After all, they have been extremely successful because they have thought so deeply about decision-making processes. Leaders often invest the largest portion of their time in logistics: planning and conducting meetings, streamlining processes, optimizing systems, and communicating with other corporate leaders. “My idea of a group decision is to look in the mirror,” commented Warren Buffett. Here are five mistakes most leaders make—and how you can avoid making them too. Jeff Bezos, the founder and CEO of Amazon, has always led with a long-term vision of his business. They prefer to go with whatever “the team” decides, so they won’t have to shoulder the blame if things start to go wrong. We First Instead, leaders should proactively weed out all inefficient protocols and cultivate a purposeful, clear focus around topline priorities. Sometimes intuition takes the form of a spontaneous flash of inspiration, but sometimes it also needs a certain incubation period, which is what Schwarzenegger is referring to above. This supportive culture of communication positions all employees for success. After all, what is a checklist? ... 5 Common Mistakes Most Leaders Make (And How To Avoid Them) Deep Patel Former Contributor. YPO. However, it can turn into a serious obstacle if it is used as an excuse to hesitate and vacillate. However, a lack of long-term consistency around expectations in the workplace creates confusion and slows employee productivity. In some cases, doing nothing could well be the right decision. Mistake 2: Making NO Decision Can Also Be A Mistake. They make decisions all day long, which is, after all, what they get paid for. My books on the psychology of success and wealth have been translated into a host of languages and have enjoyed notable success in China, India and South Korea. I’m not perfect – I believe the best leaders are always learning, just like everyone else – but here are six mistakes I’ve seen leaders repeatedly make. “My idea of a group decision is to look in the mirror,” commented Warren Buffett. Taking on a leadership role within your company for the first time can be both exciting and challenging, offering a valuable opportunity to develop managerial and organizational skills as well as take on more accountability for driving business results. 1. His most recent book is "Dare to be Different and Grow Rich: Secrets of self-made people who became rich and successful. By carefully streamlining his approach, Jobs successfully scaled one of the most successful business ventures in history -- proving that simple, straightforward processes can help leaders generate outstanding long-term results. Sustainable Brands Once priorities are clearly defined, it is easier to arrive at a decision far more quickly because it is obvious which elements of any question are most important and which are less so. 8. Avoid these common mistakes bad leaders make: Thinking that they have all of the answers. “Our biggest mistakes were things we didn’t do, companies we didn’t buy,” explained Warren Buffett’s partner Charlie Munger. Air accident investigations have shown that, in many cases, crashes could have been prevented had pilots fully adhered to their checklists.