Nobody is perfect. We all have weaknesses of our own. Leaders aren’t exempt; even if they are great leaders, they may have areas that they need to work on. Being a strong leader means you recognize these weaknesses and work to improve upon them; self-evaluation and self-improvement is crucial. Here are some of the top weaknesses found in leaders today.
Not Setting Clear Expectations
If you aren’t clear in your instructions, your employees will feel both confused and frustrated. Murky expectations will send employees in multiple directions and they won’t be able to stay on track. It can also be a waste of time and profit killer if employees are prioritizing projects they shouldn’t be because your expectations aren’t clear.
Never Taking a Break
Everyone needs to unplug. Leaders are notorious for being workaholics that are constantly connected to their phones. Sure, it allows you to respond to customers and staff members quickly, buy you’re never turning your brain off. You may begin to adopt an omnipresent leadership approach. There’s also the risk of never feeling like you’re doing enough, especially if you do decide to take a weekend or night off from email. You may also get so caught up in the small details you forget about the larger picture.
Wanting to be Liked by Employees
Sure, everyone wants to be liked, but how much do you focus on that? Far too often, leaders desire to be everyone’s favorite boss so much that it clouds their decision-making skills. Sometimes, important decisions for the business will upset people, and you have to accept that. You can’t always be in everyone’s good favor. Sometimes simply explaining the reason you made an unpopular decision is enough to keep your employees satisfied.
Little or No Trust in Employees
If you don’t trust your employees, it shows, and it will create a not-so-great environment for everyone. One of the not-so-obvious ways that a leader can demonstrate this is by micromanaging projects or taking on all the work themselves. Leaders may not trust their employees to perform, so they just overwork themselves and refrain from giving them information on certain projects. Lack of trust can get even more serious if leaders choose to express that mistrust to other employees in the form of gossip or other negative statements.
Do you feel like you exhibit some of these traits? It might be time to join a peer leadership group to offer a safe outlet to discuss these fears and weaknesses!
