The Entrepreneurs Library
A Preview of The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make with Hans Finzel
A summary of things you should know about The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make according to Hans Finzel:
Introduction
In this episode Hans Finzel takes a deep dive into his book, The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make, where he shares the common mistakes leaders need to overcome.
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.
This book is perfect for entrepreneurs who are emerging leaders and wish to prevent or improve upon common bad habits that many leaders continue to struggle with.
The Book’s Unique Quality (3:50)
I think one of the biggest differences is that I have done leadership for 30 years and so I write from experience. This book is very practical, simple, and useable.
The Best Way To Engage (4:39)
You can easily jump in and jump out. Each of the ten chapters are standalone ideas.
The Reader’s Takeaway (14:19)
The one principle action item that I would want the reader to take away is to learn to be a servant leader, not a top down leader. A servant leader puts the good of the team in front of their own selfish desires.
A Deep Dive Into The Book (5:20)
Firstly, I want the reader to know that I have personally made all 10 of these mistakes and learned from them all. I chose these top 10 because as I went on my journey as a CEO of a 35 million dollar international nonprofit and I began to conclude that these were the top 10 of all the mistakes that I see leaders make.
Of all the leadership sins the number one mistake leaders make is the top down attitude. Most think that they are on top because they are the smartest, they founded the company, and they know best. This is the worst mistake a leader can make and I talk to people all the time that work under these leaders and they get very, very frustrated.
The second mistake is putting paperwork before people work. 90% of effectiveness in leadership is people skills, the software of working well with people. But the higher you go into leadership there is more paperwork and technology that stands in the way of giving yourself to people.
The third mistake is the absence of affirmation. What could be better than a pay raise? It’s been proven that people praise affirmation and sometimes this is a blind spot for leaders. People desperately need affirmation and it’s a huge piece of leadership.
The fourth mistake is that there is no room for mavericks. A leader makes a mistake if they don’t allow mavericks to thrive and a maverick is just an entrepreneur that doesn’t follow rules. This chapter will show you how to cultivate people who think outside the box.
Chapter five covers dictatorship and decision making, Getting Beyond I Know All the Answers. This whole idea of being a dictator in decision making frustrates people so much because they want to have a part in the big decisions of the company.
Chapter six is what I call Dirty Delegation, Refusing to Relax and Let Go. When I ask an audience what is it the most that frustrates them about their boss, I get this response all the time. In this chapter I go into all the reasons why really gifted and high power leaders don’t delegate well.
Chapter seven is Communication Chaos and this is just about clear lines and clarity in the organization.
Chapter eight covers missing the clues of corporate culture and a leader has to understand this if they are going to lead through it.
Chapter nine is Success without a Successor, Planning Your Departure the Day You Start. One of the final acts of great leadership is to cultivate the people who will replace you. I don’t think you should see that at a threat but a really great leader can go on vacation because they have trained other people to step in. If you can never go on vacation because the place will fall apart without you, you’re not cultivating successors.
Finally, Chapter 10 is Failure to Focus on The Future. We have to be listeners and learners because the future where we are going to sell our business is so very different from the past or the present.
NOTE: That was just a summary. To get the full deep dive, play the audio clip at 05:20
Notable Quotes From The Book (15:58)
“The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men and women to do what he wants done, and self-restraint enough to keep from meddling with them while they do it.” –Theodore Roosevelt
The Credibility/Inspiration Of The Author (0:54)
I was born and raised in Huntsville Alabama. My father was a rocket scientist and a part of NASA. I have spent my career mostly in the nonprofit world and became more and more interested in leadership after 20 years as a CEO of one of the nonprofits. I eventually left to start my own work fulltime helping leaders and managers do a better job. My passion is to really help leaders take their leadership to the next level. Today I do a lot of podcasting on leadership and I keep turning out books because I love to write about leadership. Lastly, I am a father of four kids and married to a wonderful wife.
The inspiration came after working under a bad leader. I worked for a guy that just totally frustrated me and stood in the way of my visions and dreams for what I wanted to do. He crushed my spirit to the point where I lost respect and finally left. When I became a leader I wanted to study how to be a good leader, not a bad leader and how to empower people instead of frustrating people.
Other Books Recommended By The Author (17:01)
Good to Great by Jim Collins
More Information About This Book and The Author
Buy The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make by Hans Finzel on Amazon today
Visit HansFinzel.com to learn more about Hans and his books
Follow Hans Finzel on Facebook and Twitter
More Information About This Episode
Download the full transcript here (coming soon)
Listen on iTunes, Stitcher , and SoundCloud
Related books:
Make It Matter by Scott Mautz
Everybody Paddles by Charles Archer
The Culture Engine by Chris Edmonds
Relevant advice and tips:
5 Characteristics of A Great Leader
What did you like and not like about this episode? Fill out this one minute survey here.
What do you think about Hans Finzel’s book, The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make? Share your review in the comments below:
Wade Danielson
Wade is a 4-time serial entrepreneur and is the Founder/Host of The Entrepreneurs Library. With a long time passion for reading books, Wade created an online resource and podcast for entrepreneurs who love to read personal and business development books. His long-term goal in life is to start an entrepreneurial home schooling program for children of business-minded families.
