According to the book “Why CEOs Fail: The 11 Behaviors That Can Derail Your Climb to the Top” by David L. Dotlich and Peter C. Cairo (2003), there are 11 behaviors that will mess with even the best attempt at being an effective leader.

I’ve picked out 3 to write about today, but I encourage you to read this book to delve into the other 9, as any one of these behaviors if left unchecked, could be seriously tampering with your ability to lead effectively.

Perfectionism

I’m sure you’ve heard it before.

“Perfection is the enemy of progress.”

And in a leadership setting, this is 100% the case.

You know you have to make a ton of decisions every day for the good of your team. If you get stuck sweating over every tiny aspect of one decision, you’re not pulling the trigger on all the other stuff you need to handle.

What it causes: A bottleneck of conflict-resolution and active problem-solving and a lack of real results for your organization.

Your team will begin to distrust your ability to lead.

The flow of your organization’s trajectory will be thrown off.

Your job may be at stake.

How to find the balance: Make the best decision for the needs of your team while aligning with the values, beliefs, and mission statement of your organization – even if it’s something that could have consequences because it’s not “the perfect choice.”

Don’t overthink your decisions – even if it turns out to be a mistake, you’ll learn and grow from it and adopt a new strategy instead of standing still.

Aloofness

According to Dotlich and Cairo, aloofness is usually the result of a natural tendency towards shyness.

However, some CEOs consciously choose to keep team members at arm’s length emotionally because they believe that’s the best way to lead without bias or favoritism.

They don’t spend much time socializing with their team or getting to know personal details about their lives.

This can be both a blessing and a curse when it comes to leading bravely: easier when it comes to uncomfortable conversations or making difficult choices that may negatively impact a team member, but harder to connect and gain the trust of a member, as well.

What it causes: An unstable work environment due to team members feeling intimidated, misunderstood, or isolated from the vision and mission of the organization.

Team members may feel hesitant to be open and transparent with you for fear of being judged.

As a result, you’re missing out on having important conversations that can lead to positive affect and change among the team.

How to find the balance: You don’t have to be “buddy-buddy” with your team to get them to open up to you and trust you.

Be willing to be seen as warm, available, and an active listener, and they will respond with transparency and trust.

If you start to feel like you’re playing “favorites” and sense resentment among the team, pare back your emotional connection and focus on being a strong leader with the team’s success as a #1 priority while still encouraging healthy conversations and openness.

Passive-resistance

This type of behavior is one of the most insidious because it paints a picture of an insecure, dishonest, two-faced leader.

A passive-resistant leader will say whatever they need to during a meeting to seek the audience’s favor while disagreeing and not believing in what they are saying.

This type of leader will push through deals for the wrong reasons, placate troublesome team members to avoid conflict and be a “yes” person to those who don’t have the organization’s best interests in mind, all while wanting to do the opposite and being afraid to take action.

What it causes: Besides causing interpersonal rifts within an organization, this behavior causes a flurry of fallouts: high turnover rates, low results, and the most tumultuous of all – a severe cognitive dissonance in the leader.

A leader may find him or herself constantly wrestling internally with their true values and beliefs and suffering from low self-esteem at not pursuing what they know to be the best course of action.

How to find the balance: Don’t be afraid to upset people.

Your highest priority should always be going to bat for your team, making the right choices for your organization, and challenging your need for “approval” or “peace” over real results.

Follow your evolved instinct of doing what’s right, even when it’s very uncomfortable. Be courageous.

Does this Sound Like You?

If you’ve had a nagging feeling that you’ve been focused on self-interest or self-preservation, it’s most likely beginning to form a rift between you and your team.

But you’re not alone – and there is a great solution.

The Courageous Leadership program is a self-paced “empowerment protocol” that guides you through a deep dive into your motives, practices, beliefs, and values as a leader.

You will develop a Leadership Roadmap that will guide you through the many complicated and multifaceted challenges you will face in your role as a leader. This Roadmap will be your “transcript for success” and grow with you as you move through your career.

This program is a small investment for a lifetime of guidance and support. All along the way, you’ll be building a priceless network of executives in different fields managing similar opportunities and challenges to your journey.

And you can consider me, Belinda, to be your own personal Executive Coach!

I’ll be sharing coaching sessions live every Thursday throughout the program, and my team and I will commit to supporting and empowering you to get the most out of your time with us at every turn.

Get on the waiting list now, and you’ll be the first to know when the course is open to registration.

Lead courageously, leaders!

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