7 Dumb Mistakes New Leaders Make That You Must Avoid
Remember when you were just a twig on the leadership tree. You ached to bear fruit. You admired how the big branches did big things while you secretly shivered.
Ambition and fear cause new leaders to make unnecessary mistakes.
7 Dumb mistakes new leaders make:
Mistake #1. Not noticing stress in others because you’re stressed out.
Your arrival stresses others. The stress you feel, others feel too.
Solutions:
- Realize your passion may seem pushy to others.
- Practice active listening.
- Notice people’s energy.
Mistake #2. Trying to grow big fruit fast. Win small – win often.
Solutions:
- Build confidence by designing goals and milestones WITH team members.
- Hold yourself and others accountable.
- Honor incremental progress.
Mistake #3. Being gullible.
Don’t believe everything you’re told. People have personal agendas.
Solutions:
- Have conversations with fringe-people.
- Show up on the front line and ask questions.
- Reflect on the impact of requests and input. What do people want?
Mistake #4. Falling prey to leafy branches.
Some branches grow real fruit and some grow showy leaves.
Solutions:
- Study up on the difference between introverts and extroverts.
- Notice who talks about things they plan to do and who reports what they are actually doing.
- Establish and monitor performance metrics.
Mistake #5. Corroding trust by micromanaging.
Competent people resent being treated like novices. Being a novice isn’t permission to treat others like idiots.
Solutions:
- Listen to teammate’s life stories. Pay attention to experience levels.
- Notice your team’s go-to people. Trust people who are trusted by others.
- Establish a rhythm for one-on-ones.
#6. Coming off like a know-it-all.
Don’t resist feedback. Seek it.
- Remind yourself that most people are trying to help.
- Practice gratitude and curiosity when receiving feedback.
- Seek multiple options when pursuing suggestions. Don’t let people expect you to do everything they suggest.
Bonus mistake #7: Seeming disinterested in people because you’re so busy.
What mistakes do you see new leaders making?
The Top 4 Mistakes Busy Leaders Make – Leadership Freak
An Actionable Solution to the Mistakes Leaders Make – Leadership Freak
…Really like #2: Win small…win often. So many early career leaders want to hit home runs — which is harder to do than consistently hitting singles. In the end, a very high batting average is usually valued more than the number of home runs that one hits.
Thanks Gerald. If you try to hit home runs you strike out a lot. Public failures cause more damage for new leaders than an occasional homerun.
Another mistake often made by new managers and leaders–Trying to be liked, rather than doing what is right and needed.
That’s true. There’s a difference between being like able and trying to be liked. Thanks Paul.
Thank you very much, Dan, for another spot-on post. And… “the Vagrant” has found its way all across the ocean to the Netherlands — I’m looking forward to reading it!
Wow! Thanks arostraining!! Much appreciated on both counts. It’s a pleasure to add value. I hope you enjoy The Vagrant. Please let me know what you think.
I find another mistake that new leaders make is not reaching out and asking for help from the more experienced. We were all new once. We are all happy to help someone out and teach them something for them to take forward – how to use a system, what an appropriate response would be, where to escalate something. All things that new leaders tend to try and do themselves, because they think that now they are leadership, they just have to know everything and do it all, and not be annoying by asking questions.
Leaders do not have to be islands. 😉
Love it, Naomi. The people who go the farthest are the ones who get the most help.