Leadership can be dangerous; we who are in leadership can, on one hand, move men, women, and mountains for tremendous good; on the other hand, we hold the power to do irreparable damage to our followers by the mistakes we make, according to Hans Finzel in his book The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make. While much of the content is applicable in any leadership context, the book is primarily directed towards leaders of Christian organisations.
The author explains that the average leader faces at least five problems in learning to lead:
- Today’s leaders replicate the poor leadership habits they have observed in others.
- Today’s leaders often lack basic skills for common leadership demands.
- Today’s leaders lack good models and mentoring.
- Today’s leaders lack formal training in leadership.
- Today’s Christian leaders suffer confusion over the conflict between secular and biblical leadership values.
Specific issues covered in the book include autocratic leadership, prioritizing tasks ahead of people, the importance of affirmation, recognizing useful mavericks, consultative decision making, delegating without micromanaging, clear communication, interpreting corporate culture, succession planning, and maintaining a future-focus.
There is room for argument about which leadership failings should make the top ten, but in my opinion this book provides a useful overview of a number of issues which are of great importance to leaders.