Leadership is a call to manage both human and material resources. Expectedly, this kind of assignment requires management skills and human resource skills.
But too often, we see people assume leadership positions without having the requisite skills to lead. Unfortunately, this situation accounts for so many leadership crises that we’ve seen in the past – and even today.
While no one is born with leadership skills, we are all capable of leadership. However, you must learn the skills of leading people.
In most cases, if a leader cannot lead themselves, they will most likely be incapable of leading others. Aspiring leaders are usually excited about the opportunity to rise to the occasion and call the shots.
Sadly, not all of them are interested in building the skills required to occupy the position they aspire to have. As an aspiring CEO, corporate, or political leader, it is essential that you nurture the traits that will sustain you while you lead.
People can tell bad leadership when they see it. One of the best ways to ensure your team keeps winning is to avoid some common leadership mistakes.
It may not be possible to learn all that there is in leadership, but here are some mistakes every aspiring leader can, or rather, should avoid.
Confusing control with delegation
Until you understand that being the boss does not mean you should micromanage everything and everyone, you may have real problems. Most people think that leading means getting involved in everything. On the contrary, efficient leaders surround themselves with people who are capable of doing the job.
They focus on building processes and people of capacity to ensure that the team always wins. You don’t have to get fully involved in the business of every unit to drive results.
Failing to prioritize communication
The thing is, communication is such a big deal in every organization. Poor communication can be mistaken for a lack of clear direction on the part of the leader.
Influential leaders, therefore, do not underestimate the importance of effective communication. They prioritize communication by creating transparent channels of passing messages and getting feedback.
No organization can achieve great things if the leader does not encourage the spirit of open communication. Great leaders understand that if the team members do not understand each other or the team’s goal, it will be hard to make progress.
Caring more about positions than leading
In the heart of everyone who aspires to be a leader someday is a genuine enthusiasm to sit on the throne. But the colors of real leadership is only seen when the new leader uses their throne to advance the common goal. However, if the leader becomes obsessed with power, neglecting the throne’s real purpose, their leadership fails.
On the other hand, true leaders use their offices to ensure the growth of their teams or organizations, as opposed to just enjoying the title or being seen as the head.
Holding on to grudges
As a leader, people will let you down. Your followers may stab you in the back. But going for retaliation may be an effort that ends up sabotaging the common goal.
The best way to handle conflict is to tackle it head-on and not create an atmosphere of disagreement. There will be times when people will question your leadership style, including your decisions and policies.
So, bear in mind that uneasy lies the head that wears the crown – and remember that everyone’s interest comes first.
Forgetting that people are emotional beings
Developing emotional intelligence is a crucial leadership skill. Successful leaders are aware of this – and so should you too. Your success as a leader is greatly hinged on how well you manage your people and not just the processes.
Relationships are important. The beautiful thing about cultivating and nurturing relationships is that you will have to deal with different strokes for different folks.
Real leaders do not prey on people’s weaknesses. Instead, they seek to understand their people’s strengths and weaknesses, give them praise when they do well, and encourage them to do better when they fail.
Real leaders know how to resolve conflict, or at least seek wise counsel when the occasion arises. If you are on your way up to a leadership position, it’s important to understand the importance of emotional intelligence.
Shunning criticism
The only way a leader gets to know if he or she is doing well is by staying open to feedback. Otherwise, it will be hard to evaluate your efforts and make amendments where necessary.
Aspiring leaders are quick to forget that leadership demands that you encourage constructive criticism and not shy away from it. This is directly linked to having an atmosphere where communication is taken seriously.
Thinking that they will work less
This is, unfortunately, a flawed perception of what leadership truly is. If you’re up for a promotion, you’ll be doing yourself a disservice by thinking that your work will become less while your salary acquires more zeros behind it.
Most aspiring leaders usually strive to show the management that they are qualified for the position while still junior staff. But upon getting the new position, they relax, thinking that their subordinates will do the bulk of the work.
In reality, true leaders are meant to do the most work. They strategize, define a direction for others, build a comfortable work environment for all, and take the lead, as is expected of them.
Passing the buck
Most aspiring leaders fail to understand that passing blame is unethical as far as leadership goes. Real leaders take responsibility when their team fails and praises the team members when they win. Almost everyone wants to step back and look for who to blame when things go wrong, but that’s not the character of real leaders.
Always remember that you don’t become the person you wish to become; you become the person you choose to become. True and influential leadership doesn’t come through wishes; it comes by choices.
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