Common Mistakes CEOs Make

I've worked with 1,000+ leaders over the last 3 years. Most make the same common mistakes. Except for the best ones. → They build on the lessons of others. → They build empowered teams. → They build lean systems. Because the best mistakes? Are the ones you avoid. Here are the 9 that trip managers up constantly. Drowning in Work → You're working 60+ hours and have no time for your team → Fix: Daily "Power Hour" - 60 mins of editing and delegating Staying in The Spotlight → You're still doing the work instead of enabling others to excel → Fix: Track time coaching delegating each week Ineffective Feedback → Your feedback creates defensiveness instead of growth → Fix: Use SBI method (Situation-Behavior-Impact) + clear next steps Missing Early Warning Signs → Problems explode because you spot them too late → Fix: Triangulate: review metrics, talk to one customer and one skip-level No Management System → Your days are chaotic and reactive instead of structured → Fix: Three non-negotiable: expectations, 1:1s, feedback Excluding Teams from Decisions → You make quick decisions alone that fail in execution → Fix: "Co-Author" rule - team proposes, you refine, everyone owns Tolerating Toxic Talent → High-performing a$$holes are driving away good team members → Fix: Monthly culture impact reviews alongside performance metrics Information Hoarding → Critical knowledge lives only in your head → Fix: Weekly lunch-and-learns plus Leadership Loom wrap-ups Reactive Calendar Management → Your calendar runs you instead of serving you → Fix: Time-block using 40-40-20 rule: team time, deep work, flexibility These mistakes are all too common. They're also 100% avoidable. Simple systems consistently outperform good intentions. What mistakes did I miss? Or what fix are you going to try? Please repost ♻️ to help other leaders and follow Dave Kline 🔔 for more.

Twice in my career, I wore my 70-hour workweeks as a badge of honor. I believed that by having my hands in everything, I was ensuring quality and driving success. What I was really doing was creating the biggest bottleneck in the company: myself. As a CEO, your greatest responsibility isn't to be the hardest worker; it's to be the most effective leader. When you try to do it all, you prevent others from doing their part. This not only leads to burnout but also stifles the growth of your team and limits the overall potential of your business. True leadership means delegating with trust. It's about giving your team the space to grow, contribute, and even make mistakes. Your success is no longer about how much you can do, but about how much you can empower others to do. #CEO #Leadership #Delegation #Burnout #LeadershipDevelopment #WorkLifeBalance

The top reasons I have seen CEO’s fail at Organizational Execution: The CEO is EGO-driven. Confidence with a Sense of Urgency is great. ·       Insensitive, abrasive, or bullying in their style ·       They lack emotional intelligence, self-awareness, or interpersonal skills Failure to show a genuine interest in their people. Sincerely care about them ·       They are self-centered and overly ambitious, putting their own interests above the organization’s Failure to have a critical audience review your ideas. Test and experiment with Trusted Advisors Failure to focus on results. What gets measured gets managed; measure and manage the right things ·       Failure to pay attention to the cash flow and financial health of the organization. ·       Too far removed from the day to day -- have, and know YOUR Key Performance Indicators (KPI) ·       Being in-decisive, decision gridlock Failure to put the right people into the right jobs, at the right time. ·       Associates with a ‘CEO relationship’ are considered more truthful and loyal than other associates. ·       Not getting things done due to reluctance to create a sense of urgency in the entire organization ·       They fail to address obvious problems or challenges, or make poor decisions ·       They are unable to select, develop, or retain good subordinates at all levels