As a new leader, you want to do your best to lead the people you’re in charge of toward success. However, it isn’t always going to be easy to keep things going along smoothly. You might encounter bumps in the road that will throw you off course if you are not careful. Read on to take a look at common mistakes that new leaders should try to avoid.
Failing to Communicate Properly
One of the biggest issues that will hold you back as a leader is not being able to communicate properly. If you can’t give clear orders to your team, then they’re going to wind up making a lot of mistakes. You need to take the time to ensure that your expectations are understood. It’s also important to listen to your people so that you can help to solve any problems.
Power Tripping
“Power tripping” is a term that some people use to describe new leaders who get drunk with power. There are people out there who treat others poorly and abuse their leadership positions. This will lead to you being a poor leader and it’ll also likely cause many people to leave the company. Poor leadership can kill a company faster than you might realize, and you need to try to maintain a certain level of humility while serving in a leadership capacity.
Micromanaging
Micromanaging employees can be a very bad thing when you get down to it. It might seem like you’re trying to help people get things right, but trying to micromanage your employees really just keeps them from doing their jobs. You have to train people right and then trust them to do what they’re supposed to do. It’s fine to offer support and to check in from time to time, but standing over the shoulders of your people is counterproductive.
Taking Credit for Employees’ Good Work
Taking credit for the good work that your team is doing is not always for the best. You need to reward and acknowledge the accomplishment of your people. Some leaders try to take credit for the success of others, and you should only accept credit when you have truly earned it. You want your team to trust and respect you, and this means that you should never try to downplay the role that your team played in a successful project.