Workaholism, comparison, control, multitasking and stress are all common leadership sins that will have a negative impact on your ability to lead, so what can we do to overcome them?

Workaholism

If you’re struggling to disconnect from the office and work obsessively you might be a workaholic. Technology, deadlines and an intrinsic need to achieve, can all drive an addiction to work. Being unable to remove yourself from your business can take a toll on your mental and physical health resulting in burnout, anxiety, depression and chronic stress.

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To safeguard your mental health and better lead your workforce, ditch the hustle and the “time is money” attitude and invest in a simple routine that will delineate between time in the office and time for your personal life. Develop a structured sleep habit, aiming for seven to eight hours a night with a designated wake-up time every morning. Maintain a healthy, well-balanced diet for both your physical health and for healthy brain function. Take regular one-minute breaks to breathe and refocus. This can reduce mental fatigue, boost brain function and creativity and lower feelings of frustration. Incorporating these elements into your routine will ensure you can maintain the mental and emotional strength required to lead. 

Comparison

When we spend time comparing ourselves or our employees against each other, we discourage individuality, breed unhealthy competition, prevent collaboration and diminish self-worth. Stop comparing and instead celebrate the different and diverse skills and experiences your team offers and the unique benefits this provides to your business. A successful team is made up of a group of people each bringing something different to the table. 

Leaders who celebrate the achievements of others and view individual success as a benefit to the wider group, create a work environment where people feel valued and motivated. Acknowledging differences in strengths and encouraging collaboration will generate great gains. 

Control

A controlling leader micromanages their team, expects total compliance, is unable to delegate and doesn’t trust their employees to do their work.

Swap controlling leadership for compassionate leadership and lead with deep care and the “greater good” in mind.  You’ve hired the right people for the job, now trust them. Instead of seeding fear, focus on leading with compassion by putting people first. Compassionate leaders breed a high-trust workplace culture where people feel safe to speak their mind, exercise creativity, explore their full potential and take calculated risks. Compassionate leaders ensure that employees feel they can be open with their concerns and can be their true self at work, driving loyalty, productivity and motivation.

Multitasking

To operate in today’s fast-paced society, multitasking is not only considered a coping strategy, but an essential skill to get through the day. But, if you find yourself flitting from one task to the next and back again, and still not ticking anything off your to-do list, you might be in multitasking overload. At its worst, multitasking can reduce your overall efficiency, deplete your focus, reduce the retention of information and increase stress. If you’re multitasking you might not be able to successfully navigate complex work decisions that often need unwavering attention.

Many successful leaders manage their list of tasks so they can achieve “flow” – or “being in the zone” – where you reach a state of sustainable and effective performance. It’s where your skills are equally matched to the task at hand and the only barrier to performance is your level of concentration. Achieving flow ultimately allows you to be creative, confidently make decisions, and tackle challenges with ease.   

To find flow, divide your day into segments, where you select at least two tasks to complete while in a state of deep flow, and allocate time for short-burst work tasks, time to move your body and time for mental breaks. Every hour, take a minute to reset through focused breathing. 

Stress: Negative stress can cause physical, emotional and behavioural problems affecting our ability to successfully lead a business. If you’re suffering from intense stress, you may see your motivation, concentration and ability to manage conflict suffer. In the longer-term periods of sustained negative stress can lead to burnout and ongoing concerns with your mental health. One of the best ways to safeguard against stress is to build resilience.

Resilience is the learned ability to have courage, connection, creativity and bounce. Being resilient doesn’t mean you don’t experience difficulties, just that you bounce back from them bigger and better than ever. Resilience can be purposefully developed and skilfully maintained.   

A resilient business culture is one that is able to balance the drive for high performance with a focus on maintaining the safety, wellbeing and effectiveness of its people and businesses.

To build a resilient workforce, you must be a resilient leader who understands their purpose, is aware of and exercises their strengths, can reframe challenges into opportunities, has a strong social network, is optimistic and nurtures their own wellbeing.

Even the most acclaimed leaders can at times fall into bad leadership habits, but exceptional leaders are able to identify these unsustainable behaviours and bounce back into good routines. Leading by example is paramount for any good leader and the more time you invest in building resilience, exercising compassion, leading with trust and in self-care, the better leader you will be and the more your workforce will thrive.

Stuart Taylor is the founder and chief executive of Springfox.