5 Leadership Mistakes That Hurt Employee Engagement (and How to Fix Them)

Great leadership isn’t just about hitting goals—it’s about understanding and supporting your team. The best leaders know what works and, just as importantly, what doesn’t. Avoiding certain missteps can mean the difference between a team that’s checked out and one that’s fully engaged.

Here’s a closer look at five leadership mistakes to steer clear of. These insights, based on research and real-world experience, show how being transparent, empowering, and approachable can help you bring out the best in your team.

EXPERT OPINION BY MARCEL SCHWANTES, INC. CONTRIBUTING EDITOR, EXECUTIVE COACH, SPEAKER, AND AUTHOR:

Vision, planning, and strategy are important—but so is supporting your team.

1. Squashing Your Employees’ Talents

Not recognizing and leveraging your team’s unique strengths is a surefire way to crush morale. People want to use their talents, not just fulfill job descriptions. The best leaders get close enough to their employees to discover their strengths and then free them to use those talents.

Actionable Tip: Have regular one-on-one check-ins with your employees to understand what energizes them and how they can best contribute. This builds engagement and trust.

2. Withholding Information

One of the quickest ways to lose trust as a leader is to hoard information. Why do leaders do it? It’s about control. However, control through secrecy erodes trust and stifles collaboration.

Actionable Tip: Practice transparency. Share as much information as possible with your team to foster a culture of trust and open communication.

3. Being a Controlling Micromanager

Micromanagement also stems from the desire for control, but here’s the truth: it backfires. People who feel micromanaged report low creativity, minimal collaboration, and little emotional safety. Though often well-meaning, micromanagers miss the bigger picture of leadership—empowering others to excel.

Actionable Tip: Shift from managing tasks to managing outcomes. Set clear goals and then give your team the autonomy to meet them.

4. Always Needing the Last Word

Leaders who must always have the last word or be “right” exhibit low emotional intelligence. When this happens, team members become passive and disengaged because their input isn’t valued, especially in times of crisis or change when collaboration is crucial.

Actionable Tip: Build a culture of listening. Seek input from your team and let them know their voices matter, especially during tough decisions.

5. Not Being Available

While high-level strategy meetings with other managers and executives can be necessary for planning and delivering business outcomes, filling your calendar with them at the expense of face-to-face time with employees sends the wrong message. When you go MIA, employees may feel undervalued or like their concerns aren’t important.

Actionable Tip: Create blocks of time for one-on-one meetings or open office hours where team members can ask questions, seek guidance, or just check in. It signals that you’re approachable and invested in their success.

Final Thought

Avoiding these leadership pitfalls won’t just make you a better boss—it’ll create a workplace where employees feel empowered, engaged, and eager to contribute. And that’s when your team will start hitting new levels of performance.