Most business leaders I work with are genuine, honest, intelligent people, and as a result, when something goes wrong for them, it usually isn’t because they’ve made some eye-poppingly stupid decision.Almost always, it’s because they’ve made a relatively simple category error: mistaking one thing for another. Here are some of the most common category errors we make as business leaders:
A meeting isn’t a decision.
A decision isn’t an action.
An action isn’t a result.
A policy isn’t a behavior.
Instruction isn’t delegation.
A report isn’t accountability.
Accountability isn’t self-ownership.
What common category errors do you make?
Not sure? Grab a sheet of paper and jot down the last thing that didn’t work out the way you thought it might – a policy decision that didn’t ‘stick’, a strategy that didn’t work, a project that dissipated. Track back to find the point at which you believe it began to totter or fail. My guess is you’ll find a category error hiding right there – whether made by you or someone else.
What category errors do you make / see others make?