10 Lessons about Common Mistakes You Need to Learn to Succeed – How to be a good manager all of the time
Everybody makes mistakes. Some people make them because they don’t care enough, others because they care too much. But we are not here to talk about the kind of mistakes that are realised and you can mend in a heartbeat, particularly those which only influence your level of stress. We are here to talk about the mistakes you don’t see. Especially if you are a manager.
The little pieces of behavior that lead you to doubt yourself and your ability to lead your team, your company, or your side project. Most of the time, you may not even be aware of the way these mistakes affect your career. And to be honest, even the best managers have a hard time when it comes to pinpointing little daily errors such as these. You as an iconic man must always be on the lookout for all the steps you can take to improve your professional game and learn the most efficient ways to lead your team.
But what makes a good manager and what are the top 10 mistakes that even the best managers fall for?

The more you micromanage the less time you will have to deal with the real problems your company faces. And, according to Gary Veynerchuck, micromanaging too much will have adverse effects on the way your team relates to you, as it will make you appear as a leader that dominates the team instead of focusing on what he does best, concentrating on vision and encouraging initiative.
Great two-way communication will alert you to those little things that can mean the difference between a successful team and one that is always failing to deliver. Concentrate and learn to better distinguish the important from the unnecessary. It will make you a better manager and a better leader.
Managers often overlook this important aspect as they think they already have it covered. But providing inspiration and showing concern for a successful working environment is much more than something people use to fill out their resume.
Any team is only as strong as its weakest member, so it's up to you to share your experience and inspire people into being confident and taking risks.
When things don’t turn out the way they should your team will look up to you for guidance. This is the moment when your decisions will inspire them into action. You need to share some of your battle-hardened decision-making and make even the most inexperienced member of your team believe that the entire project is on the right track. Not making that tough call will not necessarily lose you the day but it will lose you your team.
Thinking outside the box will allow you to come up with great ideas and win the respect of your team. And not only that, but being creative and innovative will help you set, and reach, new goals faster and get ahead of your competition.
Any manager knows that standing behind his team is part of the job description. But good managers know that standing in front of their team is even better. When it comes to responsibility, the best way to manage things is to be sure that everyone in your team is accountable for their actions. That will make your team more responsible and will make everybody more concentrated, when going about their business. A disciplined team will be more productive and more result-oriented.
A responsible manager will also know how to hold team members that don’t perform well accountable, in a way that motivates them to keep up. Moreover, accountability works both ways. A good manager will know under what circumstances he should defend his team from superiors and how to distribute the credit for successful projects among subordinates.
That can spell disaster for your delegation efforts. Seeing that you can not do everything by yourself, you need to distribute daily tasks and organize project goals. There will always be some people that you know you can rely on.
A great manager knows exactly which one of his subordinates is the best person for the job. Get to know your team, encourage them to get involved, and you will have the best means to efficiently deal with any problem.
Nominating the right people for specific tasks will give them a chance of bearing the responsibility as well as enjoying the spoils.

Well, confidence is more than trusting your own decisions and qualities. It is about the way you pass that on to your team. You need just as much charisma, posture and calculated thinking to make people believe in you. That doesn’t mean that overconfidence is your friend. It just means that you should learn to reflect the degree of confidence that is required to make sure your team never loses faith in you as a leader.
Every moment you spend in the trenches will be highly rewarded with more support and inspiration form your team. And a good manager wins and loses by his team.
All managers pride themselves in knowing to take one step back and seeing the bigger picture.
A great manager is a person that can not only do that but also make all the members of his team completely aware that he has things under control. A manager that leaves the impression that he is making team members work without a solid strategy will never be able to get the most out of his efforts. Your best bet is to create ambitious and motivating goals, but also take into consideration potential risks.
All that the time you should be letting your team know you are in charge and that everything is under control. Use intermediate goals, and go over detailed plans, to reassure everyone that your project is on the right track and will hit its mark. Isolating yourself in your ivory tower will never work. Making sure everyone knows what they are striving for can make you one of the best managers ever.

If you want to do away with all the things that slow you down, and prompt you and your team not to deliver, you must first learn to communicate efficiently. That is to only commit to the things you know can be done. Relevant communication like this works both ways. It does not undermine your team’s trust in you, and it does not put you in the difficult situation of having to explain failures to your superiors.
Finding the right communication balance is very important to the way you will be perceived. Knowing when to let people know about slowdowns and delays, and when you can step on the gas and save the day is something that comes with responsible, cold headed thinking. But the rewards will be surely worth it.
If you are a manager looking to make a difference in your workplace you must take into consideration these common mistakes and continue to improve your skills. And remember that it doesn't matter if you manage a team of four or forty employees, being a manager is a job that comes with a lot of responsibility.
The little pieces of behavior that lead you to doubt yourself and your ability to lead your team, your company, or your side project. Most of the time, you may not even be aware of the way these mistakes affect your career. And to be honest, even the best managers have a hard time when it comes to pinpointing little daily errors such as these. You as an iconic man must always be on the lookout for all the steps you can take to improve your professional game and learn the most efficient ways to lead your team.
But what makes a good manager and what are the top 10 mistakes that even the best managers fall for?

1. Micromanaging
One of the capital sins of somebody who has the potential of becoming a good manager is micromanaging. At first, running a tight ship and being involved in the entire process may seem like a good idea. In reality, the time spent mulling over every little decision will wear you down. And not only you. People often find that having a boss who micromanages everything is one sure way to lose the most creative and productive drive.The more you micromanage the less time you will have to deal with the real problems your company faces. And, according to Gary Veynerchuck, micromanaging too much will have adverse effects on the way your team relates to you, as it will make you appear as a leader that dominates the team instead of focusing on what he does best, concentrating on vision and encouraging initiative.
2. Not listening
Any manager can listen to what his team has to say, but only a good manager will hear what they are saying. Taking into account the feedback people provide you with, seems like an easy thing to do but its an art only a few acrually master. Not all the feedback you receive about the projects you are working on is valuable. Like all things in life, sometimes it's the little things that make a difference.Great two-way communication will alert you to those little things that can mean the difference between a successful team and one that is always failing to deliver. Concentrate and learn to better distinguish the important from the unnecessary. It will make you a better manager and a better leader.

3. Not providing inspiration
Managers often overlook this important aspect as they think they already have it covered. But providing inspiration and showing concern for a successful working environment is much more than something people use to fill out their resume.Any team is only as strong as its weakest member, so it's up to you to share your experience and inspire people into being confident and taking risks.
When things don’t turn out the way they should your team will look up to you for guidance. This is the moment when your decisions will inspire them into action. You need to share some of your battle-hardened decision-making and make even the most inexperienced member of your team believe that the entire project is on the right track. Not making that tough call will not necessarily lose you the day but it will lose you your team.
4. Not valuing innovation
Very often, managers get to be managers because they are more creative and innovating than their peers. These are some of the things that will make you stand out no matter the field, or the competition. One of the biggest mistakes a manager can make is being overwhelmed by the workflow and forgetting about the very thing that gives him the edge.Thinking outside the box will allow you to come up with great ideas and win the respect of your team. And not only that, but being creative and innovative will help you set, and reach, new goals faster and get ahead of your competition.

5. Bad accountability
Any manager knows that standing behind his team is part of the job description. But good managers know that standing in front of their team is even better. When it comes to responsibility, the best way to manage things is to be sure that everyone in your team is accountable for their actions. That will make your team more responsible and will make everybody more concentrated, when going about their business. A disciplined team will be more productive and more result-oriented.A responsible manager will also know how to hold team members that don’t perform well accountable, in a way that motivates them to keep up. Moreover, accountability works both ways. A good manager will know under what circumstances he should defend his team from superiors and how to distribute the credit for successful projects among subordinates.
6. Not knowing the team’s potential
Even good managers tend to overlook this one. Due to circumstances that you don’t have control over, you might find yourself in the unpleasant situation of not being able to assess the best traits and qualities that every one of your team members has.That can spell disaster for your delegation efforts. Seeing that you can not do everything by yourself, you need to distribute daily tasks and organize project goals. There will always be some people that you know you can rely on.
A great manager knows exactly which one of his subordinates is the best person for the job. Get to know your team, encourage them to get involved, and you will have the best means to efficiently deal with any problem.
Nominating the right people for specific tasks will give them a chance of bearing the responsibility as well as enjoying the spoils.

7. Not looking confident enough
This is so easy to misinterpret and most people that have this problem are completely unaware. Being confident is so much more than a simple trait. It is one of the keys to effective leadership. You might seem confident enough to ensure that others follow your commands, yet fail to convey the right amount of confidence. How?Well, confidence is more than trusting your own decisions and qualities. It is about the way you pass that on to your team. You need just as much charisma, posture and calculated thinking to make people believe in you. That doesn’t mean that overconfidence is your friend. It just means that you should learn to reflect the degree of confidence that is required to make sure your team never loses faith in you as a leader.
8. Not committing enough
A cold-blooded leader that always takes the clinical cerebral approach to all problems can be a great manager. But over time, his team may feel that his attitude is lacking passion and commitment. That can be very detrimental in the long run. To best avoid that, you need to show people that you are willing to get your hands dirty. After all, you got your leadership position by displaying skills that make people want to follow you. Showing your team how much you value your project and how passionate you are about it, will gain you a lot of respect and infuse them with more commitment and energy.Every moment you spend in the trenches will be highly rewarded with more support and inspiration form your team. And a good manager wins and loses by his team.

9. Lack of strategic thinking
All managers pride themselves in knowing to take one step back and seeing the bigger picture.A great manager is a person that can not only do that but also make all the members of his team completely aware that he has things under control. A manager that leaves the impression that he is making team members work without a solid strategy will never be able to get the most out of his efforts. Your best bet is to create ambitious and motivating goals, but also take into consideration potential risks.
All that the time you should be letting your team know you are in charge and that everything is under control. Use intermediate goals, and go over detailed plans, to reassure everyone that your project is on the right track and will hit its mark. Isolating yourself in your ivory tower will never work. Making sure everyone knows what they are striving for can make you one of the best managers ever.

10. Promising and not delivering
This is one of the worst problems a manager can encounter. You might be tempted to think that it comes down to things, actions and people you can not control. But a truly great manager knows that the project is more important than any individual and that success knows no excesses.If you want to do away with all the things that slow you down, and prompt you and your team not to deliver, you must first learn to communicate efficiently. That is to only commit to the things you know can be done. Relevant communication like this works both ways. It does not undermine your team’s trust in you, and it does not put you in the difficult situation of having to explain failures to your superiors.
Finding the right communication balance is very important to the way you will be perceived. Knowing when to let people know about slowdowns and delays, and when you can step on the gas and save the day is something that comes with responsible, cold headed thinking. But the rewards will be surely worth it.
If you are a manager looking to make a difference in your workplace you must take into consideration these common mistakes and continue to improve your skills. And remember that it doesn't matter if you manage a team of four or forty employees, being a manager is a job that comes with a lot of responsibility.
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Loves to play with new ideas, binge writing, traveling and gourmet coffee. Professional writer of non fiction with over 8 years experience in putting words to paper. Fan of iconic movies, sports, The Arctic Monkeys and city breaks. Yes, he knows how good his coffee is.