Friday, 6 September 2013

THE TOP 10 MISTAKES LEADERS MAKE

1. TOP DOWN ATTITUDE

The top-down attitude comes naturally to most people
Servant leadership is much more rare
Effective leaders see themselves at the bottom of an inverted pyramid

2. PUTTING PAPERWORK BEFORE PEOPLEWORK

The greater the leadership role, the less time there seems to be for people.
The greater the leadership role, the more important peoplework is.
People are opportunities, not interruptions.

3. THE ABSENCE OF AFFIRMATION

Everyone thrives on affirmation and praise.
Leadership has as much to do with the "soft sciences" as with getting things done.
We wildly underestimate the power of the tiniest personal touch of kindness.
Learn to read the varying levels of affirmation your people need.

4. NO ROOM FOR MAVERICKS

Mavericks can save us from the slide toward institutionalism
They bring us the future!
Learn to recognize truly useful mavericks

5. DICTATORSHIP IN DECISION MAKING

Dictators deny the value of individuals.
The major players in an organization are like its stockholders. They should have a say in its direction.
The one who does the job should decide how it is done.
"Flat" organizations are the model of the future.

6. DIRTY DELEGATION

Overmanaging is one of the great cardinal sins of poor leadership.
Nothing frustrates those who work for you more than sloppy delegation with too many strings attached.
Delegation should match each worker's follow-through ability.

7. COMMUNICATION CHAOS

Never assume that anyone knows anything.
The bigger the group, the more attention must be given to communication
When left in the dark, people tend to dream up wild rumors.
Communication must be the passionate obsession of effective leadership.

8. MISSING THE CLUES OF CORPORATE CULTURE

Corporate culture is "the way we do things around here."
Never underestimate the mighty power of your organization's culture.
Cultivating and changing the culture should be one of leadership's top priorities.
Learn to respect values different from your own. 

9. SUCCESS WITHOUT SUCCESSORS

Pride tightens the grip on leadership; humility relaxes and lets go.
Finishing well is an important measure of success in leadership.
Letting go of leadership is like sending your children to college: it hurts, but has to be done.
Mentoring is a nonnegotiable function of successful leadership.

10. FAILURE TO FOCUS ON THE FUTURE

The future is rushing at us at breakneck speed.
A leader's concentration must not be on the past nor on the present, but on the future.
Vision is an effective leader's chief preoccupation.
Organizations are reinvented with new generations of dreamers.

(Hans Finzel)

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