Top 10 Self Management Mistakes

Chief Ron Kreutzer Sr. from Fort McMurray First Nation #468 once told me that “people make mistakes, that’s why pencils have erasers”. That was after I made a big mistake, owned up to it and asked how I could make it right.

Mistakes are how we learn and grow. When I make mistakes I have a common reaction of sheer panic, with all the negative thoughts swarming my head and gut like an angry beehive. Takes for me some time to process, drag myself out of the negativity and ask for help to fix it, if it is something that can be fixed.

The top 10 mistakes that managers make include being:

1. insensitive
2. cold, aloof, arrogant
3. betrayal of trust
4. overly ambitious
5. specific performance problem
6. overmanaging
7. unable to staff effectively
8. unable to think strategically
9. unable to adapt to boss’ different styles
10. overly dependent on an advisor or mentor.

Source: M.W. McCall, Jr. & M.M. Lombardo, "What Makes a Top Executive?" Psychology Today, February 1983, 26-31

Taking the above top management mistakes and applying them to our individual life journeys (sound the horns), I present the top 10 mistakes people make when reinventing themselves:

1. negative thoughts (new mistakes are how you learn!)
2. arrogant view of ourselves (Becky, look at her butt…)
3. lying to yourself or others (calories don’t count on Sundays, right?)
4. take on too much at once (exercise three times a day when you are used to none)
5. succumbing to distractions (nintendo Zelda games are my kryptonite)
6. crossing the line to obsession (cried when my husband gave me pizza with meat on it)
7. unable to make the right type of habit changes (start smoking to lose weight)
8. unable to see the big picture (every action has a reaction even if it a few years away)
9. on a different path than that of your partner (hello divorce)
10. overly dependent on others for your life decisions. (my mom gives great advice, but doesn’t run my life)

The transition takes awhile so all I can say is good luck and patience is your friend. At first, if you are like me, you jump in with all your efforts and make a bunch of massive changes that are neither realistic nor sustainable. I’m told lifestyle change could take months to establish for good.

Good self-management, taking responsibility for your actions, will lead to greater things not only for you but for your family and friends too. Remember it’s OK to make mistakes as long as you take the lesson away from them and learn!

1. Note: As I was writing a draft of this post there was a big crack and bang! There was giprock all over the floor surrounded by a cloud of white dust. I turned around from my desk and saw my father’s leg hanging from the ceiling. Instead of running upstairs to his aid, I snapped the photo below. He is helping us renovate our master bathroom and slipped placing his foot in one of the two access holes in the exposed flooring. First thing I told him was Chief Kreuzter's saying about pencil erasers. I think it made him feel better inside. And then I helped him out of the hole and offered first aid for his scrapes.

​
Check back for a blog post on how to fix giant arrowhead-looking hole in your ceiling.

---