Common mistakes you might make as a leader

Leadership is artistry, which involves influencing and motivating a category of people who move forward to attain a specific common goal. All of us, at some point of time in our lives, have taken up the role of leader. Let it be leading a small group project back at high school, a group presentation at your university, or organizing different events. Different people were put together and were given a common goal to achieve. But the path of leadership is a very unpredictable one, filled with twists and turns. It involves unraveling solutions from a tightly knitted tapestry of problems while upholding the harmony of the group. No individual is an exceptional leader from the start, it is a long, slow, and learning process and does not take place overnight.

But have you heard about one of the most common beliefs- ‘ Some people are born leaders.’ You might have probably read it somewhere or heard it from someone, but how much of this is true?

Well, researchers have proved that leaders are made, the knowledge one acquires, the experience one gains, the effort one puts in, all of these conglomerates to shape a leader. They are bound to make mistakes during the initial stages, which can be pretty damaging if not corrected or addressed. However, these mistakes can easily be avoided if one is cautious and has an open eye to spot them beforehand.

Listed below are a few common mistakes made by leaders these days:

1. Lack of a vision or no proper planning:

Not having a proper vision or lacking a proper plan may hinder the progress of a team. It may lead to focusing on insignificant work rather than the beneficial or the chief tasks, in turn leading to a huge amount of time being wasted away. Wastage of vital resources due to the lack of resource planning and ineffectiveness are a few of the many problems caused due to lack of planning and might lead to a complete breakdown of the group.

2. Not delegating tasks:

One of the biggest mistakes committed by leaders is not delegating tasks to their team members. No matter how hard one works, working on their own will only limit the amount of work done. A leader must focus on the end goal and carefully delegate work to the right people. This will in turn help leaders to focus on higher-value tasks and at the same time engage the members in other activities. Performing this will create a strong and successful team while covering all the important aspects required to reach the goal.

3. Not being open to new ideas:

Once a person steps into the role of a leader, it’s pretty natural to be in authority and want the plans to unfold as they want. In the long run, this might not be advantageous as one may not always be right regarding their views. A leader should be open-minded and be willing to take new ideas and solutions from the other team members. Accepting the idea that one can be wrong and seeing things from a different perspective can do wonders. There should be a sense of understanding and cooperation between the members of the group and the team leader.

4. Dependency:

Leaders who solve every problem for their team members create a sense of dependency, making them rely on the leader rather than think critically to solve the problem. There will not be a scope for learning the necessary skills required to solve a problem. This acts as a blockage for the members to perform their best and makes them doubt their abilities. There are times when a person is just lazy or unmotivated and sees the leader as an easy way out. There’s always a need to constantly seek a leader's approval even for trifling tasks.

5. Not acknowledging good work or efforts:

Acknowledging someone can become their greatest motivator. Leaders often tend to overlook this aspect. Many studies have shown that people put in more energy and dedication if their leaders tend to give them feedback or acknowledge their efforts. It acts as a booster and fosters a great sense of support and inspiration. Let them know what was done correctly and encourage them further. Once members start getting recognized for their work, they would want to keep a persistent behavior throughout the assigned tasks.

As you move ahead in your journey, do remember to keep these in mind. Nobody is a perfect leader, but one can certainly try their best to avoid these mistakes ahead of time. However, the list of mistakes mentioned above is not exhaustive. We all indeed learn from our mistakes. But having a better idea and understanding about them and recognizing a mistake will surely help you make a productive and successful team. To all the budding leaders out there, nothing is too hard to achieve, make sure you nurture your leadership qualities and reflect on yourself. --- Krithika