FastCompany

To build and guide a company or organization takes a lot of good habits, and successful leaders soon learn and adopt practices that help them stay on top of to-do lists, keep their teams engaged, plot smart goals, and balance their personal and work lives. But being a successful leader isn’t just about having good habits—it’s about avoiding bad ones.

It’s all too easy for a leader to unknowingly slip into bad habits that can hinder success. Some of these habits may deliver short-term solutions, but keeping them up can decrease efficiency, disrupt good working relationships, and even create long-term problems. Below, 16 members of Fast Company Executive Board share seemingly harmless habits that every entrepreneur should recognize and eliminate to ensure continued progress and success.

9. ALWAYS BLAMING SOMEONE ELSE

One bad habit that I have witnessed over time is a lack of accountability: The habit of blaming everyone else and never taking responsibility is toxic in any organization. A leader’s role should be to protect those they lead and help them grow. Own it and be accountable. If someone makes a mistake, have a private, encouraging conversation that they can learn and grow from. – Martin Rowinski, Boardsi

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Consumers today are calling for increased transparency and honesty from companies about their diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Such efforts work to bring people from a variety of different backgrounds and life experiences into the workforce and recognize the unique knowledge, perspective, and skills each person brings. They also work to ensure equal treatment and fair outcomes for all employees and customers in an environment in which they feel welcomed and respected.

Robust DEI efforts can not only help organizations build stronger, more effective teams but also show the customers and people they serve that they’re valued, too. If you’re working to improve your DEI efforts, it can help to look at organizations that have achieved widespread recognition for their DEI work. Below, nine members of Fast Company Executive Board each share a company whose diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts they’ve noticed and admired.

4. SLACK

One company in the tech world that I love, enjoy, and admire is Slack. Diversity, engagement, and belonging are core to Slack’s values. Not only do they focus on hiring diverse talent, but once the employees are hired, they treat them with respect and support. Slack is focused on their employees’ future, providing continued education, introspection, opportunity, and growth. – Martin Rowinski, Boardsi

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With more communication channels than ever available for free, right at our fingertips, there are plenty of options for a CEO to broadcast their business. However, as quick and simple as it can be to talk up your business online through your business and personal social media accounts, it’s just as easy to make the wrong move—one that can hurt your company’s reputation. Indeed, a CEO’s reputation can affect how people view their business.

In today’s marketplace, consumers tend to make personal connections with the businesses they patronize, and they may well choose to buy from (or pass by) a company depending on what they think of its CEO. Company leaders need to devote time and resources to building up a positive public image online. To help, 15 members of Fast Company Executive Board have shared their top personal branding tips for CEOs. Follow their advice to cultivate an online reputation that’s a positive for both you and your business.

1. MAKE SURE YOUR VISION AND VALUES MATCH YOUR COMPANY’S.

I believe in transparency. So many times you see a leader talk the talk, but when you look at their social media and see what their life is like, it may not be in line with their company’s mission, vision, and values. This is why as a leader your personal mission, vision, and values need to be in sync with those of your business so that the way you live is also the way you work and talk to employees. – Martin Rowinski, Boardsi

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You may think you’re sitting absolutely still, but your face is almost constantly engaged in micro-expression. When you answer a question, or even just listen to someone else talk, the curve of a lip, lift of the eyebrows, and even the amount you blink can all give off information about your personality. These micro-expressions are likely going a mile a minute during an interview, but each one happens within milliseconds. If you glance away, you might not catch them.

With the help of artificial intelligence (AI)-integrated video to point them out, not only can we see a person’s micro-expressions, but also understand the different aspects they tell us about their personality—the good and the bad. At Boardsi, we use AI in interviews to find a better fit. Our programs track eye movement, tone of voice, and micro-expressions. This knowledge allows us to choose better candidates, predict their behavior, and identify their motivation to work.

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