{"id":118,"date":"2013-02-13T06:08:52","date_gmt":"2013-02-13T14:08:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/encouragement.com\/blog\/?p=118"},"modified":"2013-02-13T06:08:52","modified_gmt":"2013-02-13T14:08:52","slug":"leadership-just-isnt-that-complicated","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/encouragement.com\/wordpress\/?p=118","title":{"rendered":"Leadership Just Isn\u2019t that Complicated"},"content":{"rendered":"

Everyone makes mistakes. I don\u2019t think there\u2019s any disagreement about that. But as a leader, the mistakes you make directly impact your credibility. And, if you\u2019re in a senior leadership position, your mistakes are multiplied by the level of your authority, which can do wide organizational harm.<\/p>\n

Your fault lines have the potential to fracture your leadership agenda.<\/p>\n

So what are the biggest mistakes you can make? I thought that was worth looking into, so over the course of two years, I collected data from 577 leaders, managers, supervisors and employees, representing many different organizations. Now it\u2019s time to release the results.<\/p>\n

Introducing the \u2018Fault Lines Leadership Study\u2019<\/b><\/p>\n

I began by asking the question, \u201cWhat\u2019s the One Biggest Mistake a Leader Can Make?\u201d It\u2019s interesting to note the respondents typically approached this assignment from the point-of-view of mistakes in interpersonal relationships \u2013 \u201cwhat goes wrong between worker and management.\u201d Mistakes are behavioral, as compared to a \u201cwrong call;\u201d issues like a bad strategic decision, a poor operational plan, or marketing missteps, etc.\u00a0 Those things are evidently forgiven. But, mistakes with human capital are the ones that are remembered and have far-reaching implications.<\/p>\n

Over the next few months I\u2019ll be writing about the most significant mistakes identified in the survey.<\/p>\n

The Biggest Mistake<\/b><\/p>\n

By far and away, the biggest mistake a leader can make is a failure to LISTEN!<\/p>\n

Now don\u2019t stop reading. Not quite yet. Listening issues were the number #1 fault by a landslide \u2013 65% more responses than any other.<\/p>\n

But, many people may think this is just too simple an answer; believing they\u2019re better listeners than they actually are. That\u2019s the problem. They\u2019re blissfully unaware of a very glaring fault. So, what can we learn?<\/p>\n

These are a few of the fatal listening flaws:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Thinking your opinion is better, or more informed, than others\u2019<\/li>\n
  2. Not acknowledging what you heard, and the person(s) saying it<\/li>\n
  3. Ignoring what you don\u2019t want to hear, or fails to support your point-of-view<\/li>\n
  4. Dismissive of feedback<\/li>\n
  5. Making decisions without input from others<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    No, that\u2019s not a complete list. But you get the idea. Each one of those items is reflected in a leader\u2019s behavior and attitude \u2013 with some pretty nasty outcomes.<\/p>\n

    Listening is much more than hearing \u2026 it\u2019s the origin of relationships, and has a significant impact on the quality of your thinking. A \u201cListening Leader\u201d attracts people \u2013 getting them \u201con-board\u201d by tuning into them, and establishing a connection with them. Where loyalty and understanding is built, the small stuff is forgiven.<\/p>\n

    People need to buy-into the leader, before they buy-into the plan<\/b><\/p>\n

    In the 1980\u2019s, Leo Buscaglia\u2019s lectures became famous as they were broadcast on PBS stations across the country. As a USC faculty member, his highly popular non-credit class \u2018Love 1A,\u2019 became the basis for a best-selling series of books and motivational speeches. In his words, \u201cToo often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a LISTENING ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.\u201d<\/p>\n

    I would argue the same can be said for turning a leader\u2019s agenda around, and heading it in a positive direction.<\/p>\n

    \u2013\u00a0Jerry Strom<\/p>\n

    For more information about our leadership and team development programs, please visit http:\/\/www.JerryStrom.com<\/a> . Join the mailing list to receive new articles as they are published.<\/p>\n

    This article is based on the *\u2018Fault Lines Study: The Biggest Mistakes a Leader Can Make,\u2019 copyright 2013, by Jerry Strom & Company, Inc. Download the primary findings paper, \u2018The Listening Leader,\u2019 which includes \u2018Listening Strategies for the Executive Suite,\u2019 \u00a0at http:\/\/www.jerrystrom.com\/research\/js_fault-lines.html<\/a> \u00a0.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Everyone makes mistakes. I don\u2019t think there\u2019s any disagreement about that. But as a leader, the mistakes you make directly impact your credibility. And, if you\u2019re in a senior leadership position, your mistakes are multiplied by the level of your … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-118","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-leadership-articles"],"yoast_head":"\nLeadership Just Isn\u2019t that Complicated - Encouragement for Leaders<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/encouragement.com\/wordpress\/?p=118\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Leadership Just Isn\u2019t that Complicated - Encouragement for Leaders\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Everyone makes mistakes. 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