Leaders undergo various training programs to help them develop the right skills that can help them become effective and efficient in their roles. Also, before an individual is chosen to lead, he or she must have displayed traits, abilities and expertise that make them the best person to lead. But despite their education, training, and experience, how come many new leaders are still likely to perform poorly?
According to studies, the following are the most common reasons why new leaders might not perform well and successfully:
Under or Over Confidence
Knowing how to be a good boss is easy - being a good one is the hard part. You might know what a good and bad leader looks like, but the moment you get the role, it's likely that you're going to forget everything that you know about good leadership.
To succeed in your leadership role, it's vital that you have just the right amount of confidence in yourself and your ability to be a great leader. You can't be too cocky, and you shouldn't lose trust in yourself either.
Having the Wrong Expectations
Being a leader is totally different from being just a team member. More often than not, leaders are not ready to deal with the realities of managing a group of people. As a result, they take for granted the problems that come their way, or they react poorly to those challenges.
When you become a leader, you must know what you are getting yourself into. You need to have the right set of expectations, so you can avoid being frustrated and underperforming as well.
Insufficient Training in the Appropriate Skill Set
To call yourself a good leader, you must possess and master a variety of competencies. Basically, you should know how to lead well, motivate people well, and contribute to your team's success, too. Keep in mind that it's not just about you anymore. Your success will only come when your people achieve success. When they fail, you fail as well. So instead of dwelling too much on the tasks that need to be done, be more focused on supporting your team to do the tasks.
Ignoring the Importance of Building Relationships
Leading is about building good relationships. And not only that! As a leader, you should pay attention to growing trust, and building groups or teams using your interpersonal skills. There's no way you can succeed as a leader if you take for granted the value of healthy relationships with the people you lead.
Inability to Listen
You know a lot of things as a leader, but you can't know everything. Don't act like you have all the answers because you don't. Learn how to listen and be a good listener. It is only through practicing active listening that you can become successful in your leadership role .