New leaders are bound to make a mistake every now and then. If they didn’t, I’d be worried. Making mistakes is part of the learning process. Those who purposely hold back or resist taking chances aren’t just avoiding making errors, they’re sidestepping opportunities for growth.

But there are different kinds of mistakes. Missteps made with a genuine effort to do the right thing and reach the best decisions are part of the natural pattern of trial and error for any leader. But there are key, critical mistakes new leaders make that can forever alter the course of their careers by leading them down the path of the DUD.

1. Compromising Their Ideals: New leaders are especially vulnerable to the pressures of succeeding at any cost. The drive to impress, display peak performance, and deliver the “win” to higher-ups often causes fledgling leaders to bend their own principles and veer off course of their usual moral compass.
2. Aligning with a DUD: Forming a relationship with a mentor is a vital, effective, and smart choice for any leader, especially those just beginning their leadership journey. Too often, however, the “successes” of DUD leaders who have gained wealth, status, and notoriety are what appeals to impressionable newcomers. Their inexperience as to what truly defines a WOW leader may cause them to align with the wrong kind of role model. Once aligned with a DUD, it’s hard to break free of the negative influence.
3. Abusing Their Power: For novice leaders, the climb up often creates the opportunity to assert themselves in a way they had never been previously able to do. When the power is newly gained, however, it’s tempting to use that power to settle scores, issue “paybacks,” or otherwise inflict misery on those who now call you “boss.” When leadership is viewed as a means to your own personal ends, rather than as an opportunity to harness the greatness within others, you’re sealing your fate as a DUD.
4. Taking Themselves Too Seriously: When goals are attained, and new positions awarded, it’s only natural to feel a sense of accomplishment and pride. The danger comes in when new leaders think so highly of themselves and their impressive title that they take on an arrogant, self-centered, lofty attitude. Or when the fear of losing their newly-gained responsibilities causes them to do anything to protect it. Those who place themselves above reproach tend to operate above the fray. Because they fear any display of weakness, they never admit mistakes, and habitually deflect the blame away from themselves and onto their team.

Within each new leader is the ability to shine as a WOW or fade as a DUD. It’s especially critical in the early stages of a new leadership position to establish yourself as a reliable, confident, trustworthy, authentic, communicative, and sometimes fallible individual, and not fall into the traps that lay the groundwork for poor leadership. You’ll be on your way to WOW by staying focused on the task of leading rather than on the title of leader.

–Sheri Staak