Common Mistakes That Executives Make Managing People

Being an executive is not as easy as it may look from the outside, and you cannot be successful in the long term unless you can manage people. And while reviewing numbers and big data is important, those things will not help you get control of your staff, and make your employees respect you.

According to the Institute for Coaching, an executive coaching organization, here are some of the most common mistakes executives make when managing their employees:

They do everything themselves and do not delegate authority

Hard work is not optional when it comes to being an executive – they worked hard to become executives, and many feel that they need to keep up that hard work in order to keep their jobs. That being said, sometimes executives keep too much on their plate, which does nobody any favors, instead of delegating items and authority to others.

The smartest executives, though, don’t feel they need to do it all. Instead, they hire smart, trustworthy people to work for them, and they delegate authority to those employees. This serves several functions – the executive feels less overwhelmed, and has time to think and to grow the company. The staff feels more fulfilled, with interesting work, plus they feel empowered. And the company can grow, as more people can get things done. It’s a win-win for all concerned.

They don’t explain how to do things

Some executives may indeed delegate authority, but that is not enough. They need to explain how to run things, without micromanaging. Expecting your employees to be mind readers will doom you to failure. Instead, you should explain what it is that needs to be done, yet still give them room to grow and innovate.

In addition, if you have certain standards you want everyone to meet, please make sure that your staff understands that, instead of silently fuming when people don’t do what you want, even when you do not know what it is that you want.

They don’t take different personalities into account

Executive coaching experts stress that you need to understand not just your own personality – knowing yourself is the first step — but the personalities of others. Just because you see things one way does not mean that your staff will see things that way. This is why “7 Habits of Highly Effective People” author Stephen Covey says that you should first seek to understand, and then to be understood. One thing you can do on that end is to take a personality test like the DISC test, or Myers-Briggs, and then have your staff take the tests as well, to understand where everybody ranks on the personality tests.

They don’t get the most out of their staff

Executive coaching is one of the ways that managers can learn how to best juggle their duties, and keep their staffers happy. Without it, executives may not know how to get the most out of their staff, and take their feelings and personalities into account. For example, if you have a shy, introverted employee, putting him or her as the face of the organization when it comes to dealing with the public will not serve them – or you – well. Try to match your staff with their talents, to best suit them – and your company.