Running an Organisations: Bad Behaviours: Habit 2

I was reading in an old Forbes online issue, a blog by Martin Zwilling on the nine bad behaviours of struggling start founders. He reviewed the points made by Denny F Strigl, former CEO of Verizon Wireless, on the bad habits of managers who struggle.

Whilst reading the blog, I realised that these bad habits are true of everyone: whether mangers or not; whether in start-ups or established organisations. They are particularly true of those of us in the charity sector. So what can we do to avoid them?

Well, I don’t think I’m guru of any kind but I do have over 25 years experience of management so have learnt a few things in my time. (I have also fallen into some of these bad habits myself). So in case it helps, here my thoughts…

Bad Habit 2: Focus on things that don’t really matter

Hands up those who have done this?  At this point my hand is up in the air and waving frantically.  Yes - I have been guilty of this on occasions.  Getting side tracked by the easy and pleasant rather than what really matters and then had to work feverishly to meet a deadline because I did so.  On one occasion I had to work all night and that was my turning point.  I was determined never to do that again and now have this bad habit under control.

It is also easy to focus on the unimportant because the important is too difficult to deal with.  I had one boss who insisted that when we used a hole punch, that the holes always had to be exactly in the same place - woe betide anyone who had a hole that was a nanomilimetre out of alignment with the previous document in the file.  For one particular board meeting. we spent hours measuring up where the holes should be, making pencil marks and sometimes reprinting the document because we got it wrong.  In hindsight and with more experience, I realise that concentrating on that minor issue was displacement activity for her real concern about board dynamics and politics - an issue that was bothering everyone in the organisation at the time.  Then everyone (including me) thought she was too focussed on trivia and she lost respect amongst her staff.

As a leader it is incumbent upon us to keep questioning ourselves and to remember that our behaviour will impact on our team.  My advice would be to always ask yourself - why am I doing this?  Is this something that will be important in five years time?   Will this change the nature of the work that we are doing? If not, then it needs to move down the pile.

Leonor Stjepic

Chief Executive

RAFT