A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them. John C. Maxwell

1. Failing to delegate

  It's quite common to find controlling leaders who think they are the only ones who know how to do certain tasks. This behavior shows a lack of confidence in your team, which not only discourages your employees, but also blocks their professional development. Additionally, it makes you lose your time on small tasks which you could rather use on higher-value tasks.

  Avoid this pitfall by delegating work smartly. Give team members assignments according to their interest and expertise, and be open to let them volunteer for tasks themselves.

Related post: How To Delegate Successfully?

2. Assuming you're right.

  Some leaders believe their way is automatically the right one. They assume that because they have the title, that makes them the thought leader.

  Therefore, they try achieving the company´s goals without taking into account the opinion of their team. This can lead to major communication problems within an organization. Moreover, when things are going south, its common to find out that the risks of a decision were evident to several employees, but they were ignored by their managers.

  Developing your listening skills helps you to be in a better position to lead a team. Given that it allows you to build superior relationships with different people, and adapt to changes. It also allows you to understand your employees, and thus motivate and engage them with the company.

Related post: Are You Listening To Your Employees?

3. Failing to applaud small wins

  Some leaders focus so much on the big picture; they forget that all great achievements are an accumulation of many smaller wins. Moreover, if you are extremely focused on the high-level vision of the company, you are not setting the path to success your team needs to follow in order to reach that destination. This road-map is often composed by several minor stops without which the objectives of the company could not be achieved. Therefore, it is very important to give these small wins the credit they deserve, not only to keep your team focused, but also motivated.

Related post: How-to Help Employees Understand the Big Picture