Summary:  As leaders we all have blocks that may stop us from being better. Here are some common ones and how to overcome.

This is going to sound silly – I love to play Candy Crush – yes I know it is a thoughtless and simple game. It is and that’s probably why it helps me slow down my thoughts. You know what I mean, that constant bombardment of thoughts you have throughout the day. Why am I telling you this? Well, while playing and trying to clear the blocks so I could win the level, it reminded me of the blocks we create in our own minds when it comes to working with people.

Do you have these common leadership blocks?

I want to be liked. This means you are more interested in having people “like” you and be friends than be respected and get the job done.  When you focus on “like” you are not focusing on the big picture or goals.  To overcome, focus on being respected for the way you treat people, your decisions and holding to your values. For this – some will like you and other’s won’t however you will be respected.

I don’t want to be pushy. This is common with people who were promoted and still working with people who were there peers. You are happy you were promoted and you also know what the team doesn’t like – pushy. To overcome, ask people questions about how they would handle a situation, let them come up with what needs to be done and then ask when you can expect to see something.

It will end up in an argument. This is part of avoiding confrontations. The good news is that most people do not like confrontations. The bad news is that not all will end in an argument – the scenario you are creating in your head rarely happens as it is the worst case. To overcome, rehearse the conversation in your head, listen to the words you are using – is there a way to still get the point across with using different words.

They don’t listen. This usually happens as a result of you not listening either. It turns into a power of wills or they believe they have better ideas. If you want them to listen, you must listen first. Ask them questions about what is happening, do they have suggestions or how would you handle – then discuss. Give them ownership of the process and/or situation.

What other blocks to you have? How have you overcome? Share below so we can all learn from each other.