Congratulations, you just earned a promotion to a leadership position. Now, the hard work begins. Before your leadership skills take your company to the next level, examine these six weaknesses that may hinder your success. Working on these sooner rather than later helps prevent problems before they start.
1. Too Much Connectivity
In the contemporary workplace, it's important to stay connected to employees. Mobile devices and smartphones mean people can be on call at any time, and your leadership role might require you to work outside the office, after hours or when traveling. Employees on your team might choose to follow your example, but that could quickly lead to burnout and high turnover. Rather than lead by example in this case, encourage your team to get their work done during regular work hours.
2. No Trust
In your leadership role, you should trust your employees to perform their jobs. If you micromanage them, you might be spreading yourself too thin, and you can easily become overwhelmed. When this happens, you quickly lose the scope of your role in the company and you risk becoming a victim of burnout yourself.
3. Wanting People to Like You
Some leaders want to be liked, but this isn't always possible in a corporate environment. Everyone at the office won't agree with every decision you make. Rather than trying to please everyone, it's best to take the best course of action for the company. When you make decisions that are unpopular, make sure you communicate with your team so they know exactly what's going on and why you had to make that choice. If possible, back up your decision with data.
4. Becoming Stagnant
Stagnancy could lead to the downfall of your leadership position. A stagnant attitude leads to a lack of innovation, growth and profits. If you're set in your ways, you might miss out on many opportunities. It's best to listen to your employees, clients and customers when they have good ideas. If the ideas have merit, try to implement some of them to see what happens.
5. Hypocrisy
If you want your team to respect your decisions, you must follow your own rules. As a company leader, you set the example with your leadership style, and you must show everyone that you're willing to work just as hard as everyone else. Mitigate a "do what I say, not what I do" mentality by sharing your weaknesses and challenges with your team.
6. Not Seeking Assistance
Leaders are human, too, and they sometimes need assistance. Rely on your mentors to hold you accountable and to give you advice. When necessary, ask employees to pitch in to help you complete a project. Don't hesitate to let your superiors know if you need to hire more workers or an additional supervisor to help you out.
These six weaknesses don't have to dampen your leadership style. Continuously work on these issues to improve your company and further your career.
Photo courtesy of Ambro at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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