What Got You Here Is a Good Beginning …
As many of you know, I have a passion for helping good leaders become great leaders. Most good leaders succeed despite their various flaws. What got them to be a good leader is truly a good beginning. Yet, excellent behavioral competency, not technical skill, is what most often separates great leaders from good leaders. According to bestselling author and coach, Marshall Goldsmith*, there are twenty habits which can hinder a good leader from being a great leader.
Winning too much: The need to win at all costs and in all situations—when it matters, when it doesn’t, and when it’s totally beside the point.
Adding too much value: The overwhelming desire to add our two cents to every discussion.
Passing judgement: The need to rate others and impose our standards on them.
Making destructive comments: The needless sarcasms 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 say 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 or “let me explain why that won’t work”: The need to share our negative thoughts even when we weren’t asked.
Withholding information: The refusal to share information in order to maintain an advantage over others.
Failing to give proper recognition: The inability to praise and reward those around you.
Claiming credit, we don’t 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 excuse us for it.
Clinging to the past: The need to deflect blame 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 realize how our actions affect others.
Not listening: The most passive-aggressive form of disrespect for colleagues.
Failing to express gratitude: The most basic form of bad manners.
Punishing the messenger: The misguided need to attack the innocent who are usually 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 of who we are.
If you can see yourself in one (or more) of these habits, it’s an opportunity to grow! If you changed the habit, how could it impact your leadership? And, are you willing to change it. That’s the first step … willingness to change.
If you don’t think you have any of these habits, consider asking those around you if they see any of the habits in you. This is a simple reality test to ensure you don’t have a blind spot regarding how people experience your leadership. You won’t change what you don’t know is a problem.
*Source: “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There” by Marshall Goldsmith