STOP Doing

Most of the time leadership literature focuses on the new skills leaders should acquire. Things like better communication, strategic thinking, or stronger decision-making. However, an equally powerful lens focuses on behaviors leaders should stop doing. Executive coach and author Marshall Goldsmith provides us with a practical checklist of interpersonal habits that can undermine leadership effectiveness in his book What Got You Here, Won’t Get You There. They may not seem like big, dramatic behaviors but these behaviors gradually erode trust, collaboration, and engagement within teams.

Goldsmith argues that many successful leaders reach senior leadership positions because of intelligence, expertise, and confidence. Due to this, leaders may feel compelled to continually demonstrate their knowledge by adding comments to every discussion or correcting minor inaccuracies (oof, this one hurts - this was my achilles heel). While these interventions may be correct, they can unintentionally signal that the leader’s perspective is more valuable than others’. Over time, this discourages participation and reduces the diversity of ideas brought forward.

Another area of leader behaviors involves subtle forms of interpersonal judgment, such as interrupting colleagues, finishing their sentences, or responding defensively to feedback. These actions may appear minor but collectively create an environment where individuals hesitate to speak openly. Unfortunately these habits can significantly limit the quality of collaboration and learning.

Goldsmith’s checklist also highlights behaviors related to recognition and emotional awareness. Failing to acknowledge contributions, withholding praise, or reacting with irritation when challenged can damage relationships within teams. As leaders we often underestimate how strongly employees interpret these signals. Even small moments of disregard or impatience can reduce motivation and trust.

Ultimately, what Goldsmith is communicating is our need for deep self-awareness as leaders. Leadership development is not always adding new things but often it involves eliminating conscious or unconscious habitual actions that diminish others’ contributions. By consciously reducing behaviors such as unnecessary criticism, the need to prove expertise, or the desire to win every debate, leaders create space for stronger dialogue, shared ownership, and more effective collective decision-making.

In this sense, leadership effectiveness may depend less on what leaders say or initiate and more on what they intentionally choose to stop doing.