“We spend a lot of time teaching our leaders what to do. We don’t spend enough time teaching them what to stop.”
Here’s my small contribution on what to “stop doing” immediately. Please add your suggestions to the list.
My Start on the “Leader’s Stop” List (in no particular order):
1. Stop barking orders at people like you’re a drill instructor.
2. Stop expecting people to read your mind.
3. Stop making people feel like taking time off to go on vacation is a sin.
4. Stop multi-tasking when someone asks you a question.
5. Stop handing out only the negative feedback.
6. Stop dressing down people in public.
7. Stop saving all of your feedback for the annual performance review.
8. Stop letting people wander through their days with no context for the organization’s strategic priorities.
9. Stop ignoring people that you don’t like.
10. Stop showing that you don’t like people.
11. Stop reminding everyone that you are the boss.
12. Stop taking credit for the work of others.
13. Stop playing favorites.
14. Stop making everything “all about you.”
15. Stop forgetting to provide people fresh challenges.
16. Stop worrying about what your team members are saying to their co-workers about you. On second thought, maybe you should worry.
17. Stop declaring everything a crisis.
18. Stop blocking our access to people in other groups.
19. Stop managing by fear and intimidation.
20. Stop hoarding information on company and team performance.
The Bottom-Line for Now:
Go ahead and add some of your favorite “Stop” suggestions to the list. Not only was it cathartic, it might just be an effective alternative to dispensing a never-ending torrent of advice on what to do. The “Stops” aren’t quite as confusing and they are like a metaphorical kick in the seat of the pants.
If you’re a boss, see the list above and just stop it!
Stop wearing that serious look, so try make some eye contact and smile 🙂
Stop being too important to greet folks.
Stop believing everyone marches to your drummer’s beat.
Mike, love the adds!! Thank you. -Art
Stop watching the clock and start watching the work people are doing.
Great add, David. Must admit that I’m bummed that I missed the “clock watching one.” Good call! -Art
LOVE IT! Some of my peers get so caught up in measuring the easy that they pay no attention to the important.
stop losing confidence in front of subordinate staff.
stop talking too much at the beginning of each meeting and try to listen more and carefully
stop being cheated by flatter words and behaviors.
stop being far away from staff, work place, and market.
Patrick, some more great adds! I love the one on confidence. Thanks, -Art
Stop trying to “manage fruit ripe”.
Get your butt in the market with me so you work on the strategy and stop micro managing broken processes.
Mark Allen Roberts
Great list Art.
I compiled a list of 25 things that managers/leaders should NEVER do. The list was drawn in form of three separate posts and was later assimilated in a PDF. Check it out.
Thanks!
Tanmay
Mark, “manage fruit ripe” is a great phrase that I’ve not heard before. Priceless! Tanmay, thanks for the resource! -Art
1. Stop coming in late because you’re entitled.
2. Stop being too important to listen to your staff.
3. If you claim a territory, be willing to work with customers from that area.
Dan, I love #1. How annoying is that?! Thanks for reading and sharing. -Art
Awesome list Art and great adds. Because I have a big mouth, which I should stop, here’s my 2-cents:
1. Stop micromanaging let people do their jobs
2. Stop being a know-it-all because you don’t.
3. Stop abdicating and take responsibility for what you delegate. -Michael Gerber
Gary, another quality group of add-ons to our “Stop” list! Thanks! -Art
* Stop thinking that your team members are not aware of your insecurities
* Stop declaring a “war” for completion of every task. Not everything is urgent.
* Stop distributing 5 new top priorities daily
Girish, I sense that you speak from the receiving end of experience here! Nice adds. -Art
This is my boss in a nutshell. The list above describes everything that my boss does on a daily basis. He barks orders at me, constantly reminds me that he is the boss, expects everyone to read his mind, and much more. I wish I could actually print this list and hand it to him. Maybe it would actually wake him up and remind him how you should not treat your employees. I can see that with being a leader comes great responsibility, however, do we need to treat people poorly to get our message across? I don’t believe so and would hope that not everyone’s boss is like mine. Also, why does everything need to be managed by fear? When fear is used as a tactic to manage people, I think it just has the opposite effect. I know for myself I really don’t respond well to any of these tactics and don’t think many people would. Thanks for the list!
I have no additions to the list, but wanted to mention that we can all make a list that doesn’t do any good unless the manager is aware of their unsavory behavior. Many-most aren’t aware that the things on this list are driving others crazy! So how about if we all take a deep breath and find a way to tell our managers (with kindness and respect) what they are doing?
Great list. I think we have all had bosses and leaders that diplayed many of these traits. I know at times I have been guilty of some of these. Not something I am proud of.
Art,
Thank you for this list what a great concept!
Here are my additions to the list:
– Stop being the first to leave on a Friday
– Stop complaining about being busy as if no one else can possibly understand
– Stop only seeking the opinions/ideas of employees on the upper levels of the hierarchy, thus missing out on ideas that could move business forward from lower level employees
– Stop assuming everyone enjoys working for you and start reflecting on what you can do to improve as a leader
– Stop assuming employees are challenged by their work and start looking for ways to ensure all your employees’ skills and talents are utilized
Sometimes leadership doesn’t come from the top; sometime leadership comes from the bottom. I would add the following: Stop assuming that you do not have anything to learn from those who you lead. Create a culture where others are free to learn and free to help you learn. Once such a culture is created and fostered, you will be better able to share with others (and they will be better able to share with you) what behaviors need to be stopped or modified.
Amber, Mary Jo, Jeffrey, Marie and Ricky, thanks to all of you for your perspectives, examples and advice. Mary Jo, you are right with your encouragement. My hope with this growing list was to both serve as a reminder for all of us that might see ourselves somewhere in these behaviors to cut it out, and to offer a fun way to vent. Working things out with a boss is always the best outcome. However, don’t expect a boss that engages in many of our “Stop” behaviors to always be receptive to that input. Marie, awesome adds. Amber, I hope you get a new boss. Jeffrey, kudos for recognizing your own behaviors. And Ricky, we are all well served by your advice. -Art
Great list! I would add: Stop making EVERYTHING a #1 Priority & Stop only seeking the opinions/ideas of the upper level management instead of listening to the market.
Thanks, Barry! They are on the list. -Art
I could not agree more with your list! One of my favorites is number 7. Stop saving all of your feedback for the annual performance review. This is one of my pet peeves, if I am doing something wrong just tell me and I will fix it. I think that most employees have the desire to be thought of as a godo employee but if you don’t tell them what to fix how will they know. You can not let it go on for monthes with out saying something and expect people to fix it. Great post!!!
9/8/10: Midweek Look at the Independent Business Blogs…
Every week I select five excellent posts from this week’s independent business blogs. This week, I’m pointing you to posts on taking a personal inventory, perfectionism, things to stop doing, dealing with your boss, and good bosses. …
Stop believing that your intelligence trumps your practices and behaviors
Stop relying on habits that you assume got you to the top
Stop assuming that you don’t need feedback about your management, decision-making, and leadership style
Stop expecting others to meet you where you are, instead of meeting them where they are
Stop rationalizing emotional outbursts by saying “I’m passionate.”
And the list keeps growing! Sara, 4 great ones. Dick, sorry, but I’m still chuckling on that one. I know that boss! Wally, thanks for selecting this post. It’s the comments that have truly added value here. Ashley, right you are. Thanks all! -Art
Congratulations! This post was selected as one of the five best independent business blog posts of the week in my Three Star Leadership Midweek Review of the Business Blogs.
http://blog.threestarleadership.com/2010/09/08/9810-midweek-look-at-the-independent-business-blogs.aspx
Wally Bock
[…] The legendary Peter Drucker said: […]
Stop declining suggestions without proper arguments, without taking note of the need behind the suggestion.
[…] eng. leader nije isto što i hrv. rukovoditelj – s http://www.artpetty.comprenosim članak o tome što bi svaki lider, pa i rukovoditelj trebao […]
Un-Learning Leadership…
Becoming a better leader is as much about eliminating ineffective behaviors as it is about mastering new and powerful behaviors. …
Art,
I think there are different categories of unhelpful behaviors. Some are superficiial and can be addressed relatively easily, but others deeply ingrained in the leader’s character. They can reveal themselves in the culture that the leader builds around himself and so become the organization’s flaws without anyone really noticing. It takes a very systematic self-awareness to uncover them.
Ken Carroll
Wise words, Ken. I agree. -Art
You are very right. The quote you reference is a great quote to define what often occurs in the workplace. The “Leader’s Stop” list you compiled has helpful reminders for those that, unfortunately, lead by using very ineffective tactics.
Perhaps you can add the following to the list:
– Stop underestimating the power of modern technology. There are many effective ways to stay organized by learning the features of the programs on our computer.
– Stop believing that you know everything.
– Stop writing an email on your Blackberry during a meeting with colleagues. Even though you are nodding your head while they are speaking, those around you don’t believe you are truly paying attention.
Thanks for the post, Art.
More great additions to the list, Carla! Thanks much! -Art
[…] Peter Drucker: “We spend a lot of time teaching our leaders what to do. We don’t spend enoug… […]
As a leader stop waiting for your followers to remind of what to do before you act,though it is one of their core functions.
DO NOT micro-manage and STOP using the term “Shit roll downhill!”
These are some activities that all Managers love to do or generally do :
* Never give me work in the morning. Always wait until 4:00 and then bring it to me. The challenge of a deadline is refreshing.
* If it’s really a ‘rush job,’ run in and interrupt me every ten minutes to inquire how it’s going. That does not help
.
* Always leave without telling anyone where you’re going. It gives me a chance to be creative when someone asks where you are.
* If my arms are full of papers, boxes, books, or supplies, don’t open the door for me. I need to learn how to function as a paraplegic and opening doors is good training.
* If you give me more than one job to do, don’t tell me which is the priority. Let me guess.
* Do your best to keep me late. I like the office and really have nowhere to go or anything to do.
* If a job I do pleases you, keep it a secret. Leaks like that could cost me a promotion.
* If you don’t like my work, tell everyone. I like my name to be popular in conversation.
* If you have special instructions for a job, don’t write them down. In fact, save them until the job is almost done.
* Never introduce me to the people you’re with. When you refer to them later, my shrewd deductions will identify them.
* Be nice to me only when the job I’m doing for you could really change your life.
* Tell me all your little problems. No one else has any and it’s nice to know someone is less fortunate.
These are truly great! I enjoyed reading them all and wish I had to nerve to forward them along to my boss. I think I’ll just send the link. The boss won’t take the hint but it will be fun to do anyway.
Thanks, Kim! These “Stop Doing” items tend to be timeless! Hope a few take root with the boss! -Art
Great article Art.
Here’s another
Stop spitting in the plate where you eat.
This made me smile … I love it!
Glad to add a smile to your day, Kristan!
[…] genuinely engaged with the task – I found a blog posting at Management Excellence by Art Petty: At Least 20 Things to Stop Doing as a Leader. If you’re really pushed for time, here are the first […]