Three Common Leadership Mistakes

Leadership Missteps Entrepreneurs Need to Avoid

Becoming an entrepreneur is not an easy task. If it was easy then everyone would do it and start and run their own business. It takes a special kind of person to have the drive, focus, and confidence to make the move to become an entrepreneur. Possessing all of the qualities necessary to become an entrepreneur doesn’t mean you are immune from falling into the same leadership traps and mistakes as your peers. Here are some of the more common leadership mistakes that you should avoid as an entrepreneur

Delegating Tasks

Seems simple enough, right? How hard can delegation actually be? The answer is that is extremely hard and that is why it is the first one I listed. As an entrepreneur, you take great pride and ownership over your business. With that said, you also tend to want to know and be involved in all aspects of the work your company does. Not properly delegating the workload at your company causes a ripple effect throughout your staff. Delegating doesn’t mean just randomly handing out assignments to whoever is sitting around the office at that time. When you begin to delegate work throughout your company it is imperative that you assign the work to the right employee. Make sure you are taking advantage of the skill sets of your employees by assigning them work they will be able to accomplish to your liking. By taking this approach to delegation it ensures that work is done properly and to your liking and it shows that employee that you trust them to get the job done and have faith in them moving forward.

Training and Motivating Staff

This goes hand in hand with the delegation of tasks. Many entrepreneurs fall into the trap of hiring employees then don’t take the time to train them once they start. It is vital to make sure that your staff is fully trained on how you prefer to have things done in order to accomplish the goals of the company. The more you train your employees on your preferred method of work the more trust you will have in them to get the work done correctly. It ensures that you won’t have to take the time to check up on them and the work they are doing.

It is also important to properly motivate and reward your employees for their work as well. Motivation and reward are great tools to help your employees have the same drive and passion for the company that they do. If employees are vested and care about your company their work performance will reflect that and that will lead to them enjoying the work they are doing thus being happier at work.

Creating Your Culture

We all want to have a company that is known as the “fun” and “cool” place to work. It can be a great recruiting tool for attracting new employees when you begin to expand your company. When developing your culture one of the first things you need to do is make sure your culture reflects the type of work and company you have. The culture for a startup marketing company is going to be different than an investment company. It is important to make sure you don’t force your personality onto the company and your employees. If you force a certain type of culture employees will be able to see that and it will come off as being contrived. Also, the more you force your “culture” and personality on them it will begin to feel more like a cult than a fun work environment. When adding new employees to your company be willing to hire people who may not exactly match up with your culture. If everyone at your company thinks the same then no one is thinking for themselves. Adding someone who from a background that differs from yours is a chance to diversify the culture of your company.

Those are just some of the missteps that can befall you as an entrepreneur. If you are looking to improve your leadership as an entrepreneur we are here to help, contact us today!