[BY GORDON TREDGOLD, FOUNDER AND CEO, LEADERSHIP PRINCIPLES]
Just because we're smart doesn't mean that we're not going to make dumb mistakes, mistakes that can hamper our career and hold us back. No matter how smart we are, we won't achieve your full potential until we stop making this seven stupid mistakes.
1.Thinking and Talking are NOT THE SAME as Doing.
Planning and preparation are important ingredients in achieving success, but the most important thing of all is action. We cannot think your way to success no matter how smart you are. At some point, we need to roll your sleeves up and make it happen.
2. Waiting to be promoted before Doing the next level job.
If we want to be a Leader, then we need to start leading. Leadership isn't a title or a position; it's about action, influence and the ability to drive results. Throughout my career, I have seen hundreds of smart people wait to be offered a leadership position before they start to lead. But that's like waiting to be picked for a football team before you learn to be good at football. More often than not it's not going to happen. Lead first, and then the position will come.
3. Fail to Communicate Clearly.
When we communicate, it's the responsibility of the person sending the message to make sure that it's received and understood. We need to explain things clearly and simply. When people can understand, then they can implement. Too often it's left to the party receiving the message to figure out what was being said, and what needs to be done. Just because we're smart enough to know what we have said doesn't mean that the person receiving the message fully understood it. And when smart people get this one wrong, it can result in failure for both.
4. Don't Delegate Enough.
"It would be quicker if I just did it myself" is a phrase we often hear from those who either struggle to delegate or who don't like to delegate. But when we refuse to delegate work we limit your team's achievements to what we can achieve ourself. When we delegate, it allows us to increase the results and impact significantly. If we cannot delegate then we become indispensable at the current level, which might sound like a good thing, but it could actually stop us from being promoted.
5. Don't listen to or ask for feedback.
To improve performance, we need to get feedback. Feedback is the breakfast of champions. It allows us to know what went well and what needs to be worked on. Without feedback, we can develop bad habits that reduce both the effectiveness and efficiency. Don't be the person who, just because they're smart, thinks they know it all. We can all do better, and to improve we need to both ask for and listen to feedback.
6. Wait until they are 100% ready before taking a shot.
Perfect is the enemy of good enough, and if we wait until everything is perfect, then you will never achieve anything. Yes, we can always do a little bit more preparation, but one of the keys to success is starting. Great opportunities don't come along every day, and if we wait until we feel we are ready, we can miss great oppurtunities.
7. Underestimate the value of the not so smart.
Just because someone lacks a particular educational qualification doesn't mean that their ideas or input should be ignored when offered. In many cases, experience is a much more valuable commodity than intelligence. It's great to learn from our mistakes, but it's much smarter to learn from those of others, so we can save time and money by avoiding making them ourselves.
Thanks!
I just read his article and appreciated all the points.
Thanks to Writer.
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