5 Performance Saboteurs You Can Solve Quickly

You go further when you drop the saboteur you carry on your back.

1. The saboteur of getting up late:

“I wake up early so I can do nothing,” Leslie Harris.

“Business leaders need to take time to forget about time, and that helps them to be creative when they arrive at work,” Geir Berthelsen.

Tip:

• Eliminate distraction in the morning. No email or Internet for at least 15 minutes.
• Adopt a liberating morning routine.

2. The saboteur of big dreams:

Brief visits to the distant future provide direction and meaning for daily decisions and actions. But living in the distant future makes you unuseful and frustrated today.

Tips:

• Determine how today’s opportunities and challenges are equipping you to reach your dream.
• Write down long-term goals AND short-term actions. What do you need to do today to reach your long-term dream?

3. The saboteur of neglecting what’s working:

Your inner critic loves misery and rejects enjoyment.

Frustration is temporary fuel. Enjoyment is long-term energy.

Tip:

Ask yourself and others, “What’s working?”

4. The saboteur of delay:

“Small deeds done are better than great deeds planned.” Peter Marshall

Tips:

• Do it. Get in the habit of finishing stuff. Perfectionism isn’t helpful.
• Schedule it. (At least write it on a list.) If something needs to be done, it’s worth scheduling.
• Eliminate it. If you have to-dos that are months old, cross them off your list.

5. The saboteur of thinking too much:

Tips:

• Insight often comes WHILE working to solve a problem.
• Find solutions AS you go.

Which of the above saboteurs do you frequently see in leaders/organizations?

What saboteurs would you add to the above list?

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This post was previously published on Leadership Freak with a Creative Commons License.

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