THINGS LEADERS SHOULD NEVER DO

In my previous articles, I explained what leadership is about and some of the qualities and traits every good leader should possess. If you have not read them, please kindly do so because I will be making references to them. I am pretty sure you are building yourself to become a great leader. However, there are certain things you should never do and I am going to tell you.

1) BELIEVE YOU KNOW EVERYTHING:
It is okay for you as the leader to be more intelligent and smarter but you do not know everything. Sometimes you need to listen to the opinion of others in the team. If you knew everything, then you wouldn’t need their assistance. Your team should learn from you and you should learn from them.

2) LEAD OTHERS BEFORE LEADING YOURSELF:
You cannot lead others without first leading yourself.
Check yourself. Do you have any vision for your life? Do you have any goals in life? Do you achieve your daily goals?
If all the answer to the above questions is “NO”, then you are not fit to lead.
You must lead yourself to achieve your own goals before you lead others to achieve a common goal.

3) NEGLECT OUTSIDE COACHING:
Remember in my previous article where I made mention of you listening to mentors? Never you think you know it all. You need guidance from other leaders. You need to learn from others. Learn from the mistakes of other leaders so you don’t make the same mistakes they made.
You need to read to be updated. You cannot lead with outdated information.

4) FAIL TO SUPPORT OTHERS:
A good leader leads followers but a great leader leads other leaders. You have to support your team. Make them better; train them. When you delegate responsibilities to them, let them perform their duties with little supervision. But, if they need assistance, assist them.
Remember it’s a team and you have to work together. Learn to support one another.


5) LIE OR CHEAT:
Do you know that when you tell a lie, it goes into your future? But when you tell the truth, it goes into your past. Do not lie to your team or your clients. Always tell the truth.
People will always follow you because they trust you.
I know this is going to be hard for some persons because they cannot stop themselves from cheating or lying but you have to try if you want to be a great leader.
Say ‘NO’ to LIES.

6) EXPECT PERFECTIONISM IN OTHERS:
Some persons who are perfectionist always expect perfection from others but it doesn’t work that way. People make mistakes. In fact, that is what makes them human. You need to accept that not everyone can be like you. Give your team time to learn and when they make mistakes, correct them.
Team work is what makes the team work well. Focus on the strength of others and work on their weakness.

If you can follow the above instructions, then you are on the path of becoming a great leader.
Be the leader you want to follow.
Be the leader you want to become.