Have you ever noticed that many of the leadership clichés we live by are not living up to their reputation? Leaders flippantly throw around sound bites of so-called “wisdom” picked up from conferences or leadership books and use them without questioning whether or not they are true or even useful. Operating within these limiting beliefs keeps leaders and their teams from delivering results and achieving success in these challenging times.

So as a lover of reality, I began the campaign to eradicate the following clichés and limiting beliefs that we in leadership have come to believe and, worse yet, actually use:

Limiting Belief #1: Everyone’s opinion should count.

Human resources departments have always tried to make employees feel as if their opinions counted.  After all, this is America, and democracy is a good thing, right? Well, not at work—especially if you are seeking results. Your workplace is not a democracy. Employees who want to be consulted on each and every decision create chaos in the organization.

Can you imagine what the morning commute would be like if each person took the time to discuss their opinions of whether or not stop signs were needed? Instead, they just stop, not feeling at all offended that they were not consulted and then drive on. We need the same behavior in the workplace so that we can stop hindering progress and move on to results.

Limiting Belief #2: There is no “I” in “team.”

I often hear leaders reminding their teams, “There is no ‘I’ in ‘team.’” And the way I see it, this is the exact problem with teams. With no “I” in “team,” leaders are ensuring that no one is taking accountability for their part in creating the current results and are, therefore, not in a position to create anything more successful in the future.

There may not be an “I” in the word “team,” but there certainly is an “I” in “improvement” and “innovation.” Reality-based leaders spend time focusing the energy of the team on either achieving desired results in spite of challenges or learning what to adapt to next so that the desired results can be achieved. Learning and results will only come when each team member is able to honestly assess what they contribute, both positive and negative, without considering the circumstances. Only by acknowledging this, can they know what needs to change in the future.

Limiting Belief #3: There is no such thing as a stupid question.

Read the rest here:  http://www.success.com/article/5-leadership-clich-s-to-ditch