top 10 mistakes leaders make
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But as a textbook for a pastoral ministry class, it is woefully incapable of identifying and explaining the most vital parts of that role. Far better resources exist for men called to pastor.
Best Chapters:
2. Putting Paperwork Before Peoplework
3. The Absence of Affirmation
6. Dirty Delegation
9. Success Without Successors
The 10 mistakes would not come as a surprise to anyone who has studied leadership development. They are:
1. Top-Down Attitude
2. Putting Paperwork before Peoplework
3. The Absence of Affirmation
4. No Room for Mavericks
5. Dictatorship in Decision-Making
6. Dirty Delegation
7. Communication Chaos
8. Missing the Clues of Corporate Culture
9. Success without Successors
10. Failure to Focus on the Future
What is concerning is that we're now 20+ years removed with thousands of books written on these topics and thousands of hours (and uncalculated dollars) invested in leadership training and the same issues exist. It seems to me like we're trying to address character issues with a cosmetic makeover. Fortunately, this book doesn't shy away from the spiritual elements underlying leadership including highlighting issues whether in secular or Christian organizations calling out errors such as "theologizing our methodology" and "anchoring our identity in our work". Biblical principles that counter each of the mistakes is highlighted so that a leader can correct their thinking and lead as they ought.
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Here are Finzel's ten mistakes:
1. The Top-Down Attitude - The number one leadership hang-up
2. Putting Paperwork Before Peoplework - Confessions of a Type A personality
3. The Absence of Affirmation - What could be better than a pay raise?
4. No Room for Mavericks - They bring us the future!
5. Dictatorship in Decision Making - Getting beyond "I know all the answers."
6. Dirty Delegation - Refusing to relax and let go.
7. Communication Chaos - Singing from the same page in the hymnal.
8. Missing the Clues of Corporate Culture - The unseen killer of many leaders.
9. Success without Successors - Planning your departure the day you start.
10. Failure to Focus on the Future - Prepare yourself - it's later than you think.
Rich with examples and pertinent quotes for each issue, this book provides tremendous insights on the key issues that can bankrupt anyone in leadership.
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Hans Finzel explains the purpose of this book early, "This book is not intended to answer the question of leadership scarcity, but rather to look at what makes a good leader go bad, or better yet, what habits to avoid if you want to help fill the gap and replenish the great leadership famine. It is a resource book for anyone in any kind of leadership role" (15). That purpose shows itself in the set-up of every chapter. Each chapter starts out with the challenge or bad habit, tries to identify how a leader can "go bad" in that situtation, discusses what a leader needs to keep in mind to address that challenge, and then wraps it up not only with final summary thoughts, but with a well-organized section at the end of each chapter entitled "Quick Tips for Leaders on the Go" for future reference.
Finzel defines leadership in two ways: "Leadership is influence" (emphasis his) and "A leader takes people where they would never go on their own" (19). This flows out of the "transformational" school of thought on leadership, which emphasizes the traits of leaders combined with their leadership situation. Upon the reading the book, however, one finds answers from other schools of thought. For example, when it comes to style of leadership, Finzel discusses a leader's concern for the task or for the people, which comes from the behavioral school of thought (29-32). (He even cites Douglas MacGregor's "Theory X" and "Theory Y" portrayals of managers—a major study in this school of thought). In another chapter entitled "Dirty Delegation", Finzel discusses how there are four basic leadership styles that could be drawn upon to deal with contrasting situations, which comes from the Situational/Contingency school of thought (121-123). (He cites Hersey & Blanchard's 1977 study on leadership style and situation—a major study in that school of thought). In the end, I think Finzel does an excellent job of using the best from each of the main leadership theories out there to address each of the mistakes leaders make. At the same time, he weaves in basic Christian leadership principles and biblical examples throughout.
Here are the ten mistakes/chapters in numerical order…
1. The Top-Down Attitude: The Number One Leadership Hang-Up
2. Putting Paperwork Before Peoplework: Confessions of a Type A Personality
3. The Absence of Affirmation: What Could Be Better Than a Pay Raise?
4. No Room for Mavericks: They Bring Us the Future!
5. Dictatorship in Decision Making: Getting Beyond "I Know All the Answers"
6. Dirty Delegation: Refusing to Relax and Let Go
7. Communication Chaos: Singing from the Same Page in the Hymnal
8. Missing the Clues of Corporate Culture: The Unseen Killer of Many Leaders
9. Success Without Successors: Planning Your Departure the Day You Start
10. Failure to Focus on the Future: Prepare Yourself—It's Later Than You Think
I really appreciated the very practical approach that Finzel took to addressing these bad habits that leaders can typically have, including shepherds of God's people. Perhaps his years of experience with both the business world and with establishing missions around the world enabled him to provide this kind of insight. Personally, I found it to be one of the best, most satisfying books on leadership from a Christian perspective that I have read in recent memory. He seemed to get to the nuts and bolts of each problem in a way that helped me to see and understand these common leadership mistakes much more clearly. Yes, he cited the social science studies on leadership, but he used them together with practical examples to illustrate his point. Unlike other leadership books, he didn't lose my attention by overdoing the practical examples or wading too far into the deep waters of social science. Above all, I appreciated his Christian perspective and emphasis on servant leadership. He often pointed to Christ as our true Leader and readily recognized that at the heart of these mistakes is sin—a reality often ignored even in most Christian leadership books.
As I mentioned, this book was more satisfying than others on Christian leadership that I've read in the past, but at the same time, it didn't completely satisfy. Finzel's Baptist/Evangelical roots did come out on occasion, as did his business background. Obviously he is writing for leaders in business and some of his suggestions or solutions would definitely not be practical in a ministry setting, unless we would compromise our doctrine and practice in certain ways. As with most other Christian leadership books I've read, Finzel tended to use Christ more as example of good habits of a good leader than Christ as Savior and that his Gospel is the only means that can truly transform sinful human beings into truly Christian leaders whatever their vocation.
All in all, this is one of the top 2-3 books that I would recommend for Christian leaders simply from a practical point of view. It obviously needs to be read with discernment (and perhaps someday someone could finally write a book on Christian leadership from a solid confessional Lutheran point-of-view with a proper emphasis on Christ and the Gospel!), but a Christian leader in a variety of settings could take much good from this book that could be used in real-life leadership.
[Review written for NT9077 "The Leadership of St. Paul" - Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary online course:]
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From that premise, he lays out ten mistakes that leaders commonly make because they generally "fall into leade
In the Introduction, Finzel says: "Leadership can be dangerous. To understand this, study world history and the lives of great and terrible leaders and what they accomplished through others. 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."From that premise, he lays out ten mistakes that leaders commonly make because they generally "fall into leadership" and "tend to do what comes naturally—we 'wing it'":
Mistake #1: Having a Top-Down Attitude
Mistake #2: Putting Paperwork before Peoplework
Mistake #3: The Absence of Affirmation
Mistake #4: Not Making Room for Mavericks
Mistake #5: Dictatorship in Decision Making
Mistake #6: Dirty Delegation
Mistake #7: Communication Chaos
Mistake #8: Missing the Clues of Corporate Culture
Mistake #9: Success without Successors
Mistake #10: Failure to Focus on the Future
To read my other book reviews/ summaries, CLICK HERE: https://legasitv.blogspot.com/search/...
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Finzel's top 10 included:
1. Having a "Top Down" attitude
2. A 'Type A' Personality: Putting Paperwork before Peoplework
3. The Absence of Affirmation
4. Not Making Room for Mavericks
5. Dictatorship in Decision Making - "I Know All the Answers"
6. Dirty Delegation
7. Failure to Communicate
8. Missing the Clues of Corporate Culture
9. Success without successors
10. Failure to focus on the future
His section on making room for Mavericks
Solid work on leadership that takes the perspective of traits to avoid.Finzel's top 10 included:
1. Having a "Top Down" attitude
2. A 'Type A' Personality: Putting Paperwork before Peoplework
3. The Absence of Affirmation
4. Not Making Room for Mavericks
5. Dictatorship in Decision Making - "I Know All the Answers"
6. Dirty Delegation
7. Failure to Communicate
8. Missing the Clues of Corporate Culture
9. Success without successors
10. Failure to focus on the future
His section on making room for Mavericks and success without successors were particularly novel and enlightening.
For me personally, I thought about my tendency to "know all the answers" and how I can evolve to avoid this pitfall and continue to attract high caliber leaders on my teams and to collaborate with.
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Influence in leadership is not only relegated to positive influence, but can come in the form of negative influence. Look to this book to help you harness the ability of self-awareness and avoid massive pitfalls as a leader.
I especially appreciated these:
- The Top Down Attitude
- Paperwork Before Peoplework
- Absence of Affirmation
- Communication Chaos
- Success Without a Successor
By the way, these titles represent mistakes, not goals! I found out that much of what the author recommends as good practice is agreeable to
I needed to have this information in my head years ago, but I don't know that I would have been mature and discerning enough to to receive it in the 80's. I could relate to something in every chapter.I especially appreciated these:
- The Top Down Attitude
- Paperwork Before Peoplework
- Absence of Affirmation
- Communication Chaos
- Success Without a Successor
By the way, these titles represent mistakes, not goals! I found out that much of what the author recommends as good practice is agreeable to my approach to life and relationships. Yet, I have not been a strong leader. It could be that I lack the courage and fortitude to move forward, being overly concerned about creating offense.
I highlighted a lot. Here are a few examples of what called for more attention on my part:
> Everyone in our organization rests on my shoulders—I am at the bottom of an inverted pyramid. I spend countless hours helping others be effective by providing them the facts, the energy, the resources, the networks, the information, or whatever else they need to do an effective job.
> People are opportunities, not interruptions
> The greatest strides in the advancement of Christianity have come from the radical fringe, not the institutional core of the church.
> "Blessed are the control freaks, for they shall inhibit the earth!"
> "The illiterate of the twenty-first century will not be those who cannot read or write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn."
I will be referring back to this book frequently in the next couple of years.
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This book is packed with good advice from an honest man who has made and witnessed many mistakes. For those in Christian ministry of any kind, there are many connections to scripture that will make it relevant.
For those in secular settings, there is still much treasure to be discovered here. Finzel offers secular scenarios to make his points, too, and it is
I picked up the paperback for $1 (ONE DOLLAR!) at our public library's book sale. For a buck, even one good idea makes it worthwhile, right?This book is packed with good advice from an honest man who has made and witnessed many mistakes. For those in Christian ministry of any kind, there are many connections to scripture that will make it relevant.
For those in secular settings, there is still much treasure to be discovered here. Finzel offers secular scenarios to make his points, too, and it is worth the easy effort to read these ten tips.
POINTER: At the end of each chapter, you will find a summary of the points made. Try reading these first to identify your own mistakes you want to explore more deeply. Or, at just over 200 pages, read the whole thing and know you can refresh your memory quickly with a brief visit to the summaries.
In 2015, the book could use a refresh as it makes a lot of references to emails and BlackBerry, and never once uses the term 'millennial," but the points are still valid and applicable.
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For your convenience, we had Hans Finzel on our podcast, The Entrepreneurs Library, to give a deep dive on The Top Ten Mist
In his book Finzel provides newly updated stories and strategies from very successful leaders who have once made continuous mistakes when it comes to effectively leading others. The goal of the book is to teach you what effective leadership looks like, how to overcome typical bad habits that come with being a leader, and how to take your leadership skills to the next level.For your convenience, we had Hans Finzel on our podcast, The Entrepreneurs Library, to give a deep dive on The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make. With Hans's experience he gives amazing insight on how to master the art of leadership. If you would like to get a more in-depth look from the author himself check out episode 215 on the EL website or you can find the show on iTunes.
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The mistake that confused me, is no room for mavericks ! Is this a
It is really interesting book. Many mistakes in leadership, I have done one of them :(. I prepare the work before the people, this is was my big mistake and I really did not figur it out, only when I read this book. The Ten mistakes book has some mistakes that many mangers know. For example, Directorship system to make decision with out others participation, bad communication style with people, and failure to focus on the future.The mistake that confused me, is no room for mavericks ! Is this a mistake?? I do not know what to say.
The list of ten mistakes in this book are
1. The top down attitude
2. Putting the paperwork before people-work
3. The absence of affirmation
4. No room for mavericks
5. Dictatorship in decision making
6. Dirty delegation
7. Communication Chaos
8. Mussing the clues of corporate culture
9. Success with out successors
10. Failure to focus on the future
If you do not read widely about leadership, this book will be of great service to you by exposing you to very common mistakes. If you already read widely about leadership, this book will reinforce some of the major mistakes and add a few insights into it.
Ultimately, though, Finzel's book is not one to simply be read but to be imple
Finzel addresses 10 mistakes that leaders make, though he admittedly says that there are many other mistakes that could be added or replace the 10 mistakes he covers.If you do not read widely about leadership, this book will be of great service to you by exposing you to very common mistakes. If you already read widely about leadership, this book will reinforce some of the major mistakes and add a few insights into it.
Ultimately, though, Finzel's book is not one to simply be read but to be implemented. In this regard, it is an excellent book. It gives practical tips for working against the 10 mistakes and helps the reader reflect on what he/she needs to change in order to lead effectively.
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He also includes a bullet point review at the end of each chapter that is a great way to learn his points on the run (for those leaders with a stack of books they should read but never will) as well as a great review. You can easily
Finzel has truly created a great resource. In his list of just 10 mistakes leaders make, he encompasses the many mistakes that leaders should work hard to avoid and how to do so. This isn't just a book you should read, but one you should read at least once per year.He also includes a bullet point review at the end of each chapter that is a great way to learn his points on the run (for those leaders with a stack of books they should read but never will) as well as a great review. You can easily learn his points during a power lunch or two and walk away with a renewed perspective on your purpose as a leader and inspiration to be a better one.
If you find yourself in a leadership position and want to be great at it, you must read this book.
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