Last week, I published the tenth blunder in the blog series, My Top 10 Blunders and How You Can Avoid Them.
As leaders, I think that it’s important that we acknowledge our mistakes. We need to own them, learn from them and not be afraid to laugh at ourselves. This creates a positive and light mood for your team, and enables them to break free from the fear of making mistakes. Some of my most rewarding moments as a leader have come after I owned my mistakes. I must admit, it did not take me long to come up with a list of blunders as I reflected on my career—but for my sanity, I settled on a top 10 list. In case you missed one, I’ve recapped them here:
- Too Focused On “ME?”
- The Sound You Never Want to Hear
- Lack of Clarity Wreaks Havoc
- Gratitude Doesn’t Matter If It’s Not Expressed
- Ever Met Mr. Know It All?
- No Input=No Buy-In=No Success
- High-Trust Relationships Start With Intentional Communication
- Discover Your Passion and Own It
- Is Conflict Avoidance Holding Your Team Back?
- Want to Grow as a Leader? Ask for Feedback
Besides the blunders, you’ll notice two themes throughout: coaching and feedback—two topics critical to leadership development. I was lucky that someone noticed my frustrations early on and suggested that I might benefit from a coach. I am so thankful they did and would suggest the same to you. As I assumed more leadership roles, my coach helped me understand where there were disconnects and how important continuous feedback was to my success. He helped me begin to own my career, my growth, my vision and even my bad habits.
To influence others and reach our full potential, we must first lead ourselves! [Tweet this]
