Every person is in a leadership role. Even if you are a solo-preneur, you still must lead you. These ten mistakes apply to dealing with others, or managing yourself. Step-up to the challenge and eliminate them before they get in your way.

#1 Not verifying what’s of interest or priority to your team. Though you may have an agenda you desire to achieve, buy-in from your team is crucial. Be certain you don’t run rampant over what is important to them in the process of achieving your goals.

#2 Not directly asking them to get involved and make a commitment to the mission. Central to all well functioning organizations is the collaboration of team members. Commitment and personal accountability are the path to attaining great results.

#3 Not building the vision for them so they can envision the desired outcome clearly. Vision is the starting point of achievement. Seeing the desired outcome, and putting together a step-by-step plan to get there are the bottom-line essentials for your success.

#4 Not showing them the primary, alternate, contingency and emergency plans and getting their input and buy-in. Buy-in is a gut level response. With today’s educated workforce, they need to understand what they are to do, why they are to do it, and what are the options if it doesn’t go as planned.

#5 Failing to determine the primary motivator for each of them. People do what they do because they will either be gaining pleasure of some type (tangible or intangible) or avoiding pain. Know which motivates all the people you work with.

#6 Never forget you have to both sell and educate your way out of an incident, problem or political difficulty. Do it because I said so will only fly for so long. You’ve got to give them a “reason why” to get them to change direction or alter the path they are on.

#7 Failing to make working with you as easy, fun, rewarding and effective as you can. People will go to great lengths to help you achieve your desired outcomes if they feel a connection to you and know you care about them. Don’t forget to let them know that.

#8 Not directly telling staff the reason why they should support this partnership with you and this course of action. Make sure that each person can see the personal benefit to them for giving their best every day.

#9 Not sticking with agreements you’ve made with them. If you say it, you darned well better do it. If you can’t produce, then own it, tell them why, and immediately clarify what the next course of action is.

#10 Forgetting to focus your attention on each staff member (from the top, all the way down) and letting them know you value their contribution. People do the work they do for numerous reasons. And for every person, one reason is because they feel they are making a contribution—never forget to let them know you noticed and appreciate it.

“Excellence is to do a common thing, in an uncommon way, creating an improvement.”
~ Booker T. Washington ~