By guest blogger Alice Clarke [See Biography]
[June 15, 2017] Colin Powell once said, there are no secrets to success. It results from preparation, hard work, and learning from failure. People may learn lessons in two ways; one by own experience and the other by observation. How often can you fail if you already knew the dangers? If experiencing failure is not your cup of tea, you can learn from what others have experienced and adapt. Here are five stories that will make you rethink your leadership style.
1. Micromanaging team to the point of frustration
A sales job required the young man to make a high number of calls to get the minimum number of sales done for the day. The young man’s boss was so adamant about this due diligence, he monitored even the bathroom breaks and almost always denied the requests. This was very frustrating for the team and everyone hated this boss. This is a true story from the Muse. Micromanagement is anyone’s living nightmare. As a leader, if you don’t want to be isolated and disrespected, then work on your relationships. The more trust you build with your staff, the more you can delegate. Besides, you can feed off on each other’s creative energy for better solutions.
2. Taking frustration out on the team
A manager who was going through a rough divorce, came in one morning to work. This was an advertising agency, and the team was working on a strategy for one client. When one junior fumbled during the presentation, this manager snapped and lashed out right there – in front of the clients. Even though the pitch was great, the clients did not want to work with this manager, causing the agency the loss of thousands of dollars! You need to control your feelings before they take control of you.
3. Cursing in the workplace
Have you watched the Gordon Ramsay “Kitchen Nightmares” episodes? Of all the seasons, there is one episode wherein the restaurant owners are so delusional that they refuse to take any of Gordon’s suggestions to make the restaurant better. The diners are verbally abused and for the first time, Gordon walks away from this nightmare restaurant. Cursing is abuse; it’s not normal. If you verbally abuse your team, then as Kathryn from Fox Business puts it – it could be a one-way ticket to your exit interview.
4. Double-crossing the team
The head recruiter and the second in command sat down with the business head for a monthly progress discussion. The head does not understand what’s going on because the second in command had done all the work and faced the business. So in the meeting, when there was an argument between the business head and the second command, the head recruiter failed to defend his team. There are many stressful meetings, but that does not mean you can insult your staff or let them down like this. A good leader will know the specifics even before going into the meeting.
5. The Super Positive leader
When the new boss came to work everyone was excited about the change. Yes, excited, but only because this boss seemed super outgoing and positive. She always had a smile on a face and infectious energy. The problem was that she was so positive she would say Yes to every project that was asked of her. She would never consider the staff’s workload or capability before assigning tasks. The staff eventually grew tired of her considerations. If you continue like this, your team will be overworked and burned out in no time.
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Biography: Alice Clarke is a perfectionist. She likes to write and inspire people with her articles and bills herself also as a marketer out London, England. Join her on Twitter.