Nobody sets out to be a bad leader.
You didn’t. I didn’t.
Yet according to a Gallup study, only 18 percent of managers have a ‘high degree of talent’ in leading people, which includes the ability to motivate and manage the relationships they have with people around them.
So why does the world end up with so many, well, not-so-great leaders?
Often those of us who lead lack the self-awareness to know when we’re leading poorly. (Here, by the way, are four things self-aware leaders know that others don’t.)
7 Things Bad Leaders Say to Themselves and to Their Team
Leadership is difficult—you have to overcome obstacles that non-leaders never tackle, AND you have to then lead other people through them.
But your first approach to a problem isn’t usually the right one.
So…has bad thinking clouded your ability to lead effectively?
Here are seven things bad leaders say to themselves and to their teams. I only know this, because, over the years, I’ve caught myself thinking or even saying some of these things.
And I’ve realized that if I’m going to lead more effectively, I need to change my approach.
1. IF I’M GOING TO GET IT DONE RIGHT, I HAVE TO DO IT MYSELF
So we’ve all been frustrated with the work other people do. And it’s very tempting, after trying numerous times and maybe even after working with numerous people, to conclude that no one can do the job but me.
That’s fabulous thinking if you want to keep your organization tiny and never scale it beyond your own personal abilities.
It’s also fabulous thinking if you believe you are the only person God gifted in your organization.
