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The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make Paperback – October 1, 2007

by Hans Finzel (Author)

4.5 522 ratings

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Although leadership is the hot topic on conference agendas and book tours, most people who find themselves in positions of leadership have little or no training for the role. They simply continue to make the same old mistakes.

With additional and newly updated material, this leadership classic reveals the most common errors that leaders consistently make-regardless of training or age-and the way to stop these bad habits from undermining their positive talents and accomplishments.

Whether you are leading a company, a ministry, a Girl Scout troop, or your family, The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make is a must-read for anyone who wants to lead others effectively.

"If you're like me, you've grown weary of the published cookie-cutter approaches on how to lead effectively. And so has Hans Finzel. He drills to the core of the current issues on effective leadership."
-Charles R. Swindoll, author and president of Dallas Theological Seminary

"This is one of the most practical books on leadership I have in my own library. If you are serious about becoming a better leader, you will want to read this book."
-John C. Maxwell, author, speaker, and founder of the INJOY Group

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Editorial Reviews

Review

Do not be fooled by size or the title of this book. I have been in leadership positions for over 30 years and truly enjoyed this style of writting. He points out the mistakes and before you know it you are on knees confessing that you have done the same. This is a must read for every executive in your company. - mby Manual Hernandez.

From the Author

I originally wrote The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make in the early 1990s. I had just turned forty and was relatively young in my leadership experience as a new CEO. The success of this book over the years has been encouraging, especially since most books by unknown authors never go into a second printing. I have heard from so many readers who could empathize with the issues I brought up. Most of the people I hear from suffer in some way under leaders who still don't get it: the servant collab- orative leadership style. They write to say thank you for giving them hope and new ideas of how to do leadership right. With all that has been writ- ten about empowering leadership styles, my observation still holds true that it is not a natural part of human nature. Unless leaders are out there learning and opening themselves to different ideas on how to lead, most will continue to default toward top-down leadership.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0781445493
Publisher ‏ : ‎ David C Cook (October 1, 2007)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780781445498
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0781445498
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.1 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.39 x 8.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #195,197 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #235 in Christian Business & Professional Growth
- #401 in Christian Church Leadership (Books)
- #2,674 in Leadership & Motivation

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4.5 522 ratings

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Hans Finzel

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Hans Finzel is a bestselling leadership author, teacher, podcaster and trusted authority in the field of leadership. He has trained leaders internationally on five continents. Hans recently completed twenty years as President and CEO of international non-profit WorldVenture. Today he and his wife Donna oversee a new ministry, HDLeaders. (www.hdleaders.com)

Hans is "The Leadership Answer Man" in the podcasting world. Check out all our resources for leaders at www.hansfinzel.com. Check him out on iTunes, Spotify, Sticher, etc.

Hans and his wife Donna spent ten years living in Vienna, Austria while training leaders throughout Eastern Europe behind the Iron Curtain before the fall of communism. Dr. Finzel is the author of ten books, including his bestseller "The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make". He and his wife have four grown children and five grandchildren. They reside in Colorado.

I am so excited about my latest top leadership book, "The Top Ten Ways To Be A Great Leader."(David C Cook, April 1, 2017) This is the sequel to my bestselling leadership book, "The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make." That book is about servant leadership, and the pitfalls to avoid. This new leadership book is a positive look at what are the essentials skills to master for great leadership. After thirty years of leaders, I ask the question, "What are the most essential skills all leaders need to master?"

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Bob Allen

"The Top Ten Mistakes Leaders Make" — Spot on and readable

Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2014

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In the Introduction, Finzel says: "Leadership can be dangerous. To understand this, study world history and the lives of great and terrible leaders and what they accomplished through others. We who are in leadership can, on one hand, move men, women, and mountains for tremendous good. On the other hand, we hold the power to do irreparable damage to our followers by the mistakes we make.” From that premise, he lays out ten mistakes that leaders commonly make because they generally "fall into leadership" and "tend to do what comes naturally—we 'wing it.'"

While Finzel talks about the mistakes leaders make, he also talks about how to avoid or to overcome those mistakes. So, this is not a "glass half empty" book — it's a very positive outlook on leadership.

This is one of the most readable books on leadership that I have ever read. It's authentic — Finzel is writing from his decades of experience in leadership in churches and religious non-profit organizations. He writes from a Christian perspective, giving examples from Christian organizations and referencing the Bible freely. However, the principles he articulates are applicable in secular leadership situations as well.

I found Chapter 8 on organizational culture and Chapter 10 on a future focus to be the most helpful to me in my current leadership role. A longer review, including my favourite quotes, can be found on Google+ or at http://bobruns.blogspot.com/2014/07/book-review-top-ten-mistakes-leaders.html

3 people found this helpful

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Dr. David R. Bess

Solid Approach to Christian Leadership

Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2009

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While this book would certainly apply to all leadership, it is especially helpful for Christian leaders. The points the author makes here are practical and to the point -- there is no intellectual rambling present. Each chapter is devoted to a blunder common to leaders, and begins with a bullet point summary of the insights contained in the pages that follow. I benefited from reading all ten of the mistakes, but numbers two, six and eight really hit home. Chapter two is entitled, "Putting Paperwork before People: Confessions of a Type A Personality." The chapter title summarizes this one well. Chapter six is dubbed, "Dirty Delegation: Refusing to Relax and to Let Go." Sometimes we just have to relax and let others make their own mistakes as we delegate, realizing they are growing as people and as leaders in the process. Chapter eight is headed, "Missing the Clues of Corporate Culture: The Unseen Killer of Many Leaders." How many times have pastors and other church workers failed to come to grips with the culture of a congregation before seeking to affect change? Finzel defines culture as "the way we do things around here." Changing the culture of an organization is critical, but underestimating the power of the present culture can be disastrous for a leader.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and recommend it highly. It is well worth the investment of the money and the time.

4 people found this helpful

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Danielle Taylor

Good read.

Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2023

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This is a book that helps individuals focus on positive behaviors.

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Stu2

This top ten is worth reviewing every year

Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2014

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1. The Top Down Attitude. Typified by the "I'm the boss and the sooner you work that out the better" kind of statement. Alternative styles of leadership are: participatory management, facilitator style, democratic leadership and flat organisational characteristics. Effective leaders see themselves at the bottom of an inverted pyramid.

2. Putting Paperwork Before People. Remember that people are opportunities, not interruptions.

3. The Absence of Affirmation. Being affirmed by your boss is better than a pay rise. Encourage others by listening, empathising, comforting, carrying burdens, encouraging. Give little rewards that are unexpected.

4. No Room for Mavericks. Large organisations tend to kill spontaneity and innovation with policies and procedures. Every organisation needs a few mavericks to keep it relevant and moving with the times. Learn to identify which mavericks are worth keeping and make room for them.

5. Dictatorship in Decision-making. Dictators hoard information and make decisions alone, in a vacuum. They surprise their workers with edicts from above. Don't micro-manage; don't restrict decision-making to an elite group. Push decisions down the line whenever possible. Involve others in decisions as much as possible. Implement a flat organisational structure as possible. Let those who are responsible for doing a job decide how the job is best done.

6. Dirty Delegation. Dirty delegation is when you give a task to someone, then decide for yourself how it should be done, or what the final result will be. In doing this, you effectively take it away from them, deflate their confidence and destroy their trust in you. Learn to delegate to each person according to their ability to see the job through to a successful end.

7. Communication Chaos. Never assume anyone knows anything. The bigger the group, the more attention must be given to communication. When left in the dark, people tend to make up wild rumours. Communication must be the passionate obsession of effective leadership. Practice `HOT' communication: honest, open & transparent.

8. Missing the Clues of Corporate Culture. Corporate culture is simply "the way we do things around here". Corporate culture is the way insiders behave based on the values and group traditions they hold together. Changing and cultivating the corporate culture is one of the leadership's top priorities. You can discover an organisation's corporate culture by sitting with the leadership and senior management and asking questions that reveal their values (preferences) and beliefs (moral absolutes). Sometimes, an organisation's corporate value statement will not match their practices, such as saying they value family but pushing their workers so hard that they have no time for their family. Major problems arise when an organisation develops values and practices that actually conflict with the mission of the organisation. A corporate value statement is like glue, it helps leaders hold an organisation together; it is like a magnet, it attracts others to the organisation; it is like a ruler, by which a leader can measure the organisation is going. There is no better way to orient new staff that to take them through your corporate values and beliefs. Communicate your corporate culture clearly to insiders and outsiders.

9. Success Without Successors. Pride tightens the grip on leadership, humility lets it go. Mentoring is a non-negotiable function of successful leadership. Look for mentors inside (past leaders, someone above, peer mentor) and outside (external experienced person and an external peer mentor). Also take time to be a mentor to someone in the organisation who will one day replace you.

10. Failure to Focus on the Future. Vision is an effective leader's chief preoccupation. Organisations are reinvented with a new generation of dreamers. Develop into a learning organisation. Make the time to think about the future; go away from the demands of the job once a month, or once a quarter, and reflect on where things are headed and where the organisation will be in the future.

18 people found this helpful

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John Armstrong

Awesome leadership book that is a MUST read!

Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2020

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This is a an awesome book, I just finished my third time thru. While the title uses the word "mistakes" it focuses more on the positive and is full of real world insight that comes from years of experience. It doesn't have all the fat (unnecessary words and stuff everyone else is regurgitating) so what you get is high quality and very impactful. There are a couple things here that aren't often found in other leadership books. The presentation of the material along with the final wrap up pages are well done. It is well written and simple to read. Clearly a top 10 leadership book!

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Top reviews from other countries

Lili Viola

Game Changer!

Reviewed in Canada on May 19, 2019

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As a small business owner and leader to a team of 13 people, I benefited greatly from reading this book! My Pilates studio has grown from 1 person 5 years ago and with a teacher training program instituted we are generating new teachers each year and growing not only the business but impacting our city with our brand of Pilates. This book helped me learn how to communicate with my team, how to embrace and value the renegades and how to not stop dreaming about our future. I feel excited and equipped to move ahead. Thank you Hans Finzel!