Management Tip: Beware these crucial managerial mistakes

Raghavan Natarajan - Head, Communications

Here are some of the most common leadership mistakes - and how you can avoid them.

Not making time for your team: As a manager you may have your own work load and it might well be heavy but it pays to make time for your team members and listen to them actively. If your people know that you are available for them and can bank on your support and guidance, they will be too happy to do their part. Remember as a leader, your team should always come first. You will do well to block time for regular meetings with them, or otherwise show that your doors are always open to them.
Abdicating responsibility: Do not just allocate work to your team members and trust them to do it - and do it well - without your hands-on supervision or guidance. Better to stay on top of what they are doing and keep track of what they should be doing, but try though not breathe down their necks.
Inadequate communication: Do not expect your team members to guess what your expectations from them are. Try and be clear in your communication on all work related issues.
Not delegating work properly: Some managers have a weakness for taking on all the work upon themselves in the belief that only they can do the job right. This is a mistake. If you keep doing all your team's work yourself, it's quite possible that you will burn yourself out sooner or later while your team will be bored and unhappy.
Not apologizing for mistakes: Good managers are ready and willing to admit when they have made a mistake - and do so promptly. After all, this is exactly the behavior that managers would expect of their team members. So why not you as a manager put it into practice what you might be tempted to preach others?
Failing to give feedback: Employees, particularly the younger ones, constantly look for feedback so that they can improve. When feedback is not forthcoming, they might feel lost or frustrated. Worse, they will keep making the same mistakes. So offer feedback -- and do it as soon as you can.