As top performers in the business world, executives often avoid second-guessing themselves. Lingering over old behaviors can stagnate growth, undermine confidence, and make execs less effective in the C-suite. All professionals learn bad habits, however, and some executive habits can disrupt personal and company growth. Revitalize your career by overcoming these 3 harmful leadership behaviors.

Habits that Could Hurt Your Career

1. Not asking for help. Far from asking for assistance, many executives have a tendency to micromanage other employees, even if they’re struggling with their own workload. Failing to admit you need help doesn’t just lead to executive burnout; it can also undermine a carefully cultivated culture of community within a company. Delegating responsibility simultaneously relieves stress and allows executives to see how promising employees handle added responsibilities.
2. Asking for (and promptly ignoring) feedback. Most executives possess a drive for constant improvement, and many realize that the best way to accomplish growth is to hear honest feedback from their employees. What many executives lack, however, is follow-through. Ignoring feedback, whether positive or negative, undermines the trust a company has in its leaders. It also stifles personal growth, leaving leaders unable to see their own shortcomings when the need arises.
3. Losing sight of the company mission. These days, a job is not simply a job. A career involves professional goals, personal passions, and, ideally, a melding between personal and company vision. When an executive allows the minutia of daily work to overshadow their passion for that work, they lose the ability to think creatively, act decisively, and inspire others to future success.

For professional assistance building an executive career, call Colleen at Executive Resumes Atlanta.

Executive Photo Source

Mentorship is often presented as a way for executives to do a good deed, paying forward the philanthropic impulse an older, wiser leader once showed them. Mentorship clearly benefits up-and-coming leaders, teaching them to think critically, expand their professional networks, and propel themselves toward further success. What gets less press is how mentorship benefits mentors.

Benefits of Executive Mentorship

Experience shapes companies, allowing them to rise above the mundane and into the innovative world of corporate expansion. But many successful executives become disconnected from their roots. Whether they’re partnering with an C-suite equal or a younger, less experienced employee, executives gain clear advantages from mentorship programs. So much so that many companies encourage reverse mentorship, a practice which pairs experienced company leaders with freshly hired, entry-level employees. Executives mentoring young leaders often find themselves learning and growing in unexpected ways.

• Mentorship allows C-suite employees to reconnect with the heart of the company, the common worker
• It encourages the development of a strong corporate culture and cohesive company vision
• It reengages leaders with fresh business tactics and workplace trends
• Mentoring a young leader allows older executives to hone skills they’ve put on the backburner
• Mentorship opens new networking avenues for both parties
• It allows executives to mold the future of the company by instilling good business practices in younger members of the corporate team
• Mentors may cultivate useful skills, such as a better understanding of how to use social media to make a professional impact

To learn more about developing your executive career, call Colleen at Executive Resumes Atlanta.

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