Bad Habits of Leaders

These are based on a book, although I don’t know which one... good reading for leaders and bosses.

1. 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.
2. Adding too much value:The overwhelming desire to add our two cents to every discussion.
3. Passing judgment:The need to rate others and impose our standards on them.
4. Making destructive comments:The needless sarcasms and cutting remarks that we think make us sound sharp and witty.
5. Starting with “No,” “But,” or “However”:the overuse of these negative qualifiers which secretly say to everyone, “I’m right.You’re wrong.”
6. Telling the world how smart we are:The need to show people we’re smarter than they think we are.
7. Speaking when angry:Using emotional volatility as a management tool.
8. Negativity, or “Let me explain why that won’t work”:The need to share our negative thoughts even when we weren’t asked.
9. Withholding information:The refusal to share information in order to maintain an advantage over others.
10. Failing to give proper recognition:The inability to praise and reward.
11. Claiming credit that we don’t deserve:The most annoying way to overestimate our contribution to any success.
12. Making excuses:The need to reposition our annoying behavior as a permanent fixture so people excuse us for it.
13. 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.
14. Playing favorites:Failing to see that we are treating someone unfairly.
15. Refusing to express regret:The inability to take responsibility for our actions, admit we’re wrong, or recognize how our actions affect others.
16. Not listening:The most passive-aggressive form of disrespect for colleagues.
17. Failing to express gratitude:The most basic form of bad manners.
18. Punishing the messenger:The misguided need to attack the innocent who are usually only trying to help us.
19. Passing the buck:The need to blame everyone but ourselves.
20. An excessive need to be “me”:Exalting our faults as virtues simply because they’re who we are.