7 Habits That Stifle Executive Growth and Productivity

Here are seven poor habits that executives may have that can stifle growth and productivity, along with suggestions for improving those habits.

1. Poor time management: You may struggle with managing your time effectively, leading to missed deadlines and increased stress. To improve this habit, use tools like calendars and to-do lists to prioritize tasks and manage your schedules more efficiently.

2. Lack of delegation: You may feel like you need to do everything yourself, leading to burnout and decreased productivity. To improve this habit, delegate tasks to trusted team members and focus on high-level strategic planning and decision-making.

3. Neglecting self-care: You may prioritize work over your own health and well-being, leading to burnout and decreased productivity. To improve this habit, prioritize self-care activities such as exercise, meditation, hydration, and getting enough sleep.

4. Avoiding feedback: You may avoid seeking feedback from others, leading to a lack of growth and development. To improve this habit, actively seek out constructive feedback from colleagues, mentors, and executive coaches, and use that feedback to improve your performance.

5. Overcommitting: You may take on too many responsibilities and commitments, again, leading to burnout and decreased productivity. To improve this habit, learn to say no to low-priority tasks and delegate responsibilities to others when possible. Also, learn to say yes with boundaries, clearly communicating what you are (and are not) available to do.

6. Poor communication: You may struggle with effective communication, leading to misunderstandings and decreased productivity. To improve this habit, work on improving your communication skills, including active listening, clear messaging, open dialogue, and speaking from the "I".

7. Multitasking: You may think that multitasking is an effective way to get more done, but it can actually lead to decreased productivity, increased stress, mediocrity, and low performance. To improve this habit, focus on one task at a time and prioritize your work based on importance and urgency.

By recognizing and improving these poor habits, executives can achieve greater success in their professional and personal lives.

Dr. Wanita Mercer, Ph.D. is the founder and CEO of Lead My Heart, an executive coaching and consulting company specializing in equipping executives and executive teams to live and lead with purpose, passion, and power. She has a Ph.D. in Education with an emphasis in organizational leadership, and she is a certified life coach, change management specialist, project management specialist, and management executive. She has over 15 years of experience as an international educator, motivational speaker, author, and civic leader. She lives in San Antonio, Texas.