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9 Habits That Will Sabotage Your

Results as a Business Leader - Ivy
Exec Blog
About the Author

After working with dozens of entrepreneurs, Im still amazed

that some seem to be able to do the job easily and effectively,
always in control, while others always seem to be struggling,
out-of-control, and fighting the latest crisis.

I am more and more convinced that it is the right business behavior

that leads to success, rather than some exceptional intelligence or
training.

In that context, entrepreneurs should carefully review the points

made by Denny F. Strigl, former CEO of Verizon Wireless, in his
classic book, aptly named Managers, Can You Hear Me Now? He
outlines the behavioral habits he has seen in managers who are
successful, versus the bad habits of ones who struggle. These
habits apply even more directly to entrepreneur and startup
leadership:

1. Failure to build trust and integrity. Poor leaders often fail to

build trust initially, or they erode trust during daily interactions

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and operations. Without trust, there can be little cooperation

between team members. This results in little risk taking,
diminished confidence among employees, and a loss of
communication throughout the company.

2. Focus on things that dont really matter. Entrepreneurs who

struggle spend too much time focused on things that dont really
matter. If it doesnt fit into one of the Four Fundamentals:
growing revenue, getting new customers, keeping the
customers they already have, or eliminating costs, they should
rethink what they are doing.

3. Shirk accountability and role model. Founders need to

realize their behavior is in a fishbowl and thereby highly visible
for the team to see and imitate. What the founder says and does
in stressful situations sends a signal to imitate that behavior,
even when they are not under stress. Poor performers thrive in
an unaccountable work climate.

4. Fail to consistently reinforce whats important. Managers

often stress a particular message or a program for a couple of
weeks, and then assume everyone gets it. When they change
their message too often, team members become confused
about whats important. People perform best when what they
hear is consistent and frequent.

5. Over-rely on consensus decisions. Some founders go too far

to become consensus builders. This takes too much time in our
super-competitive environment, and the result of a total buy-in is

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usually a watered-down version of the original decision or action

they intended. Informed decision-making is not the same as
consensus decision-making.

6. High priority on being popular. The first priority of a founder is

to deliver results, rather than building friendships. Happy team
members dont necessarily bring you stellar results, although
stellar results almost always bring you a happy team. Good
managers dont worry about shaking up the status quo, and
realize that change is never initially popular.

7. Get caught up in their self-importance. Many founders fail

because they get caught up in the aura of their position, and
seek recognition and glamour for themselves. They love to give
speeches to groups and in places that dont really matter. These
people seldom see what is causing their own demise in their
attention to all-about-me.

8. Put their heads in the sand. Many founders struggle because

they only want to hear good news. Team members quickly learn
to report positives, while hiding problems. As a result,
productivity suffers, employee morale decreases, and targeted
results are missed. Encourage open, honest, direct, and specific
communication always.

9. Fix problems, not causes. Dont fix a problem without

addressing the reason the problem occurred. The most common
excuses given include lack of time to immediately address the
cause, lack of resources to address the cause, or problem is

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outside of their control. Good managers always find the means

to fix the cause.

In order to stop struggling and start delivering, entrepreneurs need

to close the gap between what they know and what they do. Avoid
the bad behaviors outlined here. Do the good things, day in and
day out, until your behavior becomes habit for both you and your
team. This can out-perform pure intelligence and lead to real
success and positive results from everyone on the team.

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