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Business leaders all around usually exhibit a good number of attributes that endear other people to them. In fact, it is their ability to influence others positively that shows their leadership ability, following John Maxwell's principle in his bestselling book on leadership, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, that leadership is influence. Asides their ability to influence other people and gear them to work, business leaders also possess project management skills, communication skills and the ability to take risks. Meanwhile, there are three common mistakes that are made by most business leaders all around the world. These are mistakes that often reflect as the downsides of an untamed exercise of their leadership qualities and personal qualities. It is important that you pay attention to these mistakes, understand how they may frustrate both the business growth and your leadership, and determine to guard against them strongly.
1. Thinking and moving ahead of their followers
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It is a natural tendency of business leaders, and in fact all leaders, to think and move ahead of their followers. The ability of a person to think ahead of others and take action while others may still be lingering around is in fact one of the attributes that qualify one as a leader. However, this attitude must be properly channeled for the benefit of the organization. Most organizations whose leaders always dart like bullets without taking a moment to take the followers or employees along often suffer tremendously. The first obvious consequence is that there will be lack of awareness about the situation of things by the employees. Since it is the leaders who always do the thinking and take action without taking any moment to explain the reason or the cause of action to the followers, the followers will keep performing less than it is expected of them as they have no sense of direction. Next, the leader, with his natural tendency to think of ways to help put the organization back in place will work himself or herself to the ground and may suffer serious health problems. The last and most alarming is that the organization will not be able to survive any turbulent times it may encounter whenever the leader is no longer functioning. The leader who had always been the arrowhead had left no trainee and the necessary consequence is that the organization fails upon his retirement or death.
2. Speaking more and listening less
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It is a tendency of leaders to want to share their opinions and give directions to followers on how to go about their work. However, this may lead them to a costly mistake of not listening to what others may have in mind as well. As a business leader, there are three different kinds of people you must always listen to: first, your customers, to understand their expectations and feedback on the products you sell to them; consult your mentors, so you can make more informed decisions on certain issues and finally your employees, who should be considered your team players in handling the affairs of the company. If you fail to pay enough attention to what any of these people are saying, you will be making a huge mistake that may cost you your leadership and company.
3.Delegating tasks to the wrong people
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It is a mistake to think that anyone can do anything. People do have strength and weaknesses. According to Frances Hesselbein, "organisations exist to make people's strengths effective and their weaknesses irrelevant and this is the work of effective leadership."Any leader who assigns tasks to the wrong people will be frustrating those people who will be weighed down by their own inefficiency as well as the company which will have to accept improperly done projects.
It is therefore essential that as business leaders or prospective business leaders, you train yourself in the art of understanding people's strengths and finding them the right jobs that suit those strengths, listen more and speak less and restrain the urge to think and move too far ahead of your followers or employees.
By Adeyemi Aleshinloye
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