What Not to Do As a Leader

People often find themselves in a position of leading others without the experience or training they really need in order to lead in the first place. They assume they are up for the job and will figure it out as they go. While they are understanding their job’s requirements, a great deal of damage can be done to the employees and to the business’s overall productivity. HRMatrix urges you to take a look at these myths regarding leadership performance so that you are able to navigate throughout the workplace successfully.

1. You learn as you go

While this may be applicable later in your career, this idealogy is not what you primarily depend on as you navigate through the workplace. It is very important that you come prepared as a leader, otherwise, you will be leading through assumptions rather than preparing your own employees to eventually represent leadership qualities. You must lead by example, and to be perceived as a manager that doesn’t exactly know what they’re doing does not set a good example. Make sure you consult with the appropriate affiliates to gain information regarding your position. The tips from valid sources will help you prepare mentally and they will ground your operational limitations. Leading by assumption means you are learning from the environment rather than shifting/teaching the environment to do better and increase overall productivity. The example you are setting is not the kind that incorporates strive, routine, and motivation. These are key qualities to obtain in the workplace, so it is best to begin with the right foot forward. That being said, make sure to prepare before entering the workplace as a leader.

2. Emotions should be left outside the workplace. 

Leading people is not an easy job. Employees are, and will always be, unpredictable. Each employee is unique as they are individuals after all, and that means leading people is complex, fun, interesting, frustrating, and yes, unpredictable. Life happens, and it's full of triumphs and tragedies, any of which can happen to any of us at any time, so it is best to consider the possibility of either transpiring. Leaders must be ready for just about anything and everything. Like it or not, every person brings their emotions to work regardless of their job’s priorities. People are 24-hour thinking-feeling creatures and you have to acknowledge it in order to be a good leader. Our values drive our decisions, which generates emotions that often show up in our behaviors- especially at work. All in all, how we feel dictates our workflow. Emotions are highly contagious; we catch flyby emotions quickly. The idea that we can keep emotions out of the workplace is unreasonable because it is impossible!

3. People will follow all the changes you make.

You want to assume that people will follow all of the changes you make in the workplace but the fact of that matter is that people bear their differences. Employees are opinionated and that is a good thing because their opinions might better your overall vision of how the workplace should function. You cannot burden the entire atmosphere with abrupt changes unless it is on the basis of conflict resolution. In conflict, if you need to enforce a necessary rule, that is a different situation. Otherwise, you want to consult with your employees and treat them as a team. It is important that the majority are on board with the changes you are trying to implement and then deal with the rest on a later note.