The 25 Ways I Consistently Fail as a Leader (And Why I’m Sharing Them)

I’ve spent years studying leadership, but there’s a gap between what I know and what I do on a Tuesday afternoon when I’m tired and frustrated. So instead of sharing best practices, I’m sharing my most common failures — not because I’m proud of them, but because authentic leadership starts with honest self-assessment. Here are the 25 ways I most consistently fall short.

1. I cast judgment, not vision.
2. I fail to ask questions.
3. I give in to cynicism or sarcasm.
4. I make excuses.
5. I fail to share the positive I see.
6. I don’t pray about a situation.
7. I am unclear about what success looks like.
8. I rely on text or email when an in-person conversation is needed.
9. I fail to live purely.
10. I check my email while my kids are present and available.
11. I lose perspective.
12. I have a vindictive spirit.
13. I feel like a failure because one thing went wrong.
14. I feel like a failure when 100 things go wrong on the same day.
15. I don’t observe the sabbath.
16. I don’t take vacations.
17. I see problems before seeing people.
18. I am unclear on what a win is, and thus fail to celebrate wins.
19. I fail to thank customers and suppliers.
20. I put my hope in political outcomes.
21. I talk about myself instead of asking questions and being curious about others.
22. I over analyze non-essential things and under analyze major things.
23. I am hurried.
24. I fail to journal my feelings: What am I sad about? What am I mad about? What am I anxious about? What am I glad about?
25. I fail to be generous with time and money.