Eight Most Common Mistakes Managers Make:

In over 25 years of coaching managers - at all levels, from C-level executives to team leaders and supervisors - I've seen eight mistakes consistently impair the development of otherwise great people.

Please note that although I call the 'mistakes', I'm not implying any judgmental presumption here - it's not that managers make these mistakes because they're dumb, or uninformed.

Sometimes these mistakes occur because of ambiguity or uncertainty in the organization, or because of a lack of training or investment in the manager 'role'. Sometimes the fault lies with the manager's manager - whether by a lack of communication, or a misunderstanding of the role of a manager in the organization.

Most often, however, I see these mistakes happening because of the simple busy-ness of the manager, his or her manager, and their team members.

However, whatever the reason, once one of these eight mistakes takes hold, and unfortunate spiral comes into effect, by which the persistence of any one of these eight mistakes will in turn cause the others to develop and take root.

Here are The Eight Most Common Mistakes Managers Make:

1. No dependable machine for decision-making

2. Not aligning with organizational goals

3. Not working laterally, as well as vertically

4. Not working cross-functionally

5. Building a dependency culture

6. Not developing people

7. Not embracing hiring as part of the job

8. Not investing in their personal growth