4 Bad Habits the Worst Leaders Love
Bad habits come naturally. You work to develop productive patterns.
“Most leaders don’t need to learn what to do. They need to learn what to stop.” Peter Drucker
4 Bad habits the Worst Leaders Love:
#1. Being right.
Everyone is afflicted with the burden of knowledge. You believe you’re right. You’re judging these sentences as if you know more than me. I have surrendered to the obvious truth. You can’t be right when you disagree with me.
If only we knew as much as Aristotle who said, “The only thing I know is that I know nothing.”
Danger: People stop thinking when leaders always know.
Tip: Say, “That’s a great idea. Why don’t you go make that happen?”
Tip: Seek advice from people higherup.
#2. Feathering your nest at the expense of others.
Zeal to advantage yourself at the expense of others fosters self-protective teams.
- You gain disrespect when you kiss butt to get ahead.
- Enlightened self-interest suggests that advantaging others is a way to advantage yourself.
- Don’t sacrifice your future on the altar of serving.
Don’t be a martyr.
Danger: People serve themselves when you persistently serve yourself.
Tip: Think of ways to advantage others every time you feel zeal to advantage yourself.
#3. Pulling away when you don’t get your way.
Never stand aloof when your idea loses. Your career stalls when you can’t help others succeed.
Danger: The person who pulls away is trying to get their own way.
Tip: Row hard for other people’s projects. Pour into others before asking them to pour into you.
#4. Intimidating people into compliance.
Compliance only works when you’re in the room.
Boldness enables high performance. People never bring their best when they tip-toe around intimidating bosses.
Danger: Intimidation makes people timid.
Tip: Respect and recognition elevate boldness.
What bad habits can you add to this list?
Still curious:
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14 bad habits leaders can pass on to their teams – The Business Journals
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John David Mann and I invite you to check out our new book, The Vagrant: The Inner Journey of Leadership.
What bad habits can you add to this list?
1. Taking credit for other people’s ideas.
2. Putting people on the defensive. I knew one manager who kept asking questions until the person didn’t have answers. Made you feel ill-prepared.
3. Never recognized or rewarded people’s positive contributions.
Thanks Paul. I feel like the heart problem that causes #1 and #2 on your list is about a need to need to feel superior or be the smartest person in the room.
Don’t expect high performance from people you beat down.
I am guilty of all four. I am learning that if you endeavor to be a servant leader, these bad habits become less and less.
I now look at how each member of the team be more successful at what they do.
Well, Nick. I’m sitting in the seat next to you. They say it’s a journey.
Provoking title, “Bad habits the worst leaders love.” I frequently observe there is a closely guarded fear behind leader’s bad habits. Real change happens when that fear is identified and a mindset that serves the leader and their team becomes the replacement. What does this look like?
Working with #4 – Intimidating people into compliance. Possible underlying fears might look like:
– “If we let them do as they please then the results will be all over the place, out of control.”
– “If I don’t run this place with strength then I will look weak and be taken advantage of.”
– “People work better when they know exactly what to do and they have respect for authority. I fear not being respected.”
– etc. etc.
What mindsets might be a good replacement for fear based mindsets:
– “I treat my people with respect and acknowledge their efforts because I want them to act boldly (like me).”
– “I appreciate a team that also speaks their mind. The best ideas come from our sharing. I’m actually curious to hear their ideas and look forward to trying them out.”
– “We fully appreciate smart risk taking here. I’m ok with the team acting with initiative and learning from the results. Many have actually been improvements on my old ways.”
Thanks for provoking me!
Ken, such wonderful insights and applications. We thrive when we transform self-defeating habits into useful behaviors. It’s one thing to NOT DO. It’s a whole new level to focus on behaviors that produce desired outcomes.