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by Kelly Riggs
Managers make mistakes.
Oh yes, I know this may come as a complete shock to some managers, but it is true nevertheless. The perfect manager exists only in his (or her) own mind. Which means, of course, that even good managers drop the ball on occasion.
The thing is, there are mistakes and then there are mistakes. For example a manager might make a decision that costs the company a few hundred bucks, whereas a truly ghastly mistake might bankrupt the company and require the help of someone like these business bankruptcy lawyers in Harrisburg PA to help resolve the situation in the manner which is going to cause the least disruption possible.
An extreme contrast, but you get the idea – not all mistakes are created equal.
So, mistakes can be evaluated in terms of magnitude – from minor (or trivial) all the way up to the proverbial “heads will roll” – but it is really important to understand that certain mistakes can be damaging in terms of leadership impact.
There are, in fact, some mistakes that are guaranteed to derail a manager’s effectiveness; mistakes that undermine a manager’s ability to lead his (or her) employees. And if your employees don’t trust your leadership, not only will performance suffer, but talented employees will start looking for the door.
Let’s take a look at three fairly common mistakes that are sure to undermine your leadership credibility.
Employees are willing to overlook managerial mistakes, assuming they aren’t commonplace or a result of incompetence. What they won’t overlook is indecision.
Leaders must exude confidence and competence equally, or they will eventually lose credibility. This doesn’t mean that a manager must know everything, or make decisions without consultation or input from others. It just means that a good boss, after consideration of all factors and input, will make a firm decision based on sound rationale.
To do otherwise is to lose the confidence of those that follow his/her lead.
People don’t line up behind someone who isn’t sure.
It is simply amazing what people can do – especially employees – when they feel valued and appreciated. Despite this rather obvious fact (it was William James who said in the late 19th century that “the deepest craving in human nature is the craving to be appreciated”), most managers fail to pay adequate attention to employees and their contributions to the company’s success. In most cases, excellence is rarely celebrated or rewarded, and – worse – poor performance is often tolerated or excused. Employees want to know that they are being supported and can turn to their manager with any issues they may have, that is why managers need to consider taking a look at areas such as employee benefits consulting in Michigan or wherever they are based, so they are helping their employees wellbeing and not dismissing them and their work.
Truth be told, employers, managers, and entrepreneurs should know that a simple gesture of appreciation, be it sending online vouchers (by employing gift card API) as birthday gifts or praising them for a recent project that was accomplished with 100% sincerity, can work miraculously towards motivating employees. All these things can make the employees feel valued and wanted, which could encourage them further to perform better. Anyway, the bottom line is that employers must treat their employees as integral parts of the organization and not as just any other regular guy, who was hired to accomplish the job.
In this environment, the message to employees is that managers are selfish or simply don’t care. Unfortunately, few things in the workplace will send talented employees scurrying for new opportunities quicker than self-serving or unappreciative managers. Try to be more appreciative and recognize the good work they are doing. You can Read Article about employee recognition to better manage your work as a manager.
Appreciation, not imitation, is the sincerest form of flattery.
Employees expect their managers to be available. When they need support, they expect leaders to provide that support. They reasonably expect that their managers will coach them, give them feedback, even help them advance their careers.
Unfortunately, too few managers respond to these expectations, and this failure creates a slow but steady erosion of their leadership capital. Instead, managers are typically focused on the technical aspects of their jobs with seemingly little time to devote to employee support and development.
If you’re not available to your employees, they will make themselves available elsewhere.
RUSSIA SOCHI 2014 OLYMPIC GAMES – NY Daily News
As a manager, you can reasonably expect to make a few mistakes, but you want to steer clear of the common mistakes that compromise your leadership capacity. Which means, of course, that when you make mistakes, you need to come clean with your employees – and learn the lessons those mistakes teach you.
Douglas Conant, who retired as the CEO of Campbell’s in 2011 said it this way:
I’m not afraid of making mistakes. The one thing you must have in this work is humility. You have to talk about mistakes and then talk about what you have learned and how to move forward. You acknowledge missteps right away, you deal with them, and you move ahead. If you don’t bring a lot of humility to this work, you lose credibility.
And without credibility, your days as an effective leader are numbered.
Kelly Riggs is a business performance coach and founder of the Business LockerRoom. A former national Salesperson of the Year and serial entrepreneur, Kelly is a recognized thought leader in the areas of sales, management leadership, and strategic planning. He serves clients ranging from small, privately held companies to Fortune 500 firms. Kelly has written two books: “1-on-1 Management™: What Every Great Manager Knows That You Don’t” and “Quit Whining and Start SELLING! A Step-by-Step Guide to a Hall of Fame Career in Sales.”
