Are you making these leadership mistakes?

As a spiritual entrepreneur, you hold several leadership roles in your business and community.  Whether you’re aware of it or not, your actions impact others.  In fact, some of your leadership roles may seem basic to you, but they are a lot more critical than you know. So, it’s important for you to be aware of the influence you have on your clients, followers, and community.

Aim to be the best leader possible!

Let’s look at some common leadership mistakes and how to correct them.

Avoiding the truth.

Avoiding the truth is one of the worst leadership missteps. The minute you avoid the truth, you set yourself up for a fall. Which means you’ll likely lose the trust of those who matter to you. If they don’t believe what you say, how can you expect to lead them successfully?

As I like to say, always “tell it like it is”. It doesn’t matter if it makes you unpopular. Popularity doesn’t usually win races. So be truthful. This is how you become a respected and trusted leader in your space.

Refusing to take your own advice.

It’s awkward to give advice that you aren’t taking yourself! Those you lead will see that as disingenuous. When you are doing the opposite of what you’re telling others to do, your character comes into question with them.

Leading by example is the best way to earn respect. Walk your talk. It shows that you fully believe in what you profess. And it allows others to see that you’re genuine and trustworthy.

If you’re unsure about the advice you’re giving, stop giving it! If it is not good enough for you to take yourself, then dishing it out to somebody else doesn’t make sense.

Compromising your values.

As a leader, it’s important to have solid values. Your inability or lack of desire to uphold your values makes it appear as if you lack integrity. If that’s the case, you’ll have a hard time getting people to rely on you.

Take a look in the mirror and define what matters to you. What do you value most? Is it hard work? Is it honesty? Whatever it is, look yourself in the eye and commit. Each morning, promise yourself that you’ll live according to your values.

You’ll find that you won’t even need to tell anybody what those values are. People will know what you stand for just by observing your actions.

Failing to teach the tough lessons.

Tough lessons are an important part of effective leadership. It isn’t enough to tell those you lead what they want to hear. That isn’t leadership. Your followers are looking for you to lead, not placate.

Sometimes it’s necessary to speak the truth, and ‘tell it like it is’.  You can do it from a place of empowerment. And if they recognize you’re coming from an honest place, they’ll accept and respect your candidness.

Now is the time for you to step up and accept your role as a leader. Embrace your leadership traits now.  As a successful spiritual entrepreneur, sooner or later you will be faced with applying them. You have to be ready to effectively lead others in a positive direction when the time comes!

If you liked this post, you’ll enjoy 4 Steps To Strengthen Your Leadership Skills.