07-02-2026FAST COMPANY IMPACT COUNCIL

18 leadership mistakes executives see across industries

Leadership is leadership—we can all take lessons from each other.

[Photo: Getty Images]

The Fast Company Impact Council is an invitation-only membership community of top leaders and experts who pay dues for access to peer learning, thought leadership, and more.

BY Fast Company Impact Council

Whether your company sells software or provides hands-on accounting services, some things are the same: leadership mistakes. We’re people, after all, and we have our own motivations and understanding of how business works. The good news is that we can learn from other people’s mistakes, so we don’t make them ourselves. That’s the idea behind what you’re reading now. We asked our Fast Company Impact Council members—all insightful and successful leaders in their own right—to share wisdom they earned from making or seeing others make mistakes. No matter the industry. The 18 member responses we’re sharing here can shine a light on how to be a better leader at your........

© Fast Company