Mistake no. 1: Insufficient communication
As Management Issues states, lack of communication is often a problem of team managers. A frequent cause is the manager being too narrow a channel for the large volume of information passing through and team members lacking necessary information for their work. The result is frustration of employees, inefficient work and chaotic attempts to meet deadlines. The solution is delegation of work and diversification of communication channels so not all information goes via the manager.
Mistake no. 2: Communication is always negative or only in a crisis
Unfortunately, a relatively frequent problem of managers is that they only communicate with individual employees in times of crisis or if they need a problem to be solved urgently. If there is seemingly nothing bad happening, the manager sees no reason to communicate actively with team members. But this is a big mistake. Communication should take place regularly: it should analyse the situation even if seemingly nothing is happening and it should anticipate problems, not just solve them.
Mistake no. 3: Lack of transparency
When communicating with employees, a manager should be open, honest and transparent. Otherwise they will lose their authority and employees' trust. If the leader repeatedly exaggerates the priority of certain tasks, is vague, unclear or dishonest in communication and plays psychological games, employees will soon recognise this fact and stop trusting the communication altogether.
Mistake no. 4: Inconsistency
A contradiction between data and information communicated can be a major problem for the internal functioning of any team. What the team leader communicates may run contrary to the company's general rules and priorities, which puts employees into a gridlock situation, or it may be contradictory in itself. In any case, communication must be unambiguous and consistent, and only then can it be effective.
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