Are you an aspiring team leader? Or are you already a leader? Most people have the wrong idea about what it actually means to be a manager and what it requires. Here are five myths about management positions and leadership.
A leader has to be born that way
According to INC.com, the most common myth is that not everybody can be a leader, because if you aren't naturally talented in leadership, you can never achieve a management position. But that isn't true. The art of leadership can (and even must) be learned. Some people might be slightly more talented, but it doesn't play an important role in the final result.
A manager must have a perfect work history
Again, this is a mistake. The vast majority of managers admit that they made some bad mistakes during their professional career. They were also wrong about something, or short-sightedly took a job that proved to be a dead end. But it is true that a successful manager must be able to learn from his or her mistakes.
A leader must be a distinctive extrovert
A leader must be able to talk to different people and adjust to them. Then they have to motivate and lead them. Paradoxically, introverted people are better in adjusting to different people while communicating with them.
A manager must work more than the rest of the team
If by “more” we mean longer, that is not the case. A leadership position doesn't necessarily mean that the person works longer than the rest of the team. However, the leader is efficient, doesn't procrastinate and is able to delegate work and set priorities.
A manager must decisive in every situation
A successful leader must be able to say that he or she doesn't know, if that is the case. Also, every manager knows that the biggest strength is in cooperation. Instead of making a short-sighted decision on his own, a successful manager prefers talking about the situation with his or her subordinates.
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