© ASCENDANT ADVISORY GROUP, LLC 2014 1 A VOIDING T HE 10 W ORST H ABITS O F O THERWISE G OOD L EADERS P RESENTED BY D EV W ARREN A SCENDANT ADVISORY GROUP,

© ASCENDANT ADVISORY GROUP, LLC 2014 1

AVOIDING THE 10 WORST HABITS OF OTHERWISE GOOD

LEADERS

PRESENTED BY DEV WARRENASCENDANT ADVISORY GROUP, LLC


As leaders, we all have weaknesses and bad habits that hold us back and limit our effectiveness.

Some weaknesses and bad habits are more noticeable and more irritating than others.

What makes a bad habit one of the ten worst habits of leaders?


• have a negative effect on culture/unity

• encourage wasted effort and weak results

• destroy self-esteem

• cause poor decisions and impede progress

• invite unnecessary or excessive risk

THE WORST HABITS . . .


We will be discussing the worst habits of otherwise good leaders.

I invite you to engage in some self- reflection regarding these habits to see if any are anchors holding you back from more effective leadership.

If you don’t think you have these, check with your team first…


Failure to speak up – choosing to remain silent.

WORST HABIT #1


Warning signs:

Willingness to sit through entire meetings or discussions without saying a word.

“It’s my nature to be quiet and reserved.”“Others will ask for my input if they want it.”“I don’t have anything profound to say.”“It irritates me when others are so vocal.”“I don’t really have a strong opinion to share.”

Failure to speak up


Leaders have a responsibility to share their thoughts and feelings on important matters.

While we receive some wonderful benefits from being a leader, we also give up some things. One of the things we should give up is the right to remain silent.


Failure to commit to decisions that are made under the organization’s system of governance.

WORST HABIT #2


Warning signs:

Trying to gather support for opposition to a decision that was made within the system of governance.Conscious choice to be supportive rather than committed.No change of behavior when change is needed/expected.

No commitment to decisions


One of the qualities of great leaders is their recognition that they will not always have things their way nor would life be better if they did.

We cannot ever be great leaders if we don’t first learn to be great followers.


One of the great tests of leaders is their willingness to commit to decisions made within the system of governance when they don’t agree with those decisions.


Fear of conflict – telling others what they want to hear rather than what they need to hear.

WORST HABIT #3


Warning signs:

Failure to “confront the brutal facts.”

Willingness to jump on bandwagons.

Perfunctory performance reviews.

Allowing others to perform poorly without addressing their poor performance.

Fear of conflict


“No one enjoys addressing others’ deficiencies. But failure to do so sends the message that people are on track when they really aren’t. And that may be the greatest disservice a leader can do to someone else.”

Eric Harvey


Failure to act when action is needed.

WORST HABIT #4


Warning signs:

Putting off decisions after you know what you need to do.Hoping that situations will change when you know deep down they won’t.

Failure to act when needed


Too often leaders know the things they need to do, but fail to take the appropriate action. This applies to toxic employees and D-level clients as well as a variety of other things.

The sad thing is that when (or if) we finally do act, everyone around us says (or thinks), “What took you so long?”


“Waiting too long before acting is equally unfair to the people who need to get off the bus. For every minute you allow a person to continue holding a seat when you know that person will not make it in the end, you’re stealing a portion of his life, time that he could spend finding a better place where he could flourish.”

Jim Collins


“Indeed, if we’re honest with ourselves, the reason we wait too long often has less to do with concern for that person and more to do with our own convenience. He’s doing an okay job and it would be a huge hassle to replace him, so we avoid the issue. Or we find the whole process of dealing with the issue to be stressful and distasteful. So, to save ourselves stress and discomfort, we wait. And wait.”

Jim Collins


“The temptation when you have an under-performer is to wait and wait, but what’s the result? When that person eventually leaves, they are three to five years older [years spent learning how to live with being second-rate], and their options have narrowed. It’s your duty to help them sooner rather than later.”

Mike McLaughlin


Speaking negatively of others.

WORST HABIT #5


Warning signs:Bringing someone’s name up in a negative context.Passing on gossip.Taking some action you have witnessed and exaggerating it in a negative sense.Speaking on behalf of someone in a detrimental sense.

Speaking negatively of others

© ASCENDANT ADVISORY GROUP, LLC 2014

Criticism of others is an infectious disease. Once it starts, it’s hard to stop.

Worse, it’s nearly impossible to undo its harmful effects, both on the criticizer and the person being criticized.

You need to realize the weight of your comments, as leaders, about others.

23


Willingness to remain well within the confines of a personal comfort zone.

WORST HABIT #6


Warning signs:

Turning down assignments that would stretch your abilities.Doing the same tasks over and over again.Setting goals that are easily reachable.Failing to reach goals because of lack of effort.

Remaining within comfort zone


The most underutilized people in any firm are the leaders.

Much of what they do could be done by others below them but because of a personal desire to remain in a comfort zone, they continue doing things that no longer stretch their abilities.


Closed mindedness – believing that there is only one solution or way to do or see things.

WORST HABIT #7


Warning signs:Thinking that what you do or say is better than what others do or say.Always wanting to get your own way.Arguing when you are not right.Giving your opinion without being asked.Despising the point of view of others.Making excuses when rebuked.

Closed mindedness


It’s possible that the next generation of leaders will run the organization in a completely different way.

Steve Hamilton story


Willingness to make life difficult for others around you. Self-absorption. Not a team player. Non-responsive to email.

WORST HABIT #8


Warning signs:Failure to follow through with agreed- upon actions.Poor response to email and voicemail.Failure to play by the rules (seeing yourself as an exception to the rules).Requiring others to babysit you in order for you to perform at a standard level.

Making life difficult for others


Significant lack of discipline.

WORST HABIT #9


Warning signs:

Consistent failure to accomplish goals.Inability to do adequate damage control on weaknesses.Constantly getting excited by new goals and discouraged by old goals.Consistently disappointed by lack of follow through.

Lack of discipline


“I am acting under the assumption that as leaders, we generally know the things we should do – and in some cases – even how to go about doing them. What seems to be hard for people (leaders included) is finding the discipline to actually do them.”

David H. Maister34


Anyone who does what he must, only when he is in the mood or when it’s convenient isn’t going to be successful. Nor will people respect and follow him.

35


Personal discipline is the habit of consistently doing things that need to be done, regardless of whether you like doing them or not.

36


Failure to develop others around us.

WORST HABIT #10


Warning signs:

Failure to move someone out of his/her comfort zone.Failure to be appropriately demanding.Belief that it’s entirely up to the individual to correct weaknesses and progress.

Failure to develop others


While you are probably thinking about a member of your team with these issues, your team is most likely thinking of you.


Set the example:1. Accept the truth2. Admit publicly3. Minimize them4. Own your failures5. Help others


How do you know your honest reality?What to do when you demonstrate a bad habit?

Questions


Thank You!

[email protected]

Documents

© ASCENDANT ADVISORY GROUP, LLC 2014 1 A VOIDING T HE 10 W ORST H ABITS O F O THERWISE G OOD L EADERS P RESENTED BY D EV W ARREN A SCENDANT ADVISORY GROUP,