I asked 350+ managers to share their biggest mistakes.
These 7 mistakes came up over and over.
Here's how you can avoid them:
1/ They Can't Get It All Done
High-performing teams get rewarded with more:
More projects, more customers, more problems.
Tip: Do less work better.
Regularly ask, What work can I:
-> Eliminate?
-> Automate?
-> Streamline?
-> Delegate?
Great leaders are ruthless optimizers.
2/ They Do Too Much Work Themselves
Don't let anyone fool you: Managing well is work.
You can't thrive as a manager until you find joy in succeeding through others.
Tip: Change what you VALUE:
They do the work. They get the credit.
You can be known for letting stars shine.
3/ They Gave Ineffective Feedback
People change of their own accord. Yet you keep telling them how to be better.
Tip: Use open-ended questions.
-> Casual: How do you think it's going?
-> Diagnostic: What are you optimizing for?
Help them find your insight on their own.
4/ They Missed Big Problems Early
As a manager, your number 1 job is to size up problems others miss.
Your boss is too distant. Your employees are inexperienced.
Tip: Catch 98% of the problems w/ 3 filters:
- Key business metrics
- Customer surveys
- Talking to your people