Bad Habits to Break Before They Break You

Most leaders ask, “What habits should I build?” 

A better question is, “Which habits do I need to break?”

Unchecked habits become leadership patterns. And unhealthy patterns limit your growth and quietly undermine the progress you’re working so hard to make.

So before you build new habits, let’s address the six you need to eliminate first.

6 Habits to Break Before You Build

1. The Habit of Doing Too Much

This is where most leaders struggle.

High achievers love to stay busy, drive results, and chase bigger goals. But doing too much doesn’t increase your impact. It drains your energy and suffocates productivity.

When you stay busy doing more, you unintentionally abandon what matters most.

To break this habit, create margin for the right things.

• Evaluate each task, meeting, and activity. Which tier of efficiency does it fall under?
• Eliminate most tasks from your lower tiers.
• Delegate tasks to trusted leaders. Don’t become the bottleneck.
• Automate your systems and processes wherever possible.

Don’t just spend your time. Protect it. Invest it wisely.

2. The Habit of Avoiding Conflict

Conflict in leadership is inevitable and necessary. Avoiding hard conversations may feel easier in the moment, but it will become a barrier to growth over time.

How can you manage conflict better?

• Change your mindset. Approach conflict to strengthen relationships, not strain them.
• Address issues early. Unresolved conflict won’t get better left alone.
• Talk it through and leave aligned. Growth matters more than winning.

Great leaders extend trust first. Don’t let small offenses create a wedge between you and your people.

3. The Habit of Doing What You’ve Always Done

Two things can be true at the same time. Being static is dangerous. Being erratic is also dangerous.

Leaders with past success often default to what feels familiar. Playing it safe feels responsible, but it actually stalls progress.

Here’s the reality: Markets change, technology advances, and teams evolve.

This doesn’t support erratic decision-making, but you might need to ask more questions.

• Is this strategy still aligned with our current goals?
• Are we committed because it's effective or because it's comfortable?
• Where are we seeing diminishing returns?
• If someone replaced me tomorrow, what’s the first thing they’d change?

4. The Habit of Micromanaging

Leaders who believe everything rises and falls on them destroy trust, limit leadership development, and increase turnover. The result is predictable. Capable leaders on your team feel constrained instead of empowered.

To break this habit, focus on the what, not the how.

Clearly define what success looks like. Then trust your leaders to determine how to get there.

Let go of control and watch your team exceed your expectations.

5. The Habit of Hiding

Some leaders struggle with transparency. They hide behind false confidence, avoid conflict in order to be liked, and play it safe so they don’t experience failure.

But every time you hide, you lose an opportunity to build trust and connection with your people.

Here’s what happens. 

• When you stop being real, you stop being relatable.
• Transparency builds trust, pretense breaks it.
• Hiding your struggles doesn’t protect, it isolates you.

Remember, vulnerability is not weakness. It’s leadership.

6. The Habit of Hesitation

The best leaders are decisive leaders. They take the lead and say, “We’re going this way.” 

Do they always get it right? No, but they keep the mission moving forward.

On the other hand, hesitation drains momentum and destroys morale.

To break this habit, leaders need to:

• Avoid overthinking. You’ll never have all the answers, so take the best next step.
• Embrace imperfection. More often, action is better than inaction.
• Set decision deadlines. Time constraints lead to better decision-making.

Be confident, take a step of faith, correct over time, and watch what happens.

The Next Step

Which habit do you need to break first?

Don’t try to tackle all six at once. Discipline yourself to take the next step, follow through, and break free from patterns that are limiting your leadership.

Once you know what needs to stop, start building the habits that move your life forward. 

The Power to Change was written to help you do exactly that. Whether you are trying to lose weight, strengthen your marriage, or overcome an addiction, this book gives you practical steps to start living the life God wants for you.