There is no such thing as a perfect leader. No matter how experienced you are, there is always something you can learn about your leadership style that will help strengthen the working relationship between you and your employees. So, even if you have a healthy rapport with your team, don’t forget to step back from time-to-time to ensure you haven’t unknowingly developed any the following bad habits.
Big ideas, little follow-through
As a leader, you’re not only responsible for coming up with your company’s next big idea; you also have to build excitement for it among your employees. And, if you have a strong, motivated team, that shouldn’t be difficult. However, once you’ve built a consensus and everyone starts working toward making your ideas a reality, you have to be prepared to follow through to completion. It can be frustrating for employees to put in some serious elbow grease only to see a project fizzle out or never get implemented. Your team deserves to see the fruits of their labor and to have the opportunity to bask in the glory of a job well done.
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While this year has been an improvement for many businesses over the dismal 2008 and 2009 years we’d all like to forget, economic recovery has remained slow. And, leading economists expect that growth to remain modest through 2011, a difficult forecast for many employers and their employees who’ve struggled to stay afloat under the weight of increasingly heavier workloads and high stress levels.
Like any relationship, the relationship you have with your workforce doesn’t just happen overnight. Creating an environment where you and your employees work together, interact, and relate to one another takes time and effort. But, building a great team is worth every second you invest. When you and your employees work well together it fosters a more engaged, focused, happy, and unified workforce, all of which positively impacts your company’s productivity, retention, recruitment, and profitability.![iStock_000012479981XSmall[1]](http://www.refreshleadership.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/iStock_000012479981XSmall1-150x150.jpg "iStock_000012479981XSmall[1]")
As a business leader, you have goals, dreams, and ideas you want to accomplish. And together, your team helps you achieve those goals and objectives. But sometimes, the end result your employees present – whether it’s a completed assignment or a finished product – doesn’t quite meet your expectations. Whether it’s just a simple task or a year-long project, getting what you really need from your employees isn’t always easy.
Sometimes it stinks to work in the summertime. The kids are out of school. Everyone’s mind is on vacation or their upcoming weekend at the lake. And, all that cheery sunshine beckons to you from the window. But, work must go on. 
Like the common cold, we’ve all had them at one time or another – the dreaded tough conversation. Just like telling someone you like them – or don’t – in high school, difficult conversations with your employees can be awkward and uncomfortable. Just the thought of having a tough conversation can make your palms sweat, your stomach ache, and your mouth go dry. And, the longer you put them off, the worse they get.
Professionals face a gauntlet of efficiency-destroying distractions every day in the workplace. Frequent e-mails, phone calls, meetings, and daily coffee breaks are just a few of the rampant, never-ending interruptions that threaten productivity. Too many of these distractions can be costly for companies. In just a single Friday, Google’s recent tribute to Pac-Man cost an estimated $120 million in workplace productivity according to the tech firm Rescue Time. You cannot shield your team from every disruption, but you can help create an environment that fosters focus, engagement, and effectiveness with a complete workplace makeover that minimizes the distractions in your office. A growing pile of paperwork, e-mails, and files your team deal with on a daily basis can make it difficult to concentrate on the tasks at hand. 
How messy is your workspace? 
Multitasking has become a nearly ubiquitous term on résumés and cover letters and in job interviews and performance reviews. It’s even become a prerequisite for many job seekers and an unstated requirement for employees facing the pressures of a reduced workforce. But is multitasking all it’s cracked up to be?
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