"The first mistake in public business is the going into it." -- Benjamin Franklin, American politician, publisher, and inventor. Despite Ben Franklin's tongue-in-cheek observation, as quoted above, we Americans insist on "going into public business." The tendency arises naturally from our capitalistic system, where we can make good lives for ourselves if we work hard and follow a few logical rules. But as organizations grow and age, institutionalized mistakes creep into the workflow. Some seem obvious with a little self-analysis, some less so. In this article, I'll take a look at half a dozen that you, as a leader, should keep an eye out for. 1. Lack of a clear mission and vision. If you don't know where you're going, how will you know when you get there? Formulate simple, clear-cut … [Read more...]
