No matter how experienced leader you are, there are always traps awaiting around the corner waiting for you to fall in. Fortunately, we can point to the most common ones and make your life a bit easier.
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Your past don't want to leave you alone. Well, this is a bit poetic, we admit, but the point is: you can't solve all the problems with a little help from your experience. Indeed, yes, your experience led you to that managerial position but there are two problems with experience: new problems and time available.
First, some people tend to search for a solution in a similar situation that happened to them in the past and they are trying to remember what they did back then. But, while your past is very valuable, stop for a while and think is your problem at hand related to your experience at all. As a leader, you will encounter new and unexpected situations along the way and some of them require a totally new approach and solutions.
Second, while digging through your memory, and maybe calling your friends and colleagues, it may happen that you'll find a solution - but not on time. Simply said, there will be situation that require fast response and in this case you can't afford to lose time.
Focusing too much on numbers. There is no doubt that every CEO must be familiar with all kinds of numbers and must know what's going on in the company to a detail. But, there is a hidden danger there and it is called "People are behind all numbers".
It is easy to shift resource from here to there, cut here and give more money there, spend here, invest there... but did you, in all your hectic days, find some time to ask your employees what they think about it? Everything is easy on the paper but one change on the paper can create a complete chaos in production.
If you must spend or relocate resources, be sure to consult with people that change will directly hit and just after that do the change. One of the worst things is to make a mistake that hurts production and then trying to correct it. Time is lost, trust is lost, production is suffering and employees are asking "What was he thinking?"
Controlling every detail. Well, this is hard one, especially if we are talking about self-made business people. Those who started alone and made a respectable business. They know every detail, every process, every trap along the way and - they may become unable to let it go. If you are the leader of your company, you have people in charge for production, financing, marketing, cleaning... In other words, you employed experts in different fields.
So, why are you still obsessed with details? Remember that you are paying all those people with a reason and let them do their job. You don't agree with the marketing manager? Well, he's paid for his job and if he can't perform you'll find somebody else. Simple as that. Find good people and move away, that's most probably advice anyone can give you.
We admit, sometimes is hard, very hard, to left some habit behind you. But, as a leader you must change and adapt almost every day. If you can't do that, you have to learn a lot or admit you're not a leader material. If you can, well, that's something that guarantee your a bright future. ■