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Four Leadership Mistakes And How To Course-Correct

As a leader you'll eventually encounter mistakes that need to be addressed. How effectively you correct behavior directly impacts your business.

Photo: Nicole Bevilacqua; Credit: 
Travis Weitzel Photography
Photo: Nicole Bevilacqua; Credit: 
Travis Weitzel Photography

As a mindset and soul-aligned leadership coach for entrepreneurial women, I’ve noticed people who possess certain qualities are far more likely to limit their potential in life and business.

When leaders elevate their self-awareness and mindset, they are far more impactful and influential. Here are a few limiting behaviors that could be holding you back.

 

Superiority mindset

If you let your ego lead, you may be indulging a belief that you are more gifted in brains, brawn, or beauty than others around you. Though you certainly have natural talents and attributes, a sense of entitlement or superiority can significantly limit your progress and potential.

When you believe you are superior, your ego will look for evidence to prove you right and eliminate the opportunity to adjust your constructed identity. As a result, you may make less effort and give up more easily when faced with a challenge.

Effective leaders may have natural gifts and talents but they don’t rely on their innate ability to lead. They make more effort than others and strive for constant self-improvement and growth. They look for ways to create opportunity rather than waiting for what they deserve to fall in their lap.

 

Working in isolation

Though it’s important to protect your vision from critics, that doesn’t mean you should always work in isolation. If you are overly protective of your ideas you exclude others from making a meaningful contribution and sharing creative solutions, new insight, and possibilities.

 

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Photo: © kantver, YFS Magazine

When you think, create, and problem solve in isolation (or act aloof when criticized), you miss opportunities. 

The best leaders understand we are better together and know how to accept feedback while they develop and utilize the skills of others. They nurture community and invite collaboration to improve the quality and direction of their work. They know what they stand for and are able to organize others around their mission and vision.

 

Blame and complain

Have you ever failed to reach a goal and immediately blamed someone or something else for your result? When you justify why you did or didn’t do something, and blame someone or something else, or complain about the circumstances that led to your failure, you waste time and energy. You also keep yourself stuck in the mindset that success is beyond your control.

Mentally tough leaders don’t waste time blaming others or external factors for results. They accept full responsibility for their own results and use failure as an opportunity to learn and grow. They leverage their energy to identifying new possible solutions or strategies to move forward. They don’t feel the need to justify their situation and constantly seek feedback to help them move forward.

 

Attachment to outcomes

We all get attached sometimes, but when your attachment turns to desperation, you get clingy. Nobody likes clingy. When you are desperate for achievement, you’ll mow down children and old ladies to get what you want without a second thought. Your energy repels others. It creates a sense of anxiety and fear about what will happen if you don’t get what you want. This at any cost behavior stifles your creativity. It also sends a message to everyone else that you’re only in it for you.

Effective leaders exude high energy about their intentions and know what they stand for but they also understand outcomes are a moving target. They aim high and course correct to improve their trajectory but don’t get caught up whether they hit the target.

They understand instinctively that if they choose the best target, not meeting it still means achieving incredible results. And if they meet or exceed it, they know what’s possible and aim even higher the next time.

 

When you develop a leadership mindset, you let go of your ego’s need to look smart and focus instead on the possibility of what you can impact and create if you keep striving for growth and learning.

 

Nicole Bevilacqua is a Mindset + Soul Aligned Leadership Coach for introverted, entrepreneurial women who desire to break through boundaries and expand their influence, impact, and income. She has been a speaker and leadership consultant for over a decade and strives to increase the quality and quantity of female leadership in small business and communities. Connect with @nicobevleads on Twitter.

 

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