How To Avoid Getting In Your Own Way

Use your leadership development skills to check yourself to make sure you aren’t getting in your own way.

Striving to increase your leadership development and continually improving your leading abilities is a must. Your organization and your team look to you be the driver and to be an example of living the company culture. But once in awhile you should check yourself to make sure you are not getting in your own way.

Make sure to periodically take the time to check yourself and get out of your own way!

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Here are 4 ways Leaders get in their own way and fail at leading others:

Micromanaging– You’re the leader. You have hired the best team. Show them you trust them by letting them do their job.

Micromanaging Failures:

1. Demoralizes the team

2. Wastes the leaders time when they could be focusing at a higher level such as business strategy

3. Slows progress

Play the Blame Game– Leaders should have a “the buck stops here” mentality.

Blame Game Failures:

1. Wastes time finding who to blame rather than address or solving a problem

2. Creates insecurity for the team and within the culture

3. Taking ownership of a failure within the organization provides the leadership needed to find solutions and move forward as team

Lack of Communication Skills– Listen and make sure you get to know the employees at all levels.

Communication Failures:

1. Goals are not accomplished because they are not clear

2. Company culture is not understood because it’s not lived at the top of the organization

3. Morale drops if employees don’t feel they are heard

Lack of Vision– Leaders should be looking toward the future, so their company has the opportunity to grow and compete.

Visionary Failures:

1. Your organization will get left behind by more innovative competitors

2. Employee turnover increases as other organizations offer better opportunities

3. Loyal customers/clients will be forced to seek other organizations because you did not see new trends coming

Being honest with yourself is also a great leadership development tool. Make sure to periodically take the time to check yourself and get out of your own way!

For more leadership development, sign up for the Monday Morning Coaching Memo.

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