Bad habits – we all have them. What\u2019s key is that we\u2019re aware of them, and make efforts to minimize or eliminate them.<\/p>\n
“One of the greatest mistakes of successful people is the assumption \u2018I behave this way, and I achieve results. Therefore I must be achieving results because I behave this way.\u2019 This belief is sometimes true but not across the board.”
\n–Marshall Goldsmith<\/p><\/blockquote>\n21 Bad Habits<\/h2>\n
Marshall Goldsmith, a renowned \u201cBusiness Thinker\u201d and author, identified the following 21 bad habits that challenge leadership success.<\/p>\n
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- Winning too much: the need to win at all costs and in all situations-when it matters, when it doesn\u2019t, and when it is beside the point.<\/li>\n
- Adding too much value: the overwhelming desire to add our two cents to every discussion.<\/li>\n
- Passing judgment: the need to rate others and impose our standards on them.<\/li>\n
- Making destructive comments: needless sarcasm and cutting remarks that we think make us sound sharp and witty.<\/li>\n
- Starting with \u201cNo,\u201d \u201cBut,\u201d or \u201cHowever\u201d: The overuse of these negative qualifiers which secretly say to everyone, \u201cI\u2019m right. You\u2019re wrong.\u201d<\/li>\n
- Telling the world how smart we are: The need to show people we\u2019re smarter than they think we are.<\/li>\n
- Speaking when angry: Using emotional volatility as a management tool.<\/li>\n
- Negativity, or \u201cLet me explain why that won\u2019t work\u201d: The need to share our negative thoughts even when we weren\u2019t asked.<\/li>\n
- Withholding information: The refusal to share information in order to maintain an advantage over others.<\/li>\n
- Failing to give proper recognition: The inability to praise and reward.<\/li>\n
- Claiming credit that we don\u2019t deserve: The most annoying way to overestimate our contribution to any success.<\/li>\n
- Making excuses: The need to reposition our annoying behavior as a permanent fixture so people excuse us for it.<\/li>\n
- 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.<\/li>\n
- Playing favorites: Failing to see that we are treating someone unfairly.<\/li>\n
- Refusing to express regret: The inability to take responsibility for our actions, admit we\u2019re wrong, or recognize how our actions affect others.<\/li>\n
- Not listening: The most passive-aggressive form of disrespect for colleagues.<\/li>\n
- Failing to express gratitude: The most basic form of bad manners.<\/li>\n
- Punishing the messenger: The misguided need to attach the innocent who are usually trying to help us.<\/li>\n
- Passing the buck: The need to blame everyone but ourselves.<\/li>\n
- An excessive need to be \u201cme\u201d: Exalting our faults as virtues simply because they\u2019re who we are.<\/li>\n
- Goal obsession: Doggedly pursuing tasks or goals instead of paying attention to relationships or the personal needs of others.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
If you\u2019re like us, when you read through the list you either identified with the bad habit, or recognized the behavior in a fellow co-worker, client, or business partner. You can only change you; what bad habit do you no longer want to \u201cown\u201d?<\/p>\n
Announcements<\/h3>\n