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As a leader, you know your leadership potential will never outperform your daily habits. Healthy habits will propel you forward. Unhealthy habits will hold you back. Today we're talking about part two of the six habits Great leaders avoid. Hey, welcome back to another episode of the Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast where my goal is to help you become a leader that other people love to. If you're new to our leadership community, we drop a brand new episode on the first Thursday of every month. I also want to encourage you to get the Leader Guide. I promise you there's going to be valuable information, helpful for you and good content to go over with your team. If you're not receiving it, Go to Life Church LeaderShipPodcast. You'll get a detailed summary designed to help you, your team. All additional content, I promise you, is helpful. I'm also very excited that I've got a new book releasing on February 18. It is called the benefit of how confronting your deepest questions can lead to a richer faith. If you'd like to get a copy of this early, I'm actually gonna tell you how you could potentially get one at the end of this episode, but I wanna honor your time. So let's get to work on new content. What do we know? To succeed in your leadership, you don't want to just develop the right habits. You also need to eliminate the wrong habits. Right? We're talking about the six habits that great leaders avoid. In the last month's episode, we talked about the first three we are going to avoid and stop the habit of number one, doing too much. Number two, the habit of avoiding conflict. Number three, gonna avoid the habit of doing what you've always done. Today we're gonna talk about 4, 5 and 6. I'll tell you what they are, then we'll dive into each one of them. Number four, if you have this habit, you're gonna quit the habit of micromanaging. Number five, you're gonna quit the habit of hiding in leadership. And number six, you're gonna quit the habit of hesitation, the habit of micromanaging, the habit of hiding, and the habit of of hesitation. Now the good news is, if you have bad leadership habits, breaking free from these habits is not just possible, but it is game changing. So we're gonna stop doing what's holding you back and we're gonna create the right habits to propel you forward. So let's start first of all with one of the most common bad habits. You see it in leaders across the board, and that is the bad habit of Micromanaging. If you've never worked for a micromanager, you should just thank God in heaven right now. If you've never worked under an overly controlling leader, you're very fortunate because this is a very, very common bad habit in leaders. What happens? The overly controlling leader eventually becomes the greatest limiting force to organizational progress. Because over time, a micromanager really does three things. You're gonna see a micromanager destroy trust, limit leadership development, and increase turnover. Every single time you see a micromanager, those three things happen. They destroy trust, they limit leadership development, and they increase turnover. Let's start with the first problem. Micromanagers, unfortunately, tragically destroy trust. And you probably know it, because if you've worked for an overly controlling leader, how'd you feel if the leader was always breathing down your neck? You felt devalued, demoralized, and disempowered. And here's the problem. If you don't feel trusted, you'll never consistently bring your best. And that's what happens to our team members when we don't trust, believe in them, and empower them. Because an overly controlling leader also limits leadership development. Since a boss is always hovering, the team members are often hesitant to take risks. They might have an idea, but they're, like, afraid if I share this idea, I might get criticized. They want to take initiative, but they don't take initiative because they don't want to fail. They want to be looked down on. And that's why the micromanager will also eventually increase employee turnover. If you will not let good leaders lead, good leaders won't stay. Let me say it again. You need to hear this. Believe it. Take it to the bank. If you won't let good leaders lead, good leaders won't stay. Stay. Micromanaging is a massive problem. Why do we tend to do it? Why, as a leader, do we know it's a problem, but we often are too controlling? Well, fundamentally, we tend to overestimate our own abilities and our own importance. It's a problem. We think that we're better than we are, and we think that we're more important than we are. And I want to say it respectfully, but I kind of want to say it kind of get in your face a little bit and tell you this right now. You're not as good as you think you are. And the reason I know this is because I discovered years ago I'm not nearly as good as I thought I was. And we tend to think like, hey, no one can do it as well as I can do it. And that's actually a very limited way of thinking. It shows that you're inexperienced or you haven't trusted people around you. And believing that lie is deceivingly comforting. You think, hey, I'm the best at doing this. And it makes you overly controlling in leadership. And it's kind of like maybe like eating two donuts, you know, two donuts. And it gives you this temporary sense of comfort. But the crash is coming, and that's what happens when you're overly controlling and you micromanage people. You have to remember that your unhealthy need to control is potentially the greatest limiting force to organizational progress. You become the bottleneck. I've said it a million times, but I wanna say it again. In leadership, you can have control or you can have growth, but you can't have both. Now, I wish we had more time to talk about this, but I'm gonna make it as simple as possible. Whenever you're tempted to micromanage, what do you do? I would suggest this. Focus on the what, not the how. This is so important. Focus on the what. What do you want your team to accomplish, not how do you want them to accomplish it. And you may say, it doesn't sound like there's that much difference. There's a massive difference. As a leader, more than anything else, you wanna care about the outcome. You wanna care about the what. And you have to understand that there are different ways to create the desired outcome. Your way is one way, and there are other ways to do it. And so if you focus on what outcomes you focus on, this is what I wanna see. And trust your leaders with the how. Your leaders are gonna bring their best, and they'll often bring better ideas than you had. And so how do we do that? It's similar to creating culture. There's three things we're gonna do, and that is this. We're gonna be clear on what we expect. We're gonna reward it when we see it and we're gonna correct it when we don't. Let me say it again. If you want to really trust people with the how, then be clear on the what. Tell em. Here's what we'd like to see happen. You're very clear on what the desired outcome is that organizationally you expect. Be clear on what you expect, then reward it when you see it, like, great job, that's amazing. And then correct it when you don't. And what's gonna happen is before long, really capable leaders are gonna get better. They're gonna Become experts. And they're gonna get be exceptionally better in the area than maybe you were over time because they're specializing in something so fundamentally, here's what you have to realize. And this sounds a little harsh, but it's true. If you don't trust someone, you've got a team leader that you don't think they're capable. If you don't trust someone, you've either hired the wrong person or you're leading them the wrong way. And either way, it's your problem to solve. Either you've got the wrong person in the seat or you haven't empowered that leader in the right way. And either way, it's your problem to solve. So to be a great leader, you have to passionately, righteously avoid the bad habit of micromanaging. That's the first one. Some of you, you can just stop listening right now. That's what you gotta work on. That's yours, and that's your assignment for the year. Others of you, let's keep going. The second habit you wanna avoid is this. The habit of hiding. The habit of hiding. We know as leaders, sometimes it's difficult for us to feel like we can be ourselves. And so we kind of withdraw a little bit because we don't want people to judge us or lose respect for us or dislike us. And so sometimes we don't bring our real selves because we're afraid of what people think if. And so instead of being transparent, we like falsely project confidence when we might truthfully feel insecure. Or rather than addressing conflict, we avoid it because we don't wanna hurt anybody's feelings or we don't want people to not like us. Or instead of taking risks, we play it safe because we don't wanna fail or we don't wanna disappoint people. And we tend to think wrongly so. But we think by hiding our insecurities, we're actually creating better dynamics. And we have no idea that whatever we're hiding, we're actually losing opportunities to build genuine trust and deep connection. This is so important because great leadership always starts with trust and connection. We have to truly care about people, be engaged and connect. So if you're hiding, you feel like you can't bring the real you. What's the downside of the habit of hiding? We'll talk about three things, and these are so important. Number one, when you stop being real, you stop being relatable. Massive problem in leadership. So many leaders don't want to be themselves. They hide, they withdraw. When you stop being Real, you stop being relatable. For example, I was doing a message on the weekend for our church recently. And when I tell you I got lost, I just got lost. I couldn't remember what came next. I was like a long way from my notes, and I just stopped and I froze. And I was so embarrassed. I was like, I forgot where. I forgot where I was going. And it was just like, I never do that. I'm always prepared. And I was prepared, and I got lost, and I was so embarrassed. And after I thought, everybody's going to make fun of me. You know what people said? They're like, oh, my gosh. My favorite part was when you got lost. Used to do that more often. That was amazing. Like, you're human. I felt so connected to you. I'm like going, I don't even understand you right now. They loved it. They loved. The fact that I was just transparent was just completely real. And I have to remind myself, is that like trying to project this image of perfection? It's silly, it's shallow, it's stupid. And I say it, but I didn't always believe it. And that is this. That people would rather follow a leader who's always real than one who's always right. You don't have to be perfect. Just be real. People want to connect with you as a person, not just like the image of this great, flawless leader, but they really want to connect with you as a person. So bring your real self. Second problem is this. Transparency builds trust. Pretense breaks it, right? Transparency. Even if you're, like, going, yeah, I don't feel very confident. Whatever. Transparency builds trust, but pretense breaks trust. And we have to remember that to do anything meaningful, anything significant, anything lasting, if we're going to do it with other leaders, we have to have trust. And you cannot have trust without connection. You cannot have connection without vulnerability. Let me say it again. To do anything significant with other leaders, we have to trust one another. But you can't have trust without connection, and you can't have connection without vulnerability. So without vulnerability, having, like, a real, sincere, meaningful connection, it's impossible. And again, we think that people are impressed by, like, how smart we are, how talented we are, how capable we are, how strong we are. And we have to remember this. We may impress people with our strengths, but we connect with them through our weaknesses. So be yourself. Don't be afraid to say I don't know it all and I'm not quite sure. And sometimes I feel hesitant and sometimes a little bit afraid. And you don't want to over share, but you do want to be genuine, sincere, and authentic. So there's three big downsides of the bad habit of hiding. Number one, when you stop being real, you stop being relatable. Number two, transparency builds trust. Pretense breaks it. Number three, hiding your struggles doesn't protect you. It isolates you. So true. Hiding your struggles doesn't protect you. It isolates you. What happens is whenever you hide, whenever you pull back, as a leader, you actually lose perspective. You lose connection with what's going on. And without genuine connection, your leadership is limited. And I mean, like, to be real, honest, like, your emotional health is at risk. When you think about it, if you're going to succeed in leadership, it's no fun to win alone. I mean, it's way more fun to celebrate with people around you. And not only is it no fun to win alone, but it's not easy to lose alone. And sometimes we lose. And that's why I tell myself all the time that anything worth doing is worth sharing. Anything worth doing is worth doing with people that I love. And so if you find yourself kind of walled up, I would just encourage you to let people in. And you say, but they might hurt me. Will they hurt you? Like, sometimes. Will they disappoint you? Like, often? They will. But I promise, I tell myself I would rather experience true connections than lead in isolation. And I'd rather lead with an open heart than lead alone. I'll tell you, like, transparently. When I started the leadership podcast, first I thought, maybe no one's going to listen. I'm not going to have enough content. I'm going to run out of content. I'm starting another year. And even right now, I'm going, like, I hope this matters. I'm gonna work really hard. I'm gonna stare at a camera. I'm gonna do the best I can. And then sometimes I feel, like, insecure. Is it really gonna connect with people? And so if I feel it, it's okay for you to feel it. And if there's any kind of real connection just between us, month to month, it matters to me that I don't have to try to act perfect and act like I know it all and have it all together. I still make mistakes all the time. And it's really meaningful to do significant things with other people, being transparent and being open. So what are you going to do? You're going to fight the bad habits? And the next bad habit I want to talk about is the big one, and it's One that chances are you might struggle with, because most leaders do. And that is you got to fight against the habit of hesitation. You have to fight against it. Why? It's very, very important. The best leaders are always decisive leaders. You say, like, yeah, that's a big statement. Is it true the best leaders are always decisive leaders? Doesn't even mean that they always make the perfect decisions, but they do make decisions. And we might, like, intuitively know it's true. Like, I have to be decisive, but what do we do? We're all insecure, so we often hesitate. And it might be a result of, like, a fear, like, I'm not good enough, or I don't have all the information, or I feel uncertain, or I want to get things perfect. We have to remember that hesitation drains momentum and destroys morale. Hesitation drains momentum and destroys morale. Hesitation. If you're hesitating, it's really hard to keep things moving, and it destroys morale because people are discouraged because we want to win, we want to move forward, but we can't. So what happens a lot of times, like, we're waiting and we're stalling, and we don't recognize that because we're not moving, we miss opportunities, or we're diminishing trust amongst our team members. And our organization grows flat because we don't have the courage to make a decision. In fact, it's kind of almost a funny story, kind of sad, kind of funny. But I read about a leader that was trying to hire a guy for a key role in his organization. And the role required a leader that was confident and bold and decisive. And so there was a candidate that came in, and the candidate had a really solid resume. The candidate had a great interview, all the references checked out. And he promised the potential boss, he said, yeah, I'm confident, I'm bold and I'm decisive. And so the boss said, okay, great interview. Do you have any questions? And the candidate said, nope, I've got everything I need. And so the boss offered him the job right on the spot. Same city. The guy didn't have to move. There was a significant financial raise. It was a big promotion of leadership, responsibility. And the boss said, hey, would you like the job? And the candidate said, ah, can I have a week to think about it? And the boss looked on and said, in your hesitation, I received your answer. If you can't make a decision, it's all right there. You said you wanted it. It's the same city, bigger rate, and you're decisive and you can't make a decision. What's the problem? Was the boss overreacting? Possibly, but probably not. Why? Because indecision is the enemy of progress. Indecision is the enemy of progress. The best leaders that I've worked around, they don't always get it right, but they always keep it moving forward. They're making decisions. So if you find yourself like, I am hesitant, I'm insecure. I don't know how to make decisions. How do we overcome our hesitation? Let me give you three thoughts. Number one, avoid overthinking. What we'll often do is we'll overthink a situation. We'll patiently analyze and study everything, and this often feels smart and wise. And it is. But if we're not careful, it can be just a mask to cover your fear and your lack of confidence. What looks like diligence and careful planning is often an excuse to stall or to do nothing. You have to remind yourself you're almost never gonna have all the information. It's almost impossible to get all the facts. And if you wait for all the facts, you're likely gonna be too late. So on most decisions, literally for me, if I'm, like, 70% sure that it's a good decision, I'm moving forward with it. I can't stall. I don't want to be the bottleneck in the organization. So we're gonna avoid overthinking. The second thing is embrace imperfection. You have to recognize as a leader that no one's ever gonna be perfect in decision making. We're all gonna make mistakes, and whenever we're taking action, taking action is generally better than inaction. I'll give you a slightly edited version of Sheryl Sandberg's quote. I edited it to say this. Done now is better than perfect. Later, done now. Getting it done now is better than waiting until it's perfect. You know, a month from now. You have to remember when you're making a decision. The great news is that most decisions are not permanent. Decisions like you can almost always adjust along the way, and it's easier to turn a moving vehicle than a stalled one. So we're not going to look for perfection. We're going to work to keep the organization moving forward. We're going to try to be decisive. I tell myself this. You don't have to be perfect to make progress. You just have to start. Just have to keep it moving. So avoid overthinking. Embrace imperfections. And then number three, if you want to overcome the habit of hesitation, set decision deadlines. Set decision deadlines. This is one of My favorite things to do because I tend to procrastinate decisions. So what I do is I'll set a deadline. And it doesn't have to be like a real drop dead deadline. It's what I call an artificial deadline. And so I'll tell someone on my team, I'll tell my assistant, hey, I will have this to you by next Thursday at noon. The decision may not be due until two weeks from now, but instead I'm putting an artificial deadline on it. And what I'm doing is I'm giving myself a timeline so I can actually think and work on it. But I also have some accountability. And if you give yourself a timeline to make decisions, you can balance kind of thoughtful consideration with timely action. If you find yourself not making a decision, you have to tell yourself, no decision is a decision. Hesitation isn't just a delay, it's a decision to stand still. Some of you right now, this is one of the biggest weaknesses in your leadership. You got a team of people that are ready to run and they can't run because you won't point. You gotta say, we're going this way and you can't get it right every single time. But the best leaders make confident, informed decisions, trusting that even if the decisions aren't perfect, we're continuing to move the mission forward. Work on this, be confident, take a step of faith and watch what happens. I wanna come back and summarize and wrap it up in a minute, but I do wanna tell you I'm really excited about the new book I have coming out. It is a Christian book called the Benefit of Doubt and I wanna give away some copies early before the book releases. It releases February 18th, but if you would like an early copy before anybody else gets one. If you hop on over to YouTube, you can type in the comment section. Type in there, I want Craig's book early. And we will pick, draw five winners and then send it to you. If you wanna pre order the book so you will get it the first day it comes out, you may have someone that you know that has faith questions. Maybe they're going through doubts about the reality of God or the goodness of God, the faithfulness of God, this is a book I promise will speak to them. You can pre order anywhere books are sold. And I want to kind of wrap up this two part series and just talk to you and I want to remind you that you are a leader in progress. A lot of times we think, you know, I'm not, I'm not good enough. And the reality is no matter how long you do it, you're always gonna feel a little bit of that. I still do to this day. And I just wanna remind you from a spiritual perspective that God is not done with you yet. There is so much more in you. There are leadership gears in you that you've yet to develop. There's the ability to pull more out of other people that you have yet to see possible. There's more vision that you can fulfill, more people that you can help, more profit that you can make a bigger legacy that you can build. Now, how are you going to do it? You're going to do it by building the right habits today. The habits you have today determines who you become tomorrow. And so we're going to build the right habits, strategic habits that help you become the leader that you want to be tomorrow. Be intentional about it. Be prayerful about it. Ask God to help you and get a little bit better today, every single day, a little bit better. Learn, study, read, be faithful in this podcast. Listen to other podcasts, grow spiritually, surround yourself with great people. And guess what? Little by little, day by day, you get a little bit better. You never arrive because you're a leader in progress. God is working in you. He's not through with you yet. I believe in you. And if you find yourself growing and want to tell me about it, just to say transparently, it would bless me more than you can imagine. Just to hear about your leadership journey. Write it in a paragraph or two or three and tell me about it. And I will read it and I'll celebrate it, and I'll thank God for it. Because I thank God for you and I thank God that you're getting better. Because we know that everyone wins when the leader gets better.