Here is the third excerpt from our recent article on 3 Ways to Derail Team Formation. In Part 1 of this post I talked about the first mistake that derails team formation - Ambiguity of team purpose and vision for the future. Part 2 focused on the mistake of - Hiring a warm body instead of the right person Here's Mistake #3... Dis-orientation Most team members are hired and then thrown into the fire.

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Another  common and costly leader mistake that can result in a loss of  credibility and trust.

MISTAKE: Drawing clear lines in the sand.

The challenge in many organizations is that most leaders don’t get to know their people well enough to create a motivating environment. They like to draw lines in the sand between business and personal.

Actually, our business and personal lives often intersect and have a huge impact on each other.We need to make business personal.

Another  common and costly leader mistake that can result in a loss of credibility and trust.

MISTAKE: Leading with answers instead of questions.

Jim Collins said it best in Good to Great:

Another  common and costly leader mistake that can result in a loss of credibility and trust.

MISTAKE: Solving problems others should solve.

It’s not uncommon for new leaders to solve problems for their team members instead of helping them learn to do it on their own. For the overly controlling leader, you may find it faster to take care of it yourself than to take the time to teach.

For the less assertive leader, it might be easier to do it yourself so you can get around confronting an issue directly.

Another  common and costly leader mistake that can result in a loss of credibility and trust.

MISTAKE: Imposing goals on team members.

I can’t stress enough the importance of making the goal-setting process collaborative. Imposing individual goals on someone is the fastest way to lose commitment. And, leaders should be leery about imposing their expectations through online collaboration tools. Technology can be successfully used to support the goal-setting process, but should never take the place of crucial conversations.

Another  common and costly leader mistake that can result in a loss of credibility and trust...

MISTAKE: Leading by email (or by texting, project management tools, online chat, or other technology) instead of Leading by Example.

A common and costly leader mistake that can result in a loss of credibility and trust...

MISTAKE: Getting caught up in the Popeye Syndrome – “I am what I am.”

The implied message here is: “I am the way I am and if you don’t like it, who cares?”

Leaders often exhibit this behavior when doing things like conducting meetings without involving team members, and when resolving team member issues without asking for input or engaging them in the problem-solving process.

Here is the second excerpt from our recent article on 3 Ways to Derail Team Formation.

In Part 1 of this post I talked about the first mistake that derails team formation - Ambiguity of team purpose and vision for the future.

Here's Mistake #2...

Hiring a warm body instead of the right person

At the start of a recent leadership development program with a group of emerging leaders here in Denver, Colorado, I asked the group how they would know if the 9-month program would be successful.

What would success look like for them individually?

Here are some of their responses:

"Success is making a positive impact in the lives of our staff, clients and all members of our organization… empowering people."

"I measure my personal success through the accomplishments of my team."