It can be challenging for high-level executives to improve their interpersonal skills. We tend to believe the habits that have helped us rack up achievements in the past will continue to foster success in the future.
It’s natural for successful people to believe that what contributed to their past accomplishments will continue to work for them. They also assume that they can—and will—succeed, no matter what.
Habits That Hold You Back
The most common bad leadership habits aren’t personality flaws. They’re challenges in interpersonal behavior—the egregious annoyances that make the workplace substantially more noxious than necessary. These faults do not occur in isolation; they involve one person interacting with another.
According to executive coach Marshall Goldsmith, author of What Got You Here Won’t Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful!, you might be interested in reviewing a list of negative executive habits...to see if they might apply to your workplace behavior.
These faults do not occur in isolation; they involve one person interacting with another. Goldsmith compiled the following list of negative habits after years of working with top Fortune 500 executives:2
- Winning too much. The need to win at all costs and in all situations—when it matters and even when it doesn’t, when it’s totally beside the point.
- Adding too much value. The overwhelming desire to add our two cents to every discussion.
- Passing judgment. The need to rate others and impose our standards on them.
- Making destructive comments. The needless sarcasm and cutting remarks that we think make us sound sharp and witty.
- Starting with “no,” “but” or “however.” The overuse of these negative qualifiers, which secretly convey to everyone, “I’m right. You’re wrong.”
- Telling the world how smart we are. The need to show people we’re smarter than they think we are.
- Speaking when angry. Using emotional volatility as a management tool.
- Negativity (“Let me explain why that won’t work.”). The need to share our negative thoughts, even when we haven’t been asked to do so.
- Withholding information. The refusal to share information so we can maintain an advantage over others.
- Failing to give proper recognition. The inability to praise and reward.
- Claiming credit we do not deserve. The most annoying way to overestimate our contribution to any success.
- Making excuses. The need to reposition our annoying behavior as a permanent fixture so people will excuse us for it.
- Clinging to the past. The need to deflect blame away from ourselves and onto events and people from our past; a subset of blaming everyone else.
- Playing favorites. Failing to see that we are treating someone unfairly.
- Refusing to express regret. The inability to take responsibility for our actions, admit we’re wrong or recognize how our actions affect others.
- Not listening. The most passive-aggressive form of disrespect for our colleagues.
- Failing to express gratitude. The most basic form of bad manners.
- Punishing the messenger. The misguided need to attack the innocent who, usually, are only trying to help us.
- Passing the buck. The need to blame everyone but ourselves.
- An excessive need to be “me.” Exalting our faults as virtues, simply because they embody who we are.
Luckily, these bad habits are easy to break. The cure for failing to express gratitude is remembering to say “thank you.” For not apologizing, it’s learning to say, “I’m sorry. I’ll do better next time.” For punishing the messenger, it’s imagining how you would want to be treated under similar circumstances. For not listening, it’s keeping your mouth shut and your ears open.
If you recognize yourself on the list of 20 bad habits, you can do something about it. Fortunately, it’s easier to stop doing something than to undergo a major personality transformation. It can be difficult, however, to let go of firmly ingrained behaviors. One way to facilitate on-the-job change is to ask for help from a select group of peers.
Get good information about what needs to change. A 360-degree feedback assessment is usually an effective means of determining how others perceive you. A qualified, experienced executive coach can help you obtain accurate feedback from your peers, bosses and direct reports. Once you’ve identified a bad habit you would like to change, work with your coach to implement a plan of action.
