Brief
End bad leadership habits by identifying them and their triggers, making a plan with a deadline, deciding what good habits you’ll develop to replace them and enlisting the help of others, writes Lolly Daskal. “Other people automatically bring accountability, and they can help motivate you and keep you on track,” Daskal writes.
Insight
Anyone who’s tried to break a bad habit knows how hard it is. And the older we get and the longer our habits persist, the harder it gets.
Most of us in leadership have at least one bad professional habit. Maybe you check your messages constantly. Or you might be known for being 10 minutes late to every meeting. Maybe you work through every weekend, hold negative thoughts, or mix too much personal business into the workday. Whatever your bad habit, putting an end to it will greatly improve your life and your leadership.
As an executive coach I have helped countless leaders eliminate their bad habits. Here’s how we do it:
Identify and prioritize. Decide what habit you want to break. If you have more than one, prioritize them and choose what to tackle first. Once you’ve decided, work to stay aware of your habit. Note when it occurs and how it plays out. Then begin thinking about how it started and why it persists. Ask yourself what needs to change.
Recognize your scripts. Habits come with a cognitive script—the unconscious automatic thoughts we have in certain situations. Those scripts are rooted in past experiences and become so ingrained that we don’t even think about them. Pay close attention to your scripts and think about alternatives.
Create a plan. Making any serious change requires a plan. Goals, roadmaps and rewards are all highly motivating. Decide in advance how you’ll maintain the self-discipline to stay on track.
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