Tag: Identifying Leadership Mistakes

Journey To Leadership

8 Avoidable Mistakes That New Leaders Make

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Your hard work has been noticed, you have been promote and you have been rewarded with the position you have been coveting (or not)…

Now, it’s time to get to work because with your new role comes new responsibilities and with these new responsibilities come new people, new concepts, new ideas and also new opportunities for mistakes…

Wondering what are the critical mistakes to avoid as a new leader?

1. New leaders wait to be sollicited

A new leader who goes and checks in with the team is relatable, creates a bond and a sense of security.

Even if he or she has nothing special to say, expressing the basic requirements to the team is a good start.

2. New leaders nurture an imposter syndrom

It is quite normal to lack confidence when you first start out.

However, it is unhealthy and unproductive to openly and inwardly nurture an imposter syndrom for long periods of time.

After a while, your team will surely pick up on it and will start to question your leadership.

So, stop doubting yourself and take confidence in your leadership.

3. New leaders struggle with their leadership style

Befriend an employee or discipline a friend? That is the question…

Most new leaders, especially if they are unexpectedly thrown into a leadership position, have a hard time determining their leadership style.

It’s all about understanding your team members, learning to delegate, keeping your role and responsibilities in mind, finding the right balance between relatable, approachable and authoritative.

4. New leaders lead everyone the same way

Some people are quiet, others are loud.

Some introverted and others extroverted.

Some are all over the place and others don’t require discipline.

Some rather competition and others choose collaboration.

Some enjoy confrontation, some a conversation and others avoid conflict altogether.

Some are just somewhere in that spectrum.

The point is that not everyone is the same or require the same treatment. Therefore, the same leadership style cannot be used with everyone all the time.

5. New leaders tend to power trip and ego trip

That new found power can be elating to new leaders.

It will have them thinking that they can treat people anyway they want to or do whatever they please.

Someone else was in line for the job but you got it and it’s now an opportunity to belittle them?

There is no need to play or keep playing dirty because you have already made it and tomorrow is never guaranteed.

There are people on your team that you don’t like and you want to demonstrate your dislike and your authority?

They may technically be worked for you but the truth is that you are working for them.

If you abuse your power, everyone around you will lose respect for you and your behavior will slowly degrade productivity and team performance.

6. New leaders maintain their old responsibilities

Your responsibilities have changed or have increased?

It can be tempting and reassuring to want to handle every single details and to maintain your old activities in addition to your new ones.

It’s now time to accept the change, to fully take on your new role and to learn how to delegate.

7. New leaders tend to openly criticize

Whether it’s bad talking the person who previously held your position or critiquing the way things were done before you were here, critiquing tend to leave a bad taste in the mouth of your new team.

There is nothing wrong with wanting change and reorganizing things to your liking but you can do this without degrading your predecessors.

8. New leaders are afraid of appearing incompetent

Because of their fear of appearing incompetent, new leaders don’t clarify objectives, speak when they should really be listening, take credit for other’s ideas and don’t ask questions to higher ups.

Last Words Of Advice!

Before fully jumping in your new role and responsibilities, take a few moments to observe your new environment, comprehend the company culture and understand the people you will be working with.
Hope that I’ve helped you get it together on your way to leadership!

Don’t forget to like, share and leave a comment below.

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Journey To Leadership

8 Avoidable Mistakes That New Leaders Make

by journeytoleadershipblogLeave a Comment on 8 Avoidable Mistakes That New Leaders Make

Congratulations! Your hard work has been noticed, you have been promotef and you have been rewarded with the position youq have been coveting (or not).

Now, it’s time to get to work because with your new role comes new responsibilities and with these new responsibilities come new people, new concepts, new ideas and also new opportunities for mistakes…

Wondering what are the critical mistakes to avoid as a new leader?

Avoidable Mistakes That New Leaders Make #mistakes #failures #leadership journeytoleadershipblog.com

1. New leaders wait to be sollicited

A new leader who goes and checks in with the team is relatable, creates a bond and a sense of security.

Even if he or she has nothing special to say, expressing the basic requirements to the team is a good start.

2. New leaders nurture an imposter syndrom

It is quite normal to lack confidence when you first start out.

However, it is unhealthy and unproductive to openly and inwardly nurture an imposter syndrom for long periods of time.

After a while, your team will surely pick up on it and will start to question your leadership.

So, stop doubting yourself and take confidence in your leadership.

3. New leaders struggle with their leadership style

Befriend an employee or discipline a friend? That is the question…

Most new leaders, especially if they are unexpectedly thrown into a leadership position, have a hard time determining their leadership style.

It’s all about understanding your team members, learning to delegate, keeping your role and responsibilities in mind, finding the right balance between relatable, approachable and authoritative.

4. New leaders lead everyone the same way

Some people are quiet, others are loud.

Some introverted and others extroverted.

Some are all over the place and others don’t require discipline.

Some rather competition and others choose collaboration.

Some enjoy confrontation, some a conversation and others avoid conflict altogether.

Some are just somewhere in that spectrum.

The point is that not everyone is the same or require the same treatment. Therefore, the same leadership style cannot be used with everyone all the time.

5. New leaders tend to power trip and ego trip

That new found power can be elating to new leaders.

It will have them thinking that they can treat people anyway they want to or do whatever they please.

Someone else was in line for the job but you got it and it’s now an opportunity to belittle them?

There is no need to play or keep playing dirty because you have already made it and tomorrow is never guaranteed.

There are people on your team that you don’t like and you want to demonstrate your dislike and your authority?

They may technically be worked for you but the truth is that you are working for them.

If you abuse your power, everyone around you will lose respect for you and your behavior will slowly degrade productivity and team performance.

6. New leaders maintain their old responsibilities

Your responsibilities have changed or have increased?

It can be tempting and reassuring to want to handle every single details and to maintain your old activities in addition to your new ones.

It’s now time to accept the change, to fully take on your new role and to learn how to delegate.

7. New leaders tend to openly criticize

Whether it’s bad talking the person who previously held your position or critiquing the way things were done before you were here, critiquing tend to leave a bad taste in the mouth of your new team.

There is nothing wrong with wanting change and reorganizing things to your liking but you can do this without degrading your predecessors.

8. New leaders are afraid of appearing incompetent

Because of their fear of appearing incompetent, new leaders don’t clarify objectives, speak when they should really be listening, take credit for other’s ideas and don’t ask questions to higher ups.

Last Words Of Advice!

Before fully jumping in your new role and responsibilities, take a few moments to observe your new environment, comprehend the company culture and understand the people you will be working with.

Hope that I’ve helped you get it together on your way to leadership!

Don’t forget to like, share and leave a comment below.

Subscribe to Journey To Leadership

Book Reviews

Secrets Of Six Figure Women: Up Your Earnings and Change Your Life By Barbara Stanny

by journeytoleadershipblogLeave a Comment on Secrets Of Six Figure Women: Up Your Earnings and Change Your Life By Barbara Stanny

Although, most women remain underpaid and make 50% to 80% of what men make, more and more women are earning high salaries.

Women who underearn operate below their potential, have negative beliefs about money, work more for less pay without making the “conscious choice to live with less”.

The reality is that underearning affects your self-confidence, breaks down your lifestyle and limit your opportunities.

To start earning more and to make the right decisions, women need to change the way they think about themselves and their relationship with money.

SECRET 1 “Financial Success Is Possible in Almost Any Field, and Lack of Education Doesn’t Have to Hold You Back.”

Six-Figure women get credentials and go for the highest level of education they can possibly get.

However, they don’t let credentials stop them from achieving success.

SECRET 2 “Working Hard Doesn’t Mean Working All the Time.”

Six-Figure women take pleasure in their work and they work smart.

At the very least, they find jobs that are stimulating and fulfilling.

SECRET 3 “Focus on Fulfilling Your Values Rather Than Financial Gain.”

Women feel that they have to overwork themselves, stay longer hours than their male counterparts in order to attain their ambitions or to compete with men.

However, that lifestyle is not sustainable. High earning women look for signs of fatigue, burnout, a way to get more done in less time, to up their focus and for a way to balance their personal and professional life.

SECRET 4 “Loving What You Do Is Much More Important Than What You Do.”

The put their visions and values before financial gain.

Moreover, they want to live on their own terms.

Focusing on making money only creates an internal void that could never be filled.

SECRET 5 “Feel the Fear. Have the Doubts. Go for It Anyway.”

They are confident and believe in themselves.

They believe that they can do anything they set their minds to.

Of course, they struggle with self-doubt and fears but they somehow manage to overcome those fears or to fake it until they make it.

SECRET 6 “Think in Terms of Trade-offs, Not Sacrifices, to Find a Workable Equilibrium.”

Six-Figure women deal gracefully with social injustices.

They have figure out ways to deal with biases, injustices, racism and sexism with their sense of humor.

SECRET 7 “Sometimes You Just Have to Shrug It Off and Have a Good Laugh.”

They are grateful for what they have and how far they have come.

SECRET 8 “Appreciate Abundance.”

Six-Figure women are not victim of their circumstances.

They refuse to be beaten down or depressed for extended periods of time. Instead, they remain positive and optimistic against all odds.

Review

Secrets Of Six Figure Women: Up Your Earnings and Change Your Life by Barbara Stanny identifies the secrets of six-figure women, understand the traits and the principles that these women live by, so that we can apply these principles to our personal lives.

Secrets Of Six Figure Women: Up Your Earnings and Change Your Life helps you grow internally, expand your mindset, remove self-limiting beliefs, become self-aware, become financially aware and boost your income.

Furthermore, Barbara Stanny aims to shift the mindset from overcoming obstacles to finding in opportunities to increasing your earnings.

She shifts the focus from wage gap to wage gain, from lack to abundance.

Barbara Stanny, a new aged woman with a lot of questions when it comes to the process of women earning six figures, interviews and introduces us to the mindset of high powered and high earning women from all professional background.

I enjoyed the fact that she gave easy and achievable steps into earning more.

I also appreciated that Barbara Stanny tackled the fact that almost every woman and monorities experience the same hardships in the workplace.

Unfortunately, in 2020, not much has changed in corporate. Racism and sexism are still present in most organizations.

Do you have the same experience at home or in the workplace? Has earning a high income created any backlash at home or in The workplace?

Let me know below what you think about this book!

Favorite quote(s)

Was holding a high-paying job even worth what I imagined it would entail? Did six-figure women have to work absurdly long hours, forfeit their femininity, forgo their happiness, give up all semblance of a personal life? Did their marriages hold up? Did their children suffer? Did they bear lasting scars from breaking glass ceilings or battling gender bias? Was it possible for anyone to become a high earner? Could I?

What if we shifted the spotlight from women’s plight to women’s progress? What if we turned our attention from what’s wrong with the system and instead analyzed what’s working for those who are succeeding? We’re not ignoring the problem; we’re merely shifting our perspective.

Lawyer Tracy Preston told me the same thing. “If I internalized every time someone said something racist or sexist I wouldn’t be able to function. There’s always some incident that’ll be jarring, but I recognize it’s people’s ignorance. How do I deal with it? As they say, being black in America isn’t easy, so you have to have a sense of humor. Otherwise you’d go crazy.”

Like it or not, money affects virtually every area of your life. Lack of it leads to dependency and hardship. It can limit your access to health care and lifestyle choices. It can keep you in an unhappy marriage and an unsatisfying job. It perpetuates the cycle of poverty and debt, of discontent and chronic stress.

Our state of mind, however, often resembles a rearview mirror. We head toward the future seeing only the images from our past, and then wonder why nothing ever changes. I once heard insanity defined as doing the same thing over and over and expecting it to be different. Given that definition, I can safely say underearning is a form of financial insanity.

The real work in raising the bar is to stop doing the same old thing you’ve always done, to try out new strategies, to ignore false alarms, to resist the urge to quit, and to refuse to fall back into familiar terrain. The ability to tolerate discomfort—doing what might not feel good, but doing it anyway—is the only way you’ll ever complete the path to financial success. It helps to keep in mind that the discomfort is temporary, but the payoff is extraordinary.

You must let go of where you are to get to where you want to go.

men got high marks from their bosses when they were forceful and assertive, but women were downgraded for displaying the same qualities. To be quite candid, the double standard is alive and kicking—assertive men are respected, assertive women are resented.

Ratings 4.5/5

About the author

Barbara Stanny

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Journey To Leadership

Identifying And Correcting Leadership Mistakes In The Workplace

by journeytoleadershipblog2 Comments on Identifying And Correcting Leadership Mistakes In The Workplace

Mistakes?! Everybody makes them but not everyone knows how to handle them.

Mistakes are most often seen in a negative light but it shows you what you are made of, that you need to redirect your career, that you need to change procedures and your character. Mistakes are inevitable, are a factor for change and are capable of:
  • Discovering our authentic selves.
  • Exhibiting our vulnerabilities, limitations and blind spots.
  • Helping us prioritize and go to the essentials.
  • Showing us what works and what doesn’t.
  • Teaching us to forgive and to be less hard on ourselves.
  • Teaching us how to explore and experiment in life.
  • Teaching us how to learn and change.
  • Humbling us.
  • Showing us who is our support system.
  • Building our problem solving skills.
  • Making us more resourceful.
  • Displaying the consequences of our mistakes.
  • Removing us from our comfort zones.

Wondering how to identify mistakes and how to correct them?

Mistakes don’t directly lead to success but it can show you the way. It is best when they come to light rather than going unnoticed. When mistakes are made, it makes sense for us to focus on what we have done right, on our strengths rather than our weaknesses. It is then detrimental to:
  • Identify the cues of mistake making, of failure.
  • Be self-aware.
  • Take responsibility for the mistake that led to the problem.
  • Encourage constructive criticism as much as feedback is given.
  • Measure the consequences of the mistakes.
  • Make immediate analysis and changes to fix the mistakes.
  • Be smart and learn from the mistakes made. Be wise and learn from the mistakes of others.
  • Create an environment that is safe to make mistakes and to recover from them.
There is a vast number of recurring mistakes and failures detected in corporate history. building and maintaining relationships in the workplace

MISTAKE #1: Fitting Into The Corporate Culture

The first mistake that leaders make is failing to see that they don’t fit in, that their values and morals don’t match the company’s culture. To identify whether or not you will fit in and be an asset to your company:
  • Check out the group that you have to work with.
  • Pose the right questions about the company during the hiring process. You can even hang out in the company’s lobby or pip in the office to get a feel of the company.

Corrective Action

Whether or not you wish to adapt to the culture is a personal choice. If you do:
  • Observe other people who are successful within the organization and see if you can emulate their behavior.
  • Learn to appreciate uniqueness and diversity.
  • Learn to adapt to the situation at hand.
  • Leave when there is too much discrepancy between your morals, values and the company’s culture.

MISTAKE #2: Focusing on the job and not on people

Leaders who don’t focus on people are seen to be snobs, insensitive, inattentive. They don’t like to be interrupted, are their best when left alone, avoid conversations and small talks at all costs, are focused on tasks, are afraid of failing at their jobs. Unfortunately, they fail at relationships. This can easily create misunderstandings and conflicts because people have no barometer to measure your speech or your behavior.

Corrective Action

Dealing with people has now become a sought after soft skill. To keep growing that skill:
  • Relax and allow people to come to you.
  • Control your verbal and non verbal cues.
  • Recognize that people are part of life and that relationships can increase your success.
  • Show that you care.
  • Solve people’s problem.
  • Take lunches and breaks away from your workplace in order to handle social interactions better.
  • Give positive feedback, affirmations, encouragements especially to younger workers.
  • Don’t play favorites with people.

MISTAKE #3: Sticking To Traditional Leadership Styles

Autocratic and commanding leadership styles, though common and easy, are outdated, are rigid, are no longer acceptable in society and don’t work anymore, especially with millennials. Some leaders, needing to feel superior and powerful, tend to withhold information to control their employees. Today, millennials expect validation, recognition, rewards, a more deconstructed workplace that is fun, relaxed, motivational yet productive and structured. They want to understand their role, the impact of their contributions at work, to be involved in the decision-making process, to learn continually and to own their work. People are more comfortable in the democratic leadership style and are able to perform at their best.

Corrective Action

To transition from an autocratic leadership style to a more democratic leadership style:
  • Allow your workers to give their input before you make a decision.
  • Learn how to motivate and inspire your people.
  • Be the solution to everybody’s problem.
  • Empower others and help them to be successful.
  • Don’t be arrogant, don’t bark orders or mistreat your coworkers.
  • Listen to the needs of your coworkers.

MISTAKE #4: Shutting down dissenting voices, innovative and creative people

Pioneers and dissenting voices within the organization usually have a bad reputation. They are not welcomed in groups, go against the grain, are seen as not playing by the rules, are stifled, are the ones that end up being fired. The thing is that pioneers are innovative, creative and can renew a company’s product and culture. They are natural catalysts, take risks and they need a room to breathe and to exercise their talents.

Corrective Action

To include dissenting voices, innovative and creative people:
  • Be more flexible with your policies and procedures.
  • Learn to discern pioneers from troublemakers and contrarians. pioneers actually care about the organization and about their contributions to it.
  • Allow pioneers to work on their own and own their results.
  • Slowly increase their responsibility.
  • Understand that everyone is not the same and deserve a different treatment.

MISTAKE #5: Controlling people and not delegating

Some leaders don’t know how to delegate, don’t want to delegate or just find it plain hard to do so. Indeed, it is a hard task because it requires that the leader:
  • Has faith in the workers.
  • believes that the work will be up to standards.
  • is confident in their personal abilities and is not afraid of being upstaged.
  • is comfortable depending on others.

Corrective Action

Delegating is not easy. To learn how to delegate:
  • Avoid micromanaging people but measure their advancement.
  • Don’t withdraw a project or assignment that you have previously delegated.
  • Include employees in the decision-making process.
  • Demonstrate confidence in yourself and in the people you have chosen to delegate the tasks to.
  • When delegating, select experts in their field, clarify their roles, give them the authority to do their jobs, allow them to fail and to grow.
  • Create clear progress measurement tools and milestones.

MISTAKE #6: Not Seeing The Bigger Picture

Leaders fail when they are unable to see the bigger picture.

Corrective Action

To stay fixated on the bigger picture:
  • Write a personal mission statement and build a vision board.
  • Get to know your company’s mission and vision statement.
  • Take time to think about your vision.
  • Prioritize and stick to the essentials.
  • Feed your mind with positivity.

MISTAKE #7: Competing With Coworkers

Comparing ourselves to others and competing with them can weigh on work performance and self-esteem. Competition in the workplace, without rules and regulations, to increase work performance, to put two employees against each other can easily derail an entire organization, create a toxic workplace, create a culture of fear.

Corrective Action

To reduce competition in the workplace:
  • Collaborate with your team members.
  • Build relationships that go beyond the workplace.
  • Compete against the standards that you have set for yourself.
  • Acknowledge your personal success.
  • Build new skills.

Last Words Of Advice!

Everybody makes mistakes. You have find ways to learn from them and turn them into positives. Identifying And Correcting Leadership Mistakes In The Workplace IDENTIFYING AND CORRECTING LEADERSHIP MISTAKES IN THE WORKPLACE Hope that I’ve helped you get it together on your way to leadership! Don’t forget to like, share and leave a comment below.
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