Managing people is one of the toughest, and most rewarding, parts of running a business.
Even seasoned leaders face challenges when it comes to getting the best from their teams. The pressure to perform, keep people engaged, and avoid conflict can easily lead to common pitfalls. And unfortunately, even the most experienced managers can fall into habits that hold their team (and business) back.
Here are five of the most common mistakes leaders make when managing people – and how to avoid them.
1.Failing To Communicate Clearly
Communication is key, it is a common adage for good reason. Communication is key in every facet of life, including, and especially in business. Lack of clarity is a silent productivity killer. Clear communication is necessary to ensure your team is sure of what is expected of them, what their priorities are, and why their work matters. Without this, motivation can drop.
How To Avoid This:
⚜️Clearly define goals and individual roles with KPIs (Key performance indicators).
⚜️Be open, transparent and consistent with regular updates and feedback.
⚜️Encourage, mediate and support open dialogue and questions.
- Micromanaging Instead of Empowering
Micromanagement often stems from a lack of trust in your team’s abilities – even if that’s not the intention. While it may feel like staying in control, it actually sends a message that you don’t believe your team can deliver without constant oversight. The result? It stifles creativity, ownership, and growth.
How To Avoid This:
⚜️Delegate meaningful responsibilities and trust your team to meet them.
⚜️Set outcomes and encourage innovative processes.
⚜️Check in to support and motivate them consistently to find their own solutions.
- Ignoring Individual Strengths and Needs
It might seem fair to treat everyone the same, but in leadership, fairness doesn’t mean sameness. When you overlook individual strengths, motivators, and development needs, you risk missing opportunities to bring out the best in your team.
How To Avoid This:
⚜️Invest time and effort into getting to know your team, their strengths, challenges, skills and motivators.
⚜️Tailor your coaching and development strategies to each person’s differing needs.
⚜️Celebrate individual contributions, successes and achievements.
- Neglecting Recognition and Feedback
Neglecting recognition and feedback is a surefire way to ensure your team does not feel valued, respected, or appreciated. It’s incredibly easy to pass on a compliment or give credit where credit is due, and in doing so, your team will feel like their contributions are valued. They want to try harder for you because all people want to feel seen and appreciated. Without regular feedback and recognition, motivation drops, and turnover rises.
How To Avoid This:
⚜️Make feedback a regular habit and don’t just rely on annual reviews.
⚜️Readily recognise effort and results, publicly and privately.
⚜️Encourage peer-to-peer appreciation and lead by example when it comes to appreciating team members.
- Avoiding Difficult Conversations
No one enjoys conflict – especially at work. But avoiding tough conversations doesn’t make problems disappear; it allows them to grow quietly in the background, often leading to resentment, insecurity and confusion.
Stay tuned for next week’s blog, where I’ll dive deeper into this topic and share practical resources to help you navigate it effectively.
Managing people isn’t easy – but it’s everything.
Your team can be your greatest asset or your biggest bottleneck. If they’re burned out, frustrated, or unclear on direction, your business will feel it. But when people feel valued, empowered, and supported, they’ll go the extra mile.
Lead with intention. Invest in your people. And watch your business grow because of it, not in spite of it.
