2184: 3 Biggest Leadership Mistakes People Make Today by Brian Tracy on Business Leadership

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[00:00:54] This is Optimal Work Daily. The three biggest leadership mistakes people make today by Brian Tracy of BrianTracy.com. One of the best leadership qualities that a manager can have is the ability to build up self-esteem, self-confidence, and self-respect in others. As a leader, your choices affect your entire team, especially your leadership mistakes.

[00:01:20] However, we've all had bad bosses who do just the opposite. Today, I'm going to identify three of the biggest leadership mistakes people make and provide some solutions. Perhaps some of you have made some of these leadership mistakes in the past. The good news is, we can all learn what makes a good leader by taking a look at these missteps and correcting them.

[00:01:40] By focusing on building self-esteem, you can help your team reach peak performance. Each person has unlimited potential and can flourish in the right environment once that potential is tapped into. They have huge reservoirs of creativity that can be unleashed to solve problems, overcome obstacles, and achieve business goals. This includes you. Raise your team's self-esteem.

[00:02:04] The leader is the most important person in any organization. The leader sets the tone by the way he talks, behaves, responds to others, and treats people on a day-to-day basis. People tend to follow the leader in that they imitate or mimic the behavior of the leader toward others. When you lead by example and treat other people with courtesy and respect, the rest of the group will follow. A kind word from you to one of your staff members can make them feel happy all day.

[00:02:32] An angry word can make them feel frustrated, afraid, and insecure for the rest of the day. You must be careful. There are specific behaviors that you can practice each day in any interaction to raise your team's self-esteem. When you deliberately take the time to build self-esteem in other people, you simultaneously eliminate the fears that hold people back from doing their best. A peak performance work environment, like flowers in the spring, blooms naturally around you. Three leadership mistakes people make.

[00:03:03] Number one, they criticize others. The first leadership mistake that managers make is that they criticize others. Refuse to criticize anyone for any reason. When people make mistakes, you focus on the solution. Focus on what can be done rather than who did it and who's to blame. This is the mark of the superior leader with admirable leadership questions. We all know that destructive criticism is harmful.

[00:03:30] Personally, we all hate to be the recipients of destructive criticism. It can make us angry for days and even years. Destructive criticism attacks our self-esteem, hurts our self-image, and hinders us from reaching peak performance. It makes us angry and defensive. So, if it is so hateful to us, why would we ever do it to someone else? Two, they complain. The second leadership mistake people make is that they complain for any reason.

[00:03:58] Complainers are always looking for something or someone to complain about. They tend to associate with other complainers. They talk together at work and socialize after work. They go out for lunch and coffee breaks together. Complaining becomes a natural way of life for them. But there's a major problem with both criticizing and complaining. In both situations, you are positioning yourself as a victim. When you complain, you actually weaken yourself. You feel inferior and inadequate. You feel angry and resentful.

[00:04:29] You feel negative and unsure. Your level of self-esteem and self-respect will decline as you complain about anything to someone else. If you are not happy about something, as the manager, you are entitled to bring it to the attention of the other person. You are responsible for putting it on the table and discussing it. These are admirable leadership qualities that you must learn to develop. If you're not happy with a behavior or an outcome, your job is to actively intervene to correct the situation.

[00:04:56] You can do this by being objective about the difference between what you expected and what has actually happened. You then invite input on how you and the other person or persons can solve the problem or improve the situation. But you never complain. And three, they condemn others on their team. The third leadership mistake people make is condemning anyone for any reason inside or outside of your company. When you condemn other people, you demoralize the listener.

[00:05:25] And the self-esteem of the other person will be severely lowered. When you condemn people outside the company, someone will eventually tell them what you've said. Usually a distorted version is told and will come back to haunt you. This seems to be a law of nature and completely unavoidable. These recommendations are equally as important when you are talking about competitors or customers in the marketplace. Never criticize your competitors. Admire them if they're more successful in some areas than you are.

[00:05:53] Then look for ways to produce even better products and services and sell them even more effectively. Never complain about people and problems outside your business. Instead, use that same amount of mental energy to find solutions. Resolve the problems that led to the complaints in the first place. The best leaders create a positive environment. When you develop positive leadership qualities, your general attitude diffuses a warm light and fills the entire workplace.

[00:06:22] You create an environment where people are relaxed and feel good about themselves and their work. You will raise the self-esteem of everyone in the workplace. Before we wrap up, I'd like to leave you with a thought to share with your friends and followers. Quote, empower others to perform at their best by continually reminding them how good they are and how much you believe in them. End quote.

[00:06:48] You just listened to the post titled, The Three Biggest Leadership Mistakes People Make Today by Brian Tracy of briantracy.com. This episode is brought to you by PayPal. You know how a mom's bag has everything? Sunscreen. Snacks. A stapler. The new PayPal app is like that, but for your money. Shop, pay, manage your account, and earn rewards all in one place.

[00:07:14] And with purchase protection on eligible items, biometric security, and pass keys, you're protected at every step. Download the new PayPal app to get started. See paypal.com slash protection terms. Pink Panther is here. Coach and Spotify are teaming up to bring music and style together, and they want you to be part of it. Grab your friends and head to the Tabby Tour, hitting cities around the country with live performances from special artists, exclusive experiences, and personalized products.

[00:07:42] And discover custom playlists on Spotify, built just for you based on who you are and how you listen. Live your story with Coach. Learn more at coach.com. And a big shout out as always to Brian, who is the chairman and CEO of Brian Tracy International. Brian helps people achieve their personal and business goals quickly and easily.

[00:08:04] He has studied, researched, written, and spoken for 30 years in the fields of economics, history, business, philosophy, and psychology, and is the top-selling author of over 70 books. His talks and seminars on subjects like leadership, selling, self-esteem, goals, strategy, creativity, and success psychology are super effective in both creating immediate changes as well as long-term results.

[00:08:29] Brian is also active in community and national affairs, and he heads up three different companies headquartered in Solana Beach, California. So come by his site, briantracy.com to learn a lot more. And Brian's actually narrated across all of our podcasts, so if you like his style and what he has to say, you can check out our other shows. And you can do that at oldpodcast.com or just search for Optimal Living Daily, wherever you're hearing this, to find all that we have to offer. Okay, that's going to wrap up this midweek episode.

[00:08:58] Hope you enjoyed it, and that you'll be back with me tomorrow, where your optimal life awaits.