Leadersmistakes

make and how to avoid them!

1. Not Celebrating People

People Need 20 Positive

communicationsto Offset 1 negative.

• Saying a cheerful hello

• Praising their risk-taking

• Displaying a great sense of humor

Organizations Become Shadows of Their Leaders .

Affirm Your People

• Kudos/encouraging emails

• Personal hand-written notes and positive voice-mails

• Public praise in meetings and in team/org publications.

Affirm Your People

• Letters of commendation

• In performance appraisals

“There are high spots in all of our lives and most of them have come

about through some encouragement from someone else.” –George Adams

“The best way to cheer yourself up is to cheer

somebody else up.”–Mark Twain

Give a Personalized Review

• One-on-one’s at least monthly.

• MBWA

• Gifts/awards customized to the performer

• Simply saying thank-you

Take any chance you get to

Celebrate!

Ask more QUESTIONS

than making statements?

Leadersmistakes

makeand how to avoid them!

“Don’t do leadership to people; do it with them.” –Ken Blanchard

2. Going it alone; Being Disconnected

People are lonely because they

build walls instead of bridges.

Asking a team member what would they do about it, when they pose a problem.

Employee surveys with specific questions

Speaking last in a team meeting

Connecting with the other key players

Coaches

Consultants

Look Back CounselorsLook Ahead

MentorsLook Down

LookInside

“Establish yourself with men of good quality if you esteem

your own reputation.” –George Washington

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”

–Helen Keller

Delegation

Think through the tasks to be delegated.

Think through who can handle what tasks up front.

Clearly outline your intent and outcomes of the task.

Give responsibility and authority.

Set up a follow-up system.

People get suspicious and distrusting when they don’t

see their leader.

Inspire/cast a shared vision

Connect with your own fire in your belly vision for your organization.

Find out your why your team believes in what they are doing.

Link those two together with a shared vision that they can buy into.

Inspire/cast a shared vision

Cast it with a guiding coalition thencompany-wide.

Resource them to make it happen.

Be open to adjustments and be ready for the nay-sayers. But don’t let them de-rail the vision.

Leadersmistakes

make and how to avoid them!

“Speed of the boss—speed of the team” –Lee Iacocca

3. Not having growth plans

This is a marathon, not a sprint.

Don’t cheat your family.

Take care of yourself; no one else will.

“Every day do something that will inch you closerto a better tomorrow.”

–Doug Firebaugh

Never believe anything you’ve done is successful;

challenge it every second.

Growth Plans for Your Organization

Strategic planning for 1-3 years out SWOT analysis Vision-setting and gap analysis Thematic goals Clear job descriptions with pillar

responsibilities that get the org to its mission Goal-setting in those areas Regular Coaching Appraisal on those goals

Leadersmistakes

make and how to avoid them!

4. Poor Time Management

Put the Big Rocks in First Planning

Relationship-building

Taking Inventory/evaluation against your goals/action plans and of people and their progress

Develop a working personal organization system

TRAF paper: Toss, Refer, Act on, File

Manage email.

Make a task list. Determine your most important priorities overall and then tomorrow’s 3 top priorities before leaving today.

Calendar your tasks/priorities by making appointments with yourself.

Do you need the meeting?

Do they have an agenda?

Do you stay on track?

Do decisions get made and followed-up on?

Time/task analysis to show what you are doing every 15 minutes.

Leadersmistakes

makeand how to avoid them!

5. Going to Extremes in Leadership

Capitulate to people Don’t stick to their guns with what is right/best Don’t make the tough calls

PLEASERS

Cancers spreading Status quo management All-stars getting frustrated Getting everyone spread too thin Shaky organizational footing

Resulting in:

Overcontrol/micromanage Clutch information Display a callous attitude toward

people Are proud know-it-alls who don’t flex. Shun transparency

Dictators:

Productivity suffers in the long run through sabotage

Satisfaction/morale suffers. Creativity suffers.

Frustration/fear at being held hostage.

Resulting in:

Are firm without being harsh Are decisive according to values of

self/org and with good research/data

Take into account others’ feelings Are humble servant-leaders

Just Right Leaders:

“When a man realizes his littleness, his greatness can appear.” H.G. Wells

A reputation of integrity Getting the job done, and done

with better relationships Believability in leadership

Resulting in:

6. Letting Bad Attitudes Prevail

Leadersmistakes

make and how to avoid them!

Dealing with a Bad Attitude

You don’t have the right to bring a bad attitude to work when in leadership.

No action is an action.