Terrifying Traps

Having lived in Alaska for three years, I had the opportunity to meet all sorts of unique people: some transforming, some troubling, some terrific, some tasteful, and some quite territorial – like the trappers I encountered. Their stories were intriguing and often instructive. One truth I learned was this, there are all kinds of reasons why trappers trap, but all trap toward the same end…to stop their prey in its tracks, and while some traps are more humane than others, I am sure if prey could talk they would say, “all traps are terrifying.”

Terrifying traps are the ones that often haunt and kill life’s potential, and as a leader they will both haunt and kill your potential to lead. Every trap has its own name, they are favoritism, isolationism, deviationism, procrastinationism, and perfectionism. Long words, I know, and if it takes us that long to spell them, just imagine how long it will take to overcome their effects in the realm of leadership and the workplace.

Remember these things:

-for all leaders, any display of favoritism is also a display of disfavor. Disfavored people soon become discouraged and disinterested people as well.

-an isolated leader is a hermit or recluse and not an engaged leader at all. When leaders don’t engage, people disengage.

-deviating leaders struggle to stay on course. They are more like rabbit chasers in speech and actions, which makes them impossible to follow. Deviating leaders produce disillusioned people.

-procrastinating leaders are to their teammates what a misdiagnosis is to a patient, they generate overwhelming anxiety and unnecessary stress. By forcing their teammates to jump through hoops at the last minute of the 11th hour, they drain people’s desire to excel.

-a perfectionist leader tends to care more about a perfect product or plan than accomplishing the mission on time. These leaders are suffocating micro-managers, and if caught in this trap they will unintentionally murder motivation, by killing inspiration.

These traps lurk on the path of anyone who leads and must always be avoided. People I have interviewed throughout the years talk about leadership traps as though they are commonplace, and sadly they are, but they do not have to be. To lead or be led? That is the question for every leader struggling with these traps.

Leaders caught in any of these traps soon become terrifying and troubling leaders, nightmares if you will, that people will want to avoid. Don’t be the prey stuck in the trap, it’s a terrifying downfall for any leader.