While starting a business requires a considerable amount of preparation, there's no substitute for the amount of experience entrepreneurs gain from actually running a business. As leaders begin putting systems in place and setting the general ways of how the business will operate, certain habits become ingrained that cause more harm than good in the long run.
Being so directly involved in everything the business does can prevent leaders from seeing the larger picture and the negative impact of these ingrained habits on the business. To help leaders more readily identify and change problematic behavior, 18 Newsweek Expert Forum members each share one seemingly harmless habit in a business leader that might be hindering their success.
1. Avoiding Conflict
Business leadership can be fraught with seemingly harmless habits that may hinder success. Leaders who avoid conflict to keep the peace may instead be nurturing the development of toxic environments. Leaders must face conflict head-on by encouraging team members to speak up without fear of retaliation. Effective conflict resolution helps organizations and teams to become stronger over time. - Lillian Gregory, The 4D Unicorn LLC
2. Being Self-Centric
As a leader, you are there to serve others. Meet them where they are. Too many leaders focus on themselves, their needs and their way of doing things. These leaders don't respect the uniqueness of their team. Focus on others above yourself to be successful. - Krista Neher, Boot Camp Digital
3. Being Too Helpful
Leaders sometimes take on the tasks of others to be helpful. This habit not only hinders their success but can also limit the leadership trajectory of their team members. Instead, leaders should practice distributive leadership and delegate tasks. - Donna Marie Cozine, Consult DMC
4. Undermining Your Authority and Credentials
Female leaders, in particular, unknowingly make the mistake of performing tasks that undermine their authority and credentials. For example, cleaning up the table after a meeting. While the intention is to maintain tidiness, a more effective approach is to encourage all participants to dispose of their own trash. Doing this will promote gender equality by ensuring women and men are seen as equals in the room. - Alexa Kimball, Harvard Medical Faculty Physicians at Beth Israel Deaconess
5. Seeking Too Much Consultation
Overconsultation is a harmless habit among leaders. It occurs when they seek excessive input for every decision. While it might seem collaborative in nature, it can lead to decision paralysis, a slowdown in progress and diluted responsibility. Balancing decisive leadership with collaborative input is vital for maintaining clarity and momentum in business direction. - Dr. Kira Graves, Kira Graves Consulting
6. Maintaining Absolute Control
The inclination to maintain absolute control leads to perpetual burnout and hinders the growth of others. Embracing the art of delegation enables leaders to focus on specific tasks, fostering environments that minimize interruptions and spark creativity and productivity. By entrusting responsibilities to capable team members, a leader empowers others and creates a dynamic and efficient work culture. - Leah Marone, Corporate Wellness Consultant
7. Getting Too Involved With Your Team
It is tempting for leaders to get involved too deeply with their teams. There is little harm in rolling up your sleeves occasionally and this behavior often comes with good intention. In equal measure, however, it can also distract a leader from their key responsibilities of setting the direction, providing a framework for success, maintaining an objective perspective and producing more leaders. - Ant Phillips, Celebrus
8. Giving Lopsided Feedback
Giving lopsided feedback is a common habit. Leaders tend to lean toward giving positive or constructive feedback, but the key is that both are needed. Positive feedback makes employees feel appreciated and recognized for their work while constructive feedback enables them to continue to grow. Both are a gift and should be presented that way. Let your employees know that you are giving them information from the past to take action in the future. - Michelle Tillis Lederman, Author, The Connector's Advantage
9. Nagging
Nagging your employees is one way to destroy the rhythm of a team. Ensure your requests are clear and make sense, spell out when it needs to be done and agree on resources and progress checkpoints. Following up every hour of the workday, unless there is an emergency, is not a good way to lead your team. - Zain Jaffer, Zain Ventures
10. Checking in Too Often
Avoid checking in too much after you've delegated a task or project. Constantly checking in hourly or daily will give the direct report the feeling that you don't trust their skills or abilities. Try instead to schedule a weekly check-in to get a status update. This will give you the opportunity to assist the direct report in course correction, understand the task's progress and foster trust. - Joyel Crawford, Crawford Leadership Strategies, LLC
11. Canceling or Rescheduling Employee Meetings
Frequently canceling or rescheduling one-on-one meetings with your employees is a harmful habit. It's occasionally necessary when you have a busy calendar or looming deadline, but doing it too often communicates that their priorities, projects and the relationship aren't important. Connecting consistently with your team and being available to mentor and coach them makes for the most successful leaders. - Loren Margolis, TLS Leaders
12. Maintaining a Cluttered Calendar
A cluttered calendar hinders the success of many leaders. Back-to-back business meetings day after day, and sometimes being scheduled two or three at a time, send a signal to the team that an always-on performance is expected. In addition, cluttered calendars leave little to no time for spontaneous employee escalations and interactions. - Karen Mangia, The Engineered Innovation Group
13. Avoiding Honest Feedback
Not providing honest feedback can hinder success. Sometimes, a leader may think they are sparing the feelings of the team member or believe that they will improve with time; however, not being honest about what needs to improve can provide an illusion that the team member's performance is sufficient. They will often appreciate constructive feedback because it can help them to grow. - LaKesha Womack, Womack Consulting Group
14. Being a Perfectionist
Perfectionism is more often a poison than a trait. Leaders who strive for the idea of perfection in every task stifle creativity and create a stressful work environment that impacts the team's agility and innovation. Neglecting acceptance of making mistakes sets a bad precedent. - Gergo Vari, Lensa
15. Hiring Only Likeminded People
As a leader, you should avoid hiring people because they are like you. While it may make for a "friendlier" environment initially, one of the keys to success is diversity of backgrounds and diversity of thinking. Look for what skills and experiences you don't have in your organization and hire to fill those gaps. - Brian Katz, Safer School Solutions
16. Relying Solely on Feelings
Leaders should be careful of being blindsided by "feel-good" energy. Sometimes you connect or click with a person based on a number of energetic factors, like conversations flowing, and all feels good. However, be sure to see past the feelings. Make sure your support and resource needs are based on valid business reasons. - Margie Kiesel, Isidore Partners
17. Overspending
Overspending may initially seem harmless but can quickly lead to a lifestyle that drains your profits. In the business world, I have witnessed many cases where people, particularly in our industry, accumulate wealth quickly and then squander it all, ultimately ending up broke. Although it's a frightening reality, it happens more often than not. - Tammy Sons, Tn Nursery
18. Relying Too Much on Email Communication
A Harvard Business Review study revealed that excessive email usage can decrease team cohesion and decision-making quality. Real-world examples show leaders missing nonverbal cues and team dynamics, impacting workplace relationships. Leaders should balance digital and face-to-face interactions to foster a more connected, effective team environment. - Joseph Soares, IBPROM Corp.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
