The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make

1. The Top Down Attitude. Typified by the "I'm the boss and the sooner you work that out the better" kind of statement. Alternative styles of leadership are: participatory management, facilitator style, democratic leadership and flat organisational characteristics. Effective leaders see themselves at the bottom of an inverted pyramid. 2. Putting Paperwork Before People. Remember that people are opportunities, not interruptions. 3. The Absence of Affirmation. Being affirmed by your boss is better than a pay rise. Encourage others by listening, empathising, comforting, carrying burdens, encouraging. Give little rewards that are unexpected. 4. No Room for Mavericks. Large organisations tend to kill spontaneity and innovation with policies and procedures. Every organisation needs a few mavericks to keep it relevant and moving with the times. Learn to identify which mavericks are worth keeping and make room for them. 5. Dictatorship in Decision-making. Dictators hoard information and make decisions alone, in a vacuum. They surprise their workers with edicts from above. Don't micro-manage; don't restrict decision-making to an elite group. Push decisions down the line whenever possible. Involve others in decisions as much as possible. Implement a flat organisational structure as possible. Let those who are responsible for doing a job decide how the job is best done. 6. Dirty Delegation. Dirty delegation is when you give a task to someone, then decide for yourself how it should be done, or what the final result will be. In doing this, you effectively take it away from them, deflate their confidence and destroy their trust in you. Learn to delegate to each person according to their ability to see the job through to a successful end. 7. Communication Chaos. Never assume anyone knows anything. The bigger the group, the more attention must be given to communication. When left in the dark, people tend to make up wild rumours. Communication must be the passionate obsession of effective leadership. Practice `HOT' communication: honest, open & transparent. 8. Missing the Clues of Corporate Culture. Corporate culture is simply "the way we do things around here". Corporate culture is the way insiders behave based on the values and group traditions they hold together. Changing and cultivating the corporate culture is one of the leadership's top priorities. You can discover an organisation's corporate culture by sitting with the leadership and senior management and asking questions that reveal their values (preferences) and beliefs (moral absolutes). Sometimes, an organisation's corporate value statement will not match their practices, such as saying they value family but pushing their workers so hard that they have no time for their family. Major problems arise when an organisation develops values and practices that actually conflict with the mission of the organisation. A corporate value statement is like glue, it helps leaders hold an organisation together; it is like a magnet, it attracts others to the organisation; it is like a ruler, by which a leader can measure the organisation is going. There is no better way to orient new staff that to take them through your corporate values and beliefs. Communicate your corporate culture clearly to insiders and outsiders. 9. Success Without Successors. Pride tightens the grip on leadership, humility lets it go. Mentoring is a non-negotiable function of successful leadership. Look for mentors inside (past leaders, someone above, peer mentor) and outside (external experienced person and an external peer mentor). Also take time to be a mentor to someone in the organisation who will one day replace you. 10. Failure to Focus on the Future. Vision is an effective leader's chief preoccupation. Organisations are reinvented with a new generation of dreamers. Develop into a learning organisation. Make the time to think about the future; go away from the demands of the job once a month, or once a quarter, and reflect on where things are headed and where the organisation will be in the future.

While this book would certainly apply to all leadership, it is especially helpful for Christian leaders. The points the author makes here are practical and to the point -- there is no intellectual rambling present. Each chapter is devoted to a blunder common to leaders, and begins with a bullet point summary of the insights contained in the pages that follow. I benefited from reading all ten of the mistakes, but numbers two, six and eight really hit home. Chapter two is entitled, "Putting Paperwork before People: Confessions of a Type A Personality." The chapter title summarizes this one well. Chapter six is dubbed, "Dirty Delegation: Refusing to Relax and to Let Go." Sometimes we just have to relax and let others make their own mistakes as we delegate, realizing they are growing as people and as leaders in the process. Chapter eight is headed, "Missing the Clues of Corporate Culture: The Unseen Killer of Many Leaders." How many times have pastors and other church workers failed to come to grips with the culture of a congregation before seeking to affect change? Finzel defines culture as "the way we do things around here." Changing the culture of an organization is critical, but underestimating the power of the present culture can be disastrous for a leader. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and recommend it highly. It is well worth the investment of the money and the time.

Leadership can be dangerous; we who are in leadership can, on one hand, move men, women, and mountains for tremendous good; on the other hand, we hold the power to do irreparable damage to our followers by the mistakes we make, according to Hans Finzel in this book. While much of the content is applicable in any leadership context, the book is primarily directed towards leaders of Christian organisations. The author explains that the average leader faces at least five problems in learning to lead: • Today’s leaders replicate the poor leadership habits they have observed in others. • Today’s leaders often lack basic skills for common leadership demands. • Today’s leaders lack good models and mentoring. • Today’s leaders lack formal training in leadership. • Today’s Christian leaders suffer confusion over the conflict between secular and biblical leadership values. Specific issues covered in the book include autocratic leadership, prioritizing tasks ahead of people, the importance of affirmation, recognizing useful mavericks, consultative decision making, delegating without micromanaging, clear communication, interpreting corporate culture, succession planning, and maintaining a future-focus. There is room for argument about which leadership failings should make the top ten, but in my opinion this book provides a useful overview of a number of issues which are of great importance to leaders.

A great book for Leaders

This is a an awesome book, I just finished my third time thru. While the title uses the word "mistakes" it focuses more on the positive and is full of real world insight that comes from years of experience. It doesn't have all the fat (unnecessary words and stuff everyone else is regurgitating) so what you get is high quality and very impactful. There are a couple things here that aren't often found in other leadership books. The presentation of the material along with the final wrap up pages are well done. It is well written and simple to read. Clearly a top 10 leadership book!

I was very excited when I started reading, then thought the author leaned toward servant leadership, then I discovered he didn't want to upset hero leaders like Steve Jobs or 'Neutron' Jack Welch (who "liberated" his workers by separating them from their jobs), then I found he actually contradicted himself when he said people had to follow the 'chain of command' and not put up with unclear communication in the company (never mind the horizontal structure or inverted pyramid he had proposed earlier!) Towards the end, the book is all over the map, with quotations from Bennis, Walt Disney, and Alvin Toffler, and further dissipates the original focus. I found the tables in the book quite unconvincing and rather confusing, the text makes more sense without them. There are some valuable ideas in the book, but I'm a bit disappointed that the distinction between leadership and management was not clearly made. Also the business-Christian elements throughout the book may be a bit of a downer for some ( they were for me, I have a hard time reconciling business and spirituality, but appreciated the author's honesty in this matter).

In the Introduction, Finzel says: "Leadership can be dangerous. To understand this, study world history and the lives of great and terrible leaders and what they accomplished through others. We who are in leadership can, on one hand, move men, women, and mountains for tremendous good. On the other hand, we hold the power to do irreparable damage to our followers by the mistakes we make.” From that premise, he lays out ten mistakes that leaders commonly make because they generally "fall into leadership" and "tend to do what comes naturally—we 'wing it.'" While Finzel talks about the mistakes leaders make, he also talks about how to avoid or to overcome those mistakes. So, this is not a "glass half empty" book — it's a very positive outlook on leadership. This is one of the most readable books on leadership that I have ever read. It's authentic — Finzel is writing from his decades of experience in leadership in churches and religious non-profit organizations. He writes from a Christian perspective, giving examples from Christian organizations and referencing the Bible freely. However, the principles he articulates are applicable in secular leadership situations as well. I found Chapter 8 on organizational culture and Chapter 10 on a future focus to be the most helpful to me in my current leadership role. A longer review, including my favourite quotes, can be found on Google+ or at http://bobruns.blogspot.com/2014/07/book-review-top-ten-mistakes-leaders.html

As leaders we are always looking out to minimize mistakes we make so that our leadership can improve and be effective. The book is helpful in pointing out some fundamental mistakes we make, even though we don't realise it at the time. The guidelines to improving leadership is very helpful. Having written an essay on the leadership style of Nelson Mandela, I found the Top Ten Mistakes reflecting much of what I had deduced was wrong with current leadership styles and approaches. While some aspects seem obvious, it is a timely reminder that leadership must be constantly reviewed, regardless of where that leadership is exercised. The book is well researched and shows a good understanding of how to correct the mistakes. Highly recommended. Shared some aspects of the content with colleagues who agreed on its usefulness and have decided to procure a copy for their own usage.

Great

Great book...

As a small business owner and leader to a team of 13 people, I benefited greatly from reading this book! My Pilates studio has grown from 1 person 5 years ago and with a teacher training program instituted we are generating new teachers each year and growing not only the business but impacting our city with our brand of Pilates. This book helped me learn how to communicate with my team, how to embrace and value the renegades and how to not stop dreaming about our future. I feel excited and equipped to move ahead. Thank you Hans Finzel!

I love this book. The author gives lots of stories to go along with ten great principles. This is one of my top reads.

An amazing book that takes your management skill to the next level but you need to be humble to reap the benefit.