Leadership: 5 barriers to your success

As a leader, you are measured by your ability to produce results. Continuously getting results can be challenging and you will certainly encounter many obstacles along the way. Some of these barriers may be obvious, others may not. So what are the 5 barriers to your success as a leader?

Barrier 1: No clear vision

As a leader, you need to be able to clearly articulate your vision and then sell it to others. This requires you to define what success means to your organization, team, or function and why it really matters. If you don’t have a clear vision, it will be quite difficult to achieve anything.

Barrier 2: Lack of Faith

There is no use having a clear vision and being able to explain it to others unless you totally believe it can be done. Gone are the days when you could think of a good set of words and hope that no one would understand your doubts. Your faith is the fuel that propels your organization, especially during those difficult and challenging times.

Barrier 3: Absence of goals

Goals or results establish a clear destination. When you focus on your goals, you are in the driver’s seat. When you’re in the driver’s seat you focus on results and when you focus on results you achieve more. The results provide the reinforcement and motivation to strive for more and better results.

Barrier 4: Rest on your laurels

You may be doing very well right now, but resting on your laurels is dangerous. As a leader, you must continually be proactive, anticipate the need for change, and stay ahead whenever you can. If you want to be successful, don’t take your foot off the gas.

Barrier 5: Fear

Everybody is afraid. It may be fear that something is wrong, that the funding request will be rejected, or that the big change will not materialize. At the root of all this is the fear of failure. If you fear failure and are not willing to face it, you will stop taking risks and when you stop taking risks, you do not get results and you end up stuck.

Conclusion: being a leader is not easy. Being mindful and willing to address your barriers to success is essential. So what barriers do you need to overcome to thrive as a leader?