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10. Treat others like you are better than
them. Your followers know that you are the leader.
They know that you worked hard to get there. They will give you your due most of
the time. What they won’t tolerate is having you treat them as though you are
better than them. If we lead from a position that gives the impression that we
think we are better than others, they will rebel. Refrains of “Who does he
think he is?” will fill the halls. Solution: Lead
boldly. Lead strongly. But in everything, be humble and communicate to people
that they are of great value and that you appreciate them very much. 9. Take credit for everything good that
happens. When omething happens that is good for the
company, make sure that you take credit for it. “You know, if it weren’t for
my vision and leadership…” That will destroy you quickly.
People want to be recognized for their work. Remember, as the leader, you
are being rewarded financially and in other ways for your leadership. Your
followers in many ways only receive their reward in knowing they were a
significant part of achieving victory. Solution: When
your team wins, spread the wealth. Go the extra mile to acknowledge and reward
those who played a part. 8. Place the blame on others for any
failures that take place. The opposite of number nine,
if you want to destroy your leadership, is to be sure to blame others for the
failures you experience. By this I mean primarily in public. I am not saying
people shouldn’t be accountable if they fail, but taking them to task publicly
will destroy their desire to follow you. Solution: In
public take responsibility. That is what leaders do.
Privately, challenge your folks to grow in the areas that contributed to
the failure. 7. Cut ethical corners with a wink-wink.
A quick way to get people to question your leadership is to do something
unethical and then let people know you know what you are doing is wrong by the
old wink-wink, “nobody will ever know” attitude. This teaches them that they
can’t trust you. If you will cut corners on others, you may cut corners on
them. From this point forward they will hedge their bets with you. Solution:
Become a person of utmost integrity. Be an ethical person with the highest
standards in all situations. In doing so, you will build the kind of trust that
people need to follow you. 6. Talk about another person behind their
back. Be sure to fill everyone in on all of the dirt
you can scoop about someone else in the office. This will breed the idea that
they will be next when they are the one missing from the group. It will teach
them that perhaps you don’t really think positively about people like you say
you do when they are present. Solution: If
you have something negative to say, or issues to air out with a person, do it
with them only. If someone tries to get you to talk about someone else, simply
inform them that you are working that situation out with the person in question. 5. Think small.
This will keep people from being inspired so they can feel unfulfilled. This
will keep them from looking to you for the kind of vision and inspiration that
followers look for in their leaders. It will let them know that you want to play
it safe and not go anywhere of any significance. Solution: Think
big. Get a vision. Figure out where you are going and then make sure everyone
who needs to follow you gets inspired by your destiny! 4. Remain stagnant in your own personal
and professional growth. Stay exactly where you are.
In fact, go back to where you were 10 years ago. Don’t learn new things.
Don’t embrace new ideas. Resist change, especially personal change that will
make you a better person. Assume that people should follow you because of your
position of leadership rather than the kind of person you are becoming. Solution:
Determine that you will become a person who is on a continual road of growth.
Set your sites on continual personal and professional growth.
Read books, listen to tapes, take classes and do anything else that will
push you to become a better person and a better leader! 3. Communicate once and figure “They
will get it”. This will let them know that you
don’t care whether everyone is on the same page or not. It will let them know
that you don’t care enough to make sure that everyone gets it. In fact, if you
only communicate it once, most of the people who follow you won ’t even know
you communicated at all because they will be gone the day you do it, miss the
memo, or forget! This will guarantee that you won’t be their leader! Solution:
Communicate. Then communicate some more. Then communicate some more. When you
are done, run it by them one more time. Now, repeat the process. 2. Fly by the seat of your pants.
Don’t set priorities, or if you do set priorities, don’t act on them. Act on
whims. Be spontaneous. Chase rabbit trails. Don’t stay the course. Choose one
strategy, then another. You know, keep your followers wondering where they are
going and what time they will get there. This will destroy you because it will
erode confidence in the process and ultimately in you. Solution:
Manage your time and priorities. Live by them. Set the course then follow it.
Execute the well thought out strategy. Be at the helm and know where you are
going! 1. Be a pessimist.
Don’t think that you can get to where you are going.
Assume you and the team will fail. Don’t look at the bright side. Find
a problem in every solution. This will keep your followers from ever getting
inspired so they can sit and count the days until retirement or the day their
lottery ticket hits. And they can feel bad and unfulfilled while they are at it. Solution: Be an
optimist. Help people see the bright side of your shared sunny future. Tell them
things will get better and then lead them there! You don’t have to do things that will
destroy your leadership. Take the following checklist and see if you fit any. If
so, make it your goal to change in those areas. Checklist:
Take the bull by the horns! Become a better leader. No, become an Extraordinary Leader! |
