The preparation of plans and budgets for 2023 is well underway. Perhaps some personal resolutions have been made. But…are your plans and resolutions based on real business or personal needs?
Have you asked yourself and your management team honestly about what challenges you faced last year and what you want to accomplish in the new year? If not, it may be that your plans and resolutions may also be based on the wrong foundation, dare I say “lie,” that does not reflect real needs. Lies are often a temporary solution to a problem and your plans might not come to fruition as a result.
Let’s look at 11 management lies that could ruin your plans. Do you recognize yourself in any of these truths? Try to be honest with yourself.
- I’m in control. Control is an illusion. As a manager, you must let go of the illusion of control and let yourself lead. Focus only on the things you can control. Leave the rest to your team, delegate and trust them.
- I can do it myself. No one does anything alone. No matter what successes you’ve achieved, you couldn’t have done it alone. It takes a great team, an amazing group of talented people to achieve success. Ask yourself who contributed to your success.
- I don’t have time. Time is precious – for everyone, and perhaps especially for managers – but there’s always time for what’s important. Telling yourself you can’t accomplish a priority because of time is just an excuse.
- If I ignore it, it will go away. It’s sad but true: there are times when we all still succumb to this old lie. Most of the time, what we ignore gets bigger and more cumbersome. Whatever is happening, deal with it. You cannot change what you refuse to face.
- I always know best. You do? Leadership is about inclusion and learning, not being right. Not all leaders know what’s best or have all the answers, and the best ones focus on constantly learning and growing. If you think you know, look around and see where you can ask more questions.
- I can listen actively. There is a big difference between really listening and waiting patiently for your turn. One of the sincerest forms of respect is to really listen to what the other person has to say. And for managers, the art of conversation lies in listening.
- My ego doesn’t get in the way. Nothing destroys leadership faster than ego. The next time you feel yours getting out of control – which can happen to all of us at one time or another – remember that nobility lies not in being superior to someone else, but in having grown beyond the person you once were.
- Everyone does it. It is the duty of a manager to know the difference between right and wrong, regardless of what anyone else says or does. You can never be right by doing wrong, and you can never be wrong by doing right.
- People don’t need praise. We might like to think that people function independently of our actions. But when people don’t get enough credit or feel like no one cares about them, much of their motivation fades. What you praise increases; what you ignore becomes invisible and ineffective.
- Emotions are weaknesses. Some managers want to stay away from emotions in order to appear strong. But to share your weakness is to make yourself vulnerable, and to make yourself vulnerable is to show your strength. The best leaders touch hearts, and this truth always works.
- I’m not here to make friends. Old-school leadership will tell you that managers can’t make friends because it can lead to favouritism. But like friendship, true leadership involves selflessness and concern for the welfare of others, acting for their benefit, not for personal gain.
There will always be lies we tell ourselves, but self-awareness requires us to look beyond them and discover the truth about ourselves and the people around us.
We wish you a year filled with wishes and fulfilled plans, but most of all, health, and contentment.
