4 Ways to Undermine You Leadership Potential

Being a great leader is not only about what you should do, but also what you don't do. When it comes to leading well, there are a number of things that we have to look out for. Below are four ways all of us can undermine our leadership potential if we are not careful.

1) You don't follow through

If you can't be trusted to do what you said you would do, why should anyone else do what they said they would do? Leaders set the precedent in any organization, and poor follow through communicates what you and our organization do doesn't matter. At least that is how it is perceived by those around you. If the leaders don't care enough to do what they said they were going to do, why should anyone else?

2) You never ask questions

Never asking questions reveals two things. One, that you think you know everything, and two, that you don't care what anyone else thinks. No one enjoys being around someone who thinks they know everything, and we can't effectively lead if people don't want to be around us.Asking questions also shows that you value other people's thoughts, insights, and contributions. Not feeling valued and heard is one of the biggest reasons people quit their jobs and move on to something else. But that doesn't mean you should ask questions just to make people feel like you care about their opinion. People can tell whether or not you genuinely care.

3) You never admit you are wrong

The funny thing about admitting you are wrong is that can actually increase the trust those around you have in you. Everybody gets things wrong, and the only person who is fooled by someone who never thinks they are wrong is the person who never thinks they are wrong.Recently New City Church moved two services. Three weeks into the change we had to change our service times because there was too much time between our first and second service (about 45 minutes). I was the one who originally said we should have 45 minutes instead of 30 minutes between our services. I got that one wrong. And if you ask our staff team at New City, they'll probably tell you I get something wrong every week :).

4) You take all the credit when things go well

Great teams are great because they are a team. If things are going well, no matter how responsible one particular person may be for the success of the project or initiative, there is about 100% chance that they could not have done it all by themselves. If your team or organization is in a season of growth or success (whatever that might mean for what you do) it isn't because only one person is doing their job well. And everyone knows Plus, no one is attracted to someone who makes it all about them.Rarely do we set out to be bad leaders. But if you or your team seems to be in a slump, think back and see if any of these four reasons happen to be part of the reason why. If you think one of these things might be an issue, simply apologize. Why? In the words of author and pastor Craig Groeschel, because "people would rather follow a leader who is always real than a leader who is always right."