15.5
HABITS: THE GOOD ANDBAD NEWS
THAT LEADERS NEED TO KNOW
Inspired by Stephen Covey, Daniel Goleman, and Earnie Larson.Your head tells you to check Consumer Reportswhen thinking of buying a new car. Your heart
wants the Lexus, Corvette, or Land Rover. People fool themselves when they claim to act log-
ically, based purely on reason and thinking. We are persuaded by reason, but we are moved to
act by emotion. In our “business at the speed of light” world, most often our decisions and
actions are habitual, based on feelings. Advertisers know this. They sell the sizzle and not the
steak. They sell soft drinks with music that helps people feel young and alive. They advertise
cars by implying power, status, or sex appeal. This tool will help you understand how people,
leaders included, make decisions. Mechanisms for more conscious decision making are sug-
gested, along with strategies for changing deeply ingrained habits of thinking and acting.
WHERE DO HABITS COME FROM?
Forgotten and buried deep within us is something that started as an emotional need long ago,
perhaps even in childhood. That something might have been an idea, a way of behaving, or a
necessary defense or self-protection mechanism. Whatever form it took, this something even-
tually became integrated with our beliefs—what we accept as true. Our beliefs become part of
our core, part of who we are. This human needs–beliefsbase is firmly established before think-
ing—our rationalization for action—enters the picture. Our thinking is then filtered through
our feelingsto produce decisions for action. The customary way
in which we think (as influenced by our feelings) and then act is
called a habit. Changing a habit involves a combination of
thinking, feeling, and acting.
Your habits are unconsciously based on your emotions or
feelings. Most of your behavior as a leader—how you decide
things, how you work with others—is based upon habit. This
may sound surprising, yet leadership actions must be based on
habits. You couldn’t possibly think through every situation,
starting from first principles. Good habits form the basis of effi-
ciency and effectiveness. As conditions change around us, how-
ever, some of our once-useful habits become limitations. For example, learning that you
couldn’t count on others may have been useful when you were working in a dysfunctional
organization, but now that you’re a leader in a highly functional and team-based organiza-
tion, this habit has become a considerable limitation to your success as a leader.
CHANGING HABITS
To change a habit, first you need to surface and evaluate the habit. Thus, a prerequisite to
changing a habit is to first recognize and own up to the dysfunctional habit. Since habits have
SECTION 15 TOOLS FORTAKINGCARE OFYOURSELF 467
Thinking Feeling
Habits
Acting