As the saying goes: A new year doesn’t make things change, you make them change. While this may be true, the new year is a great time to reexamine old habits that may be holding you back. The Harvard Law Review’s Sarah Green and Gretchen Gavett put together business practices that are better left in 2014 in their list of ‘Things to Stop Doing in 2015‘.
Here is their list.
1. Stop multitasking (it can be done).
2. Stop procrastinating, saving work for tomorrow, and waiting to be inspired to work.
3. At the same time, stop working at an unsustainable pace. It makes leading more difficult, and to do things better, you have to stop doing so much.
“4. If that’s not possible, at least stop complaining about how busy you are”
5. Stop feeling like you have to be authentic all the time. It could be holding you back.
6. Stop being so positive — research shows it’s not all that helpful for achieving your goals.
7. Stop overdoing your strengths (lest they become weaknesses).
8. And when it comes to evaluating others, stop mistaking confidence for competence.
9. Stop giving negative feedback as a “sandwich.” i.e: Don’t bookend your critique with compliments.
10. Stop overlooking the women in your organisation. And stop relying on diversity training programs to fix the problem. They can’t solve it.
11. Stop ideating and brainstorming.
“12. Stop trying to delight your customers all the time”
13. Stop searching for a silver bullet to your strategy dilemmas.
14. That said, stop using so many battle metaphors when you talk about strategy.
15. And please, stop using terrible PowerPoints and these equally terrible words in your business communications.
16. Stop sitting so much.
17. Stop getting defensive. (Not that we’re accusing you.)
18. And if you can’t stop doing any of these things… stop believing that you have to be perfect.
