This is the third and final part of a small series of the article with the general title: “11 Things, a Leader Should Avoid!”. This is part 3. You can read part 1, here and part 2, here!
Things, a Leader Should Avoid! (continued!)
As we have already mentioned, among other things, leaders should avoid to:
- Rely only on himself and to refrain advice, help or assistance by third persons. Sometimes, leaders, try to rely, exclusively, on their own resources, or even (/and!) people around them, forgetting that there is a reason, why some people are more specialized in a subject by others! Sometimes, a situation, needs (demands), for someone more adequate in coping in a certain situation, from the one you (or the leader!) have assigned to or delegated for this situation! “For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them,” ― Aristotle, The Nicomachean Ethics,
- Develop or involved in conditions and situations that may embarrass other people. A leader should focus on all things and the small ones and do them with love. As have been manifested in earlier times, “A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit.” (Greek proverb)
- Use trickery, treachery, shortcuts, in order to pursue his/her aims; the end justifies the means is not suitable for a leader. He/she cannot be two-faced, untrustworthy, unreliable, undependable, because all these may isolate him/her from all the people around him/her; an attitude as that, most of the times, initiate various chains of negative events (and results!) and leave a long standing negative “shadow” around his or her real intention! A leader worth of its name (and truly honor it!) cannot use ill means or be different than the one he/she claims to be for pursuing his or hers ends (even if those may involve the pursuing of a greater good!), nor he can afford to diminish people when he/she moves towards his or her way; the loose even of one person, may be disastrous for the survival of an entire course of doing benevolent or other things (surely, you have heard the old “For want of a nail – rhyme“. For more information for the top nursery rhyme, check here).
- Use bad manners, or to refrain from the acknowledgment or merit of everyone may deserve it; nothing substitutes a grace in manners and speaking, while bad manners, almost any time, indicate a lack of confidence(!), and long-standing negativity towards the person behaved poorly, in any given situation.
- Not to use time strategically! He/she should always contemplate time as a valuable asset, that cannot be considered in a light or frivolous manner. A leader should always, bear in mind, that: “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” (Chinese Proverb).
- Lack of discipline, moral compass, values, and principles. The lack of such features and traits would be able to lead someone in the wrong paths and towards the pursuing of elusive objectives! A leader is someone, that needs to have a “clear head” (be cool!) about what he/she wants and pursue and not to lose time, energy, thoughts and ideas in a path that may not be proved efficient, according to his or her life agenda! For this reason, it is essential for a leader, to have strong anchors to keeping him/her in the path and ways he or she have chosen for conducting his/her life (personal or professional!).
Do you think, that there are other things, a leader should avoid or not? The post “11 Things, a Leader Should Avoid” has 3 parts! You can read part 1, here and part 2, here!
