I’ve committed each of these top ten sins that most managers make at one time or another in my 40-plus-year career as a general manager for a major retailer, an award-winning entrepreneur, and a college professor. The good news is you can learn from my mistakes. If I knew then what I know now, I would have managed and led others differently. After reading this article, I hope you will manage and lead others differently as well.

Here’s a new playbook for emerging leaders.

1. Don’t rely on common sense in your training programs. If you haven’t taught someone how to do the task the way you want it done, don’t assume they know how. Common sense is not common practice.
2. You can’t motivate people to do things that they don’t want to do. But you can create a working environment that motivates them. People do things for their own reasons. Find out what that is and help them get it; chances are, you will get yours.
3. Just because someone is good at what they do doesn’t mean they will be good at something else. Not everyone is equipped to manage and lead others. Promote someone who enjoys spending time with people and helping them succeed.
4. Admitting you don’t have all the answers is ok. You’re not supposed to know everything. But you are expected to know where to go to find the answers. Don’t make shit up.
5. Communication is everything. If you can’t communicate in a way that everyone will understand, then whatever you say will mean nothing. Ask open-ended questions to clarify and ensure the message was received.
6. We both know there are several ways to accomplish the same thing. It doesn’t have to be just your way. Solicit everyone’s input and build a collaborative team. The more you involve others in the process, the more likely they will want to participate.
7. Your job as a manager or leader is to teach others what you know. You can’t do that unless you are sharing some of your responsibilities with others on your team. If you don’t delegate, you rob them of their opportunity to grow.
8. You’ve got to give it to get it. Gaining others’ respect is a 3-step process. First, you must establish rapport, then develop a relationship, which eventually leads to mutual respect. People won’t trust anyone they don’t respect first.
9. You must lead by example. Whatever you say you are going to do; do it. It’s not what you say that matters most; it’s how you go about doing it. Your word must be your bond.
10. Your attitude and how you choose to react when things go wrong are 100 percent in your control. Remain calm, reflect, refocus on the task at hand and move forward. People want to follow winners, not whiners.

Copyright 2026. Brian Smith – Power Link Dynamics. Not to be reproduced without permission. Are you searching for a keynote speaker for your next event, or planning an in-person training session at your location? Brian specializes in soft skills training and leadership development. He works with people who want to communicate and interact more effectively, build collaborative teams, resolve conflicts or motivate others to perform at their best. He will customize a presentation that is right for you, your team and your organization. Contact Brian and discover what he can do for you.

Managers and leaders need to learn to manage their time and their team’s time so they have the time to do the things that only managers and leaders should be doing. They will burn themselves out if they continue doing their job and everyone else’s. If you are doing someone else’s job, you’ll never have enough time to do your own. You have to learn to give up control to get control. You need to learn to delegate some of your responsibilities to others on your team and resist the urge to micro-manage them. Delegation is a basic skill that distinguishes successful managers and leaders from those that aren’t. Putting out someone else’s fires is not a good use of your time.

Worth Remembering – Delegation requires the willingness to pay for short-term failures to gain long-term competencies. – Dave Ramsey.

If you’re not sure what to delegate, take a moment and compile a list of all the tasks that you perform. Once you’ve compiled your list, which ones are tasks that are sensitive in nature that only a manager or leader should be doing. Don’t pick ones just because you like doing them. After you have sorted out your priorities, find a way to delegate everything else.

Delegation steps.

1 – Identify what only you can do – confidential, final accountability.

2 – Pick the right work to delegate – repeatable, teachable.

3 – Choose the right person – fit, growth, ability.

4 – Define success – outcomes, deadlines, boundaries.

5 – Delegate authority – decisions, access information, limits.

6 – Set check-ins – milestones, follow-ups and resist the urge to micro-manage.

7 – Coach and debrief – what worked, what to improve, then repeat the steps.

Worth Remembering – If you delegate tasks, you create followers. If you delegate authority, you create leaders. – Craig Groescherl.

If you fail to delegate, you are robbing your people of their opportunity to grow. Be patient. It takes time for people to learn a new task. They will make mistakes – that’s where growth happens. It’s like riding a bike. The more they do it, the better they will get at doing it. Keep in mind that people like to put their own spin on things, so don’t get too hung up on how they are doing it – as long as it’s the end result that you are looking for. Stop putting out someone else’s fires.

Copyright 2026. Brian Smith – Power Link Dynamics. Not to be reproduced without permission. Are you searching for a keynote speaker or planning an in-person training session at your location. Brian works with people who want to communicate and interact more effectively with others, build collaborative teams, resolve conflicts, or motivate people to peform at their best.