There is no denying the fact that not everyone is meant or destined to be a leader. That is a fact, no matter how harsh it sounds. However, for individuals who are already leading teams or organizations or aspire to do so sometime in the near future, this article is for you.
Gaining control, decision making powers, and a great deal of confidence (perks and salaries) is a heady concoction that can play out in two ways-
- It can get to your head and force you to act in ways that will be detrimental to your organization’s interests. Or,
- It can be played out responsibly through poise, commitment, compassion, and inspiration. This leads to unparalleled success.
The internet is replete with resource articles on ‘tips to become a leader’ or, ‘how to improve your leadership skills.’ However, our approach is different. Before you start something, a better approach is to focus on areas that you are going wrong on.
In this article, we are going to discuss seven mistakes that business leaders need to stop making right now. If you are a start-up entrepreneur, CEO, CTO, or any team head, this article will definitely help you become better at what you do.
List of 7 Key Reasons why Leaders Fail in Business Organizations
Reason 1: Falling prey to base human instincts-
There is no denying the fact that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely! There are many incidents when leaders have become selfish and self-sustaining in nature. Rather than focus on building teams, empowerment and delegation, they have focussed on maintaining that their position is safe. They become controlling and follow an approach of criticisms for control.
Reason 2: Being satisfied with the state of things-
As a business leader, whenever you are satisfied, you are putting brakes on progress. You might think that you have met a target and can afford to slow down. However, this can become a bad habit of contentment that can put a ceiling on your and your team’s competencies. You need to keep pushing the team and lead them to newer heights and progress all the time.
Reason 3: Starting to engage in petty office politics-
There are two things that can seriously compromise your ability to lead. One is being suspicious of what your team members are doing. And two, finding out ways and means of finding out things about employees behind their back. Office politics is something that you should intentionally stay away from at all times. This will put you in a negative headspace.
Reason 4: Failure to adapt to new areas of tech and digital platforms-
Evolution is synonymous with progress in any business organization. in the last few years, technological growth and digital proliferation have become second nature to consumers and businesses. If you are unable to engineer the changes for your business, you will not grow and lose your customer base to your competitors that are actively engaging with the changes.
Reason 5: Putting an end to their learning and development-
No one knows everything. Even Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos are constantly improving by learning new things. Unless you are up-to-date and aware of the world around you, you will not grow as a leader. Make sure that you are always taking up leadership coaching to learn new skills, update old ones and be in sync with the latest in management organization.
Reason 6: Not working on your communication skills-
Communication is a critically important aspect for any business leader. Make sure that you evaluate whether you have good communication skills or not. One way to do the same is to pay attention to whether you speak more or listen more. If you are doing more of the former and not the latter, you need to work on your communication skills a lot.
Reason 7: Poor understanding of what leadership means-
What is leadership? Is it rising to a position of power or is it leading, guiding, and inspiring others to succeed? Many individuals have a faulty assumption of what leadership is all about. Leaders can never be self-serving in nature. They are there for others, their teams, specifically. If your definition and understanding of leadership are not this, then you will most likely fail.
The Bottom Line
For a leader, creating a progressive and positive work culture that focuses on the well-being of others is important. Leadership is not all about numbers, data, and figures. It is about helping others reach their true potential through guidance, motivation, as well as, encouragement. If you are able to eliminate the above-mentioned seven mistakes, you will become closer to your goal of becoming the best business leader ever.
