by Brian McKay
Leading a successful business is all about learning from your mistakes. Sometimes it is necessary to make a slip up so that you can learn from it for the betterment of your company. However, what are some common mistakes that you can avoid, thus keeping your business on the right path? Let’s discover 3 leadership mishaps that can prevent your business from achieving its ambitions.
Improper Delegation of Tasks
As a leader, one of your biggest responsibilities is to make sure that your team have a diverse range of tasks that are matched to their skill sets. Successful delegation is all about specifying the outcomes you need to the members of staff you are confident can deliver the results you need. Sometimes, managers can feel uncomfortable asking for help and support, but it is still important to allow others to use their talents to make managing your own workload easier. If you're in a situation where you don't feel confident enough in training your staff and helping to develop their skills, you can get in contact with a company like Mentorcliq (https://www.mentorcliq.com/enterprise-mentoring-programs) to help advance your mentoring skills.
To delegate properly, it is important to first make an accurate assessment of the strengths from within your team. Ask yourself whether a task that could take up your valuable time could be completed by someone else as an opportunity for them to grow and develop their skills. It is no secret that delegating responsibilities can seem overwhelming, which is why so many leaders decide to further their knowledge about this vital skill by attending leadership training courses. That being said, do remember to consider any deadlines and consequences of the task not being completed on time as these can also pose problems where effective delegation is concerned.
Poor Communication
Neglecting to provide your team with feedback can seriously hamper motivation in the workplace. Employees value constructive comments and above all, need these verbal assessments of their work and progress in order to identify what they have done well and what can be improved. Furthermore, if your employees do not feel heard or that their opinions are not valued, they are more likely to become disenchanted, and not complete work to the best of their ability.
The Value of Honest Feedback is Something that Should Never Be Underestimated
Consequently, utilizing the concept of active listening can help to ensure good communication across all levels of your business. As a leader, aim to be approachable, positive and a sensitive ear to your co-workers. Open body language and eye contact should feel natural, so do your best to engage with any questions or concerns raised by your team to develop ideas and address issues.
Failing to Invest in Your Team
An important element of leadership that sometimes can fall to the wayside is providing your team with advancement opportunities. Employees enjoy feeling that the role they are currently completing could lead to further opportunities within the company or elsewhere, and this in turn encourages a positive workplace culture and an ambitious atmosphere. Ongoing training and career support are crucial for both individual employees and the company as a whole.
Mentoring opportunities and training seminars can motivate employees to expand their skillsets and develop their working relationships with staff members at all levels of a company. Internal coaching, whereby staff lead sessions in their field of expertise are a cost-effective way to provide unique learning opportunities for all employees. As a leader it is also your responsibility to make employees feel rewarded for their efforts. Company lunches and bonus schemes are sometimes all it takes to generate a motivational and harmonious environment.
Leadership mistakes are, to a degree, unavoidable. Failure is a necessary lesson to learn in many facets of life. However, it is how leaders learn from these errors and correct situations that says much more about the company culture and fosters a positive atmosphere.
To learn more about what it takes to become a successful leader, check out these top traits of the best bosses.