10 Bad Leadership Habits to Break in 2025 (New Manager Guide)

linnearader
Dec 1
6 min read

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Are you constantly checking emails after hours? Struggling to delegate? You're not alone. Here are 10 common leadership habits holding you back - and what to do instead.

As we head into the final stretch of 2025, I've been doing some reflection on the habits, beliefs, and behaviors that served me well this year and the ones that absolutely did not.

Here's the thing about leadership: we accumulate baggage. Not just physical clutter on our desks (though let's be honest, that happens too), but mental and emotional weight that limits our effectiveness. Habits that made sense at one point but don't anymore. Beliefs about leadership that sound noble but actually hold us back.

So as we close out this year, let's do some leadership spring cleaning. Here are ten things I'm personally working on leaving in 2025:

1. Checking Emails at All Hours (And Why It Doesn't Make You a Better Leader)

It didn't matter if it was the middle of the night, if I was at dinner with my family, watching a movie. If the notification went off for good ole Outlook, I was looking.

And guess what? I was no better prepared the next work day. I wasn't more productive. I wasn't ahead. There was NO off button. I never gave myself a break. It stunk.

That email at 9 PM doesn't need your response at 9:01 PM. Your team doesn't want you responding at all hours. They want a leader who models healthy boundaries and shows up refreshed during actual work hours.

Leave behind: The belief that being available 24/7 makes you a better leader.

Bring forward: Boundaries that let you actually rest so you can lead effectively.

2. Feeling Guilty About Delegation (Your Team Actually Wants More Responsibility)

Plot twist: my team was sitting on the sidelines watching me struggle, wishing I'd let them help.

For years, I avoided delegating because I was terrified of drowning my team the way I was drowning myself. I kept taking on more and more, convinced that handing things off would burden people who were already busy.

Plot twist: my team was sitting on the sidelines watching me struggle, wishing I'd let them help. When I finally started delegating, life got better for everyone. They got opportunities to grow. I got my sanity back. Win-win.

Your team wants to be challenged. They want to contribute. Stop robbing them of growth opportunities because you're afraid of asking too much.

Leave behind: The belief that delegation burdens your team.

Bring forward: Trust in your team's capacity and desire to step up.

3. Comparing Yourself to Other Leaders

Comparing yourself to other leaders doesn't help you. — Comparing yourself to other leaders doesn't serve you.

I used to look at other leaders and think, "How are they managing that? What secret do they know that I don't?"

Here's the problem: I was making decisions about my own leadership based on watching maybe 10% of their reality. You never see the full story. That calm, collected leader? Could be managing a health crisis you know nothing about. That one with perfect work-life balance? Might have a support system at home you don't have access to.

You're running your own race with your own obstacles. Stop watching everyone else long enough to see how far you've actually come.

Leave behind: Measuring yourself against partial information about other people's lives.

Bring forward: Comparing yourself only to who you were last month, last year.

4. The Perfectionism Trap (Why "Done" Beats "Perfect")

Excellence is achievable. Perfection is a myth that keeps you stuck.

Perfectionism means you'll never be happy with what you're working on and you'll get further and further behind. You don't have time to be perfect, and it's a standard you can't sustain anyway.

I've spent countless hours perfecting projects that didn't actually get better after the first solid draft. At some point, you're just spinning your wheels. Excellence is achievable. Perfection is a myth that keeps you stuck.

Leave behind: The belief that anything less than perfect is failure.

Bring forward: The understanding that "excellent and done" beats "perfect and never finished."

5. The Need to Know Everything (Admitting "I Don't Know" Builds Credibility)

You're not supposed to have all the answers. That's not actually your job as a leader.

Your job is to ask good questions, surround yourself with people who know things you don't, and make informed decisions with the information you have. Some of the best leaders I know are the ones comfortable saying, "I don't know, I know someone who does."

Pretending to know everything exhausts you and makes your team not trust you. Admit what you don't know and be curious about learning about it. That builds real credibility.

Leave behind: The pressure to be the expert in everything.

Bring forward: The confidence to admit what you don't know.

6. Working Through Lunch (Your Brain Needs Real Breaks)

Working through lunch doesn't give you a break.

Eating at your desk while answering emails isn't taking a break. That's just multitasking your way through sustenance.

Your brain needs actual breaks. Real ones where you step away and give your mind a chance to reset. I know you're busy and don't have time. But you know what's less efficient than taking a 20-minute lunch? Working for eight (or ten+) hours straight with diminishing returns because your brain is fried.

Leave behind: The badge of honor for never stopping.

Bring forward: The understanding that breaks make you more effective.

7. The "It's Faster If I Just Do It Myself" Excuse

Yes, in this exact moment, doing it yourself is faster than teaching someone else. But you're not optimizing for this moment. You're building long-term capacity.

Every time you choose immediate efficiency over developing your team's skills, you're making tomorrow harder. That task you "don't have time" to teach someone? You'll be doing it yourself forever unless you invest the time now.

Leave behind: Choosing short-term speed over long-term capacity.

Bring forward: The willingness to invest in your team's growth.

8. Sunday Night Anxiety (How to Stop Dreading Monday)

Thirty minutes on Friday to get clear on what's pending means Sunday night stays peaceful.

I've mostly conquered the Sunday night dread, but it creeps back when I'm stressed. You know the feeling: mentally cataloging Monday's problems instead of enjoying your last hours of weekend.

Usually this means one of two things: you don't have clarity on what's waiting for you Monday, or you're carrying too much. My Friday review practice has been the best weapon against Sunday anxiety. Thirty minutes on Friday to get clear on what's pending means Sunday night stays peaceful.

Leave behind: The dread that steals your Sunday evenings.

Bring forward: Systems that give you clarity heading into each week.

9. The Belief That Rest Is Lazy

This belief is everywhere in leadership: if you're not constantly working, you're not really committed. Rest is something you earn through exhaustion.

This is garbage. Rest isn't laziness. Rest is strategic. You cannot lead effectively when you're running on fumes. You cannot make good decisions when you're exhausted. And you cannot model healthy habits for your team if you're treating rest like a moral failing.

Leave behind: The guilt you feel when you're not working.

Bring forward: The understanding that self-care enables better leadership.

10. Being "Always On" for Everyone (Set Boundaries to Lead Better)

The belief that good leadership means being available to everyone, all the time, for everything will destroy you.

When you try to be "always on" for everyone else, you're never truly present for anyone, including yourself. You're scattered, reactive, and constantly responding rather than actually leading.

The most effective leaders protect their time and energy so they can show up fully when it matters most. They're not "always on." They're strategically present.

Leave behind: The expectation of constant availability.

Bring forward: The wisdom to protect your time so you can lead from strength.

How to Actually Break These Leadership Habits

You get to choose which habits serve your growth and which ones are just dead weight.

You don't have to wait until January 1st to start leaving these things behind. Pick one item from this list that resonates most. Just one. And decide what one small change you can make before the year ends.

Maybe you turn off email notifications after 7 PM. Maybe you delegate one task you've been holding onto. Maybe you block off time for actual lunch breaks.

One small change, practiced consistently, creates momentum. And momentum creates transformation.

The new year is coming whether you're ready or not. But you get to decide what you're bringing with you. You get to choose which habits serve your growth and which ones are just dead weight.

So as you're wrapping presents and closing out 2025, think about what you want to leave behind. Not just in your office, but in your leadership practice and your mindset.

The best gift you can give yourself, your team, and your organization is becoming a healthier, more effective, more sustainable leader.

And that starts with letting go of what's been holding you back.

Here's to leaving the baggage behind and stepping into the new year lighter and stronger.

About the Author: I'm Linnea, and I help public sector leaders break bad habits and build strong teams. Want more practical leadership advice? Subscribe to my newsletter or check out my leadership coaching programs.

What's on your "leave behind" list for 2025? What habit or belief are you ready to let go of? Share in the comments.

As always, carry social kindness with you everywhere you go. The world needs you and your positive mindset!