Seven Common Leadership Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

23/05/2024

Unlocking Your Authentic Leadership Style for Greater Connection and Impact

Say the word ‘leader’ and often we can’t help but think of someone with a commanding presence and a great capacity for speech.

But contrary to what society tells us (still), brilliant leaders come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. They can be young, old, introverted, extroverted, with a title, without a title – and everything in between.

Something that every brilliant leader has in common is not an external presence but an internal authority based on authenticity and humanship. Yet so many leaders focus on the former.

Here are seven leadership mistakes you may be making right now:

1) Pretending to Be a Leader That You Aren’t

To be a brilliant leader, you have to be your own kind of leader. When you emulate someone else’s style and try to make it fit, it doesn’t work – imagine a llama dressed as a flamingo and you get the idea. People need you to be you because who you are determines the way you lead. Discover your true self and let it shine.

2) Communicating Without Connecting

There’s a LOT of communication that goes on out there – but so much of it doesn’t land. If we can bin the word ‘communicate’ and bring in the word ‘connect’ (with bells on), the transactional suddenly becomes meaningful. People ask for more communication (all the time) but no-one ever asks for more email – think about it.

3) Not Giving Enough Airtime to Feelings

When we make space for and acknowledge others’ feelings, it makes them feel valued and heard. When leaders don’t talk about how they feel and make room for others to do the same, trust is the casualty. Even hard conversations can be opened with the words, “I know this feels like a difficult thing to discuss.”

4) Talking Too Much

We have one mouth and two ears for a good reason. As a leader, you might think that people are always looking to you for an answer, instruction, or opinion, but often they just need you to stop talking and listen. We learn absolutely nothing when we’re talking and leaders who listen (a lot) are loved (and have their finger on the pulse).

5) Staying in the Same Communication Gear

If you always communicate the same way, you’ve become wallpaper (sorry). Send out a video, leave a voice note, record a podcast, write a poem – connect in a different way from your usual method (you’re guilty as charged, Generic Monthly Email Circular!). Your preferred communication style will not tick the boxes of all your team.

6) Not Being Curious Enough

Children are naturally curious creatures and as we get older, so much of that is lost as we gain life experience and figure things out (or at least we think we do!). But curiosity is key to being a great leader and without it, there’s so much you’ll miss. Bring in plenty of open questions (make that a habit) and call your team without agendas.

7) Leaving Your Fun Side at Home

Lots of leaders leave their most fun, eccentric, entertaining side at home and this is a huge mistake. Laughter is about relationships and trust is built when we laugh together. Jestology™ is our unique approach to storytelling, entertainment, facilitation, and fun in leadership – a Jester leader stands out from the crowd.

We help brave and ambitious leaders discover and understand their natural leadership style to lead growth, lead confidently – but above all, Lead Happy™.