend to be reactive rather than proactive

Adapting to technological developments has become a necessity in the business world. You have no choice but to face the change and determine how it will affect the company.

It is important to be able to identify roles that may be replaced by machines or AI as early as possible. You can start training employees in new skills to help them thrive through rapid transformation.

Being proactive and honest with the team will reduce the stress and anxiety caused by the transition. A manager should have prepared a response rather than waiting for something to happen and then thinking about a solution.

7. Doing something different from the agreement

As a business leader, you are responsible for being a role model for the staff or employees you lead. Once you've set a guideline and aligned your workplace expectations, it's important that you follow it.

For example, if you want employees to obey your dress code or maintain a positive attitude, you need to display those actions. You direct or control the way your team will behave by actively leading by example.

Becoming a perfect leader is not something that can be realized in a short time. A good manager is always improving himself and is open to opportunities to grow with the times. Identifying common mistakes that managers make can help anticipate mistakes and keep in self-reflection.