There’s nothing easy about running a business, but one of the more challenging jobs that comes with it is managing a team of employees. We’ve all had a bad manager or two in our time in the working world. These individuals are what inspire horror stories and haunt your career. You may have sworn that you’d be nothing like them, but there are many ways you could be tarnishing your own leadership skills. With that in mind, here are six major mistakes made by new leaders.
- Failing To Show Appreciation
No one wants to work for someone that doesn’t appreciate all that they do. When you put too much focus on results, and not enough on the individuals behind them, then it could cause you to lose valuable talent. Because of this, you must make sure that you offer incentives and rewards for hard work. From cakes to extra holiday days, there are many ideas to consider.
- Keeping Company News Quiet
Employees don’t need to know everything that goes on in your business. In fact, there are some company secrets that are best kept quiet. That being said, some others are sure to breed mistrust. Keeping news that affects your employees to yourself, like a future relocation is rarely a good idea. This is especially true if this news is already or soon will be public knowledge anyway.
- Dealing With Everything Yourself
After spending so much time taking care of business singlehanded, letting go of the reins can be difficult. However, trying to deal with everything yourself will only harm you and your company in the long run. Because of this, you should learn to delegate to employees and seek extra help, like janitorial services. This will take the pressure off, allowing you to focus on the important tasks.
- Blowing Off Annual Reviews
It’s impossible to work your best when you’re unsure of exactly what that entails. This is why annual reviews are so important. If you don’t set goals for your team and follow them up, they’re not going to meet their targets, and instead will likely make some serious mistakes. For this reason, you should remember to conduct annual reviews no matter how busy you are.
- Setting Expectations Too High
As important as it is to set goals and targets, you can’t ask for the impossible from your staff. Doing so will almost always lead to failure, which will damage employee morale, leading to a loss of productivity, and maybe even a few resignations. You should also remember that mistakes and failure are a part of learning, and not punish your team for them.
- Ignoring Conflicts Between Employees
The office may not be a social space, but it’s still vital that your team get along with one another. This will help to boost the mood of all of your employees, resulting in increased productivity and fewer absences. When there is a conflict between employees, it’s up to you to step in. Make sure to address the situation with both parties involved and offer mediation if necessary.
Being a leader is a tough role, but it can be made much easier by avoiding the mistakes above.
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