Transcript The 10 Mistakes Every Leader Makes

The 10 Mistakes Every Leader Makes
Mistakes are Inevitable
 Did you know that Abraham Lincoln was defeated in six state and
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national elections before being elected President?
Barry Bonds struck out 1,539 times on his way to hitting 762
home runs?
Theodor S. Geisel wrote a children’s book that was rejected by 23
publishers. The 24th publisher sold 6 million copies of the first
“Dr. Seuss” book.
Leaders makes mistakes too, but what sets them apart is that they
learn from their mistakes.
No one expects you to be perfect, but there are a few mistakes
that you can avoid that will help you be a better leader.
Mistake # 1: Being a commander
 There is a big difference between being a leader and being a
commander.
 Leadership is based on a relationship between those who
aspire to lead and those who choose to follow. This
relationship is built on trust and respect.
 Respect is earned through working with and caring about
others. A leadership position does not mean you
automatically get respect.
 Commanding is never an acceptable substitute for leading.
Mistake #2: Being Inflexible
 Things can change quickly in an organization: members,
advisors, policies, needs, etc.
 Good leaders need to be able to accept this change and deal
with the impact it has on the members.
 You can learn to anticipate change and prepare members to
avoid mistakes and members feeling overwhelmed.
Mistake #3: Failing to Acknowledge the
Past
 Leaders are made up of their accumulated experiences:
training sessions, mentoring, and guidance from others.
 Good leaders realize they don’t know everything and look to
things/people from their past for help.
 You can learn a lot from other people’s experiences, so listen
to the voices of your mentors and role models.
 Leaning on others is not a sign of weakness, don’t feel the
need to do it all yourself.
Mistake #4: Not Being a Good Listener
 Make sure you listen to the many voices around you:
members, advisors/supervisors, outside voices, and your
inner voice.
 It’s about more than just listening, it’s about paying attention.
“Listening with the eyes and the heart, not just the ears and
the brain, requires a deeper level of paying attention and
understanding. It requires we hear the heart and soul.”
Kouzes & Posner, The Leadership Challenge
 This deeper type of listening can’t be done through email,
cell phone, text messaging or Facebook. It requires we get
close to people and really communicate.
Mistake #5: Getting Caught Up in Your
Own Glory
 It is the success of the team that matters, not individual
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success.
Good leaders understand the needs of the group and puts
them before their own.
Success is the result of the entire team, not one singular
person.
Good leaders enable others to act so that they may
accomplish great things.
Leadership is a set of responsibilities, not a mantle of power.
You don’t become a leader just for the title, but because you
want to help people achieve something great.
Mistake #6: Expecting It to Last
Forever
 There is a limited window of time for a leader to be effective,
you have to plan ahead to make the most of it!
 Think about what you want to improve and accomplish
during your time, but also think about how you can continue
to lead as you are leaving office.
 Good leaders care about the future of an organization, so
they won’t come in and use all of the resources while they
are in office.
 Leave the organization in a better place than when you took
office.
Mistake #7: Seeing things in Black &
White
 There are two sides to every story, and the answer isn’t
always yes or no. There are many shades of gray.
 When faced with difficult decisions, leaders must be able to
look at all sides of the situation.
 Most importantly, you must put your own views aside and do
what is best for the organization.
Mistake #8: Failing to Recognize
Others for Their Contributions
 Recognizing members makes them feel like valued members
of the team. It shows that their contributions are noticed and
appreciated.
 Start by setting high expectations and then pay attention to
what is going on within the organization.
 It is important to personalize recognition, it makes
recognition more meaningful and thoughtful.
 Recognition can be as simple as a thank-you note, but public
recognition goes a long way to show the entire organization
that you take their contributions seriously.
Mistake #9: Hoarding Skills &
Information
 A good leader must be a constant learner, but also a constant
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teacher.
You must make sure that your members are educated and
empowered to face any challenge.
Great leaders find people, build them up, give them
resources, authority and responsibility, and then turn them
loose to achieve.
Just because someone knows how to do something doesn’t
mean they will do it. Great leaders enable others to act by
fostering self-confidence.
It is important to develop new leaders for when you move
on.
Mistake #10: Taking Yourself Too
Seriously
 This job should be fun! Maintain a sense of humor.
 Without fun and laughter many people wouldn’t put up with
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the long hours and hard work of being in an organization.
Fun also helps in membership retention and recruitment.
It can also sustain productivity; if people are having fun it
makes the long hours fly by.
Laughter can be a good remedy when things get too serious.
Great leaders are down to earth people who are
approachable.
Learn and Move Forward
 If you do make a mistake, it is important that you admit it,
make reparations and move on.
 Admitting to a mistake will not damage credibility. In fact,
trying to hide or blame others for a mistake is much more
damaging and will erode credibility.
 Dwelling on mistakes takes away from your focus from
evaluating why it happened and making sure it doesn’t
happen again.
 Leaders are like any other human beings, flawed and prone to
mistakes. Feel free to take risks and try new things.
Reflection
 Which of these mistakes have I made in the past? Why did I
make those mistakes?
 What mistakes have I made that I learned the most from?
 Which of these mistakes will be easiest for me to avoid?
Which one will be the hardest?
 How can I empower other members of my organization to
see mistakes as learning opportunities?