Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez just moved into a luxury apartment in Washington D.C. It doesn’t contain one affordable housing unit. In fact, the complex doesn’t even comply with D.C.’s Affordable Dwelling Units program. This, after campaigning on a platform which included “Safe, affordable, adequate housing for all.” George H.W. Bush infamously said, “Read my lips. No new taxes.” LBJ promised the country not to escalate America’s involvement in the Vietnam War. George W. Bush campaigned, in-part, against excess government spending. Then, expanded several federal programs. How Hypocrisy Hurts Businesses The list goes on and on and on. Bernie Sanders, who rails against wealth inequality, owns three houses, has a net worth of about $2 million, and earns a six-figure salary. You get the idea. And, these are just a handful of politicians. It doesn’t include entrepreneurs, celebrities, professional athletes, and other public figures. As a business owner or manager, it’s important to practice what you preach. If you require employees to be available 24/7 while you’re MIA, or you’re constantly texting on the job while you prohibit employees from using their phones, for example, your hypocritical behavior is sending the wrong message to employees, and they may resent you for it. —Business News Daily Of course, hypocrisy is everywhere. When it occurs in a business environment, it’s very harmful. Hypocrisy undermines your ability to lead. After all, it’s essentially telling your employees to literally do as you say, NOT do as you do. You lose respect. It compromises your standing. Plus, it makes it very difficult for others to even work with you. 3 Key Ways to Avoid Hypocrisy as a Business Leader Hypocrisy is a dangerous trait. It essentially subverts morale and threatens the very viability of a business. It can even go so far as to cause a self-inflicted implosion. So, just how do you avoid being hypocritical? Here are a few helpful suggestions for how to avoid hypocrisy as a business leader: Practice self-awareness. You might call this “practice what you preach.” It’s an obvious reminder but one definitely worth mentioning. Every day, you should stay vigilant and stay self-aware about your own behavior. While it’s not rocket science, it’s quite difficult to put into practice. Be consistent with decisions. It’s almost impossible not to have or even show bias. We all do it in a variety of ways. You might treat team members differently due to your own personal biases. When making decisions, consider all sides of the equation. Actively solicit constructive criticism. It’s always good to encourage feedback from your employees (as well as your customers). And, doing so could reveal hypocrisy you commit but don’t consciously act against. What other advice would you give about avoiding hypocrisy? Please share your thoughts and experiences by commenting! Interested in learning more about business? Then just visit Waters Business Consulting Group.

Effective daily habits can work wonders in many areas of life. These are particularly useful for entrepreneurs, but others will certainly benefit by incorporating such practices. In surveying a number of successful people, it’s easy to see they all have certain daily habits. Which of course, means, that these practices do a lot to help them get things done and done right. Why Daily Habits are So Important We all have our daily routines. But, the trouble with many routines is that we don’t question how they impact our day-to-day lives. In other words, there is little to no introspection or objective look at what does and doesn’t work. Think about your own daily routine for a moment. If you’re honest, you’ll discover at least one (maybe more) that’s not up to par, is outright ineffective, or just superfluous. Just ask any CEO, politician, professional athlete or inventor out there – they all start their day at the crack of dawn, gaining a leg up on the competition. Create a routine and stick with it. Studies prove that willpower is the strongest in the morning before exhaustion and other priorities get in your way. Adopt a morning ritual and you will start to see big results. —Forbes.com When you take time to identify what does and doesn’t work, you’ll probably discover other ways to improve your daily routine. At the very least, you’ll be able to eliminate things which aren’t necessary. So, it’s definitely a worthwhile exercise. And, it’s one that can easily be repeated periodically to alter or change-up from time to time as you go through life. Most Effective Daily Habits Successful People Practice If you want to really be successful, you simply need to practice the same effective daily habits of successful people. Here are some of the biggest habits you can adopt to help you achieve more: Not getting involved in personal problems of others. This isn’t to say they are uncaring or apathetic. But it does mean they don’t get involved in the drama of others. They know it’s an invitation to trouble. Working in an environment that’s conducive to productivity. Successful people identify what surroundings and tools they need to get things done. They use these to their advantage and you can do the same. Not harboring a fear of missing out. Successful people just don’t worry about FOMO or the fear of missing out. It’s not something they let get to them because they recognize there’s just no way to be involved or in-the-know about everything. The ability to say “No” more than “Yes.” There’s a reason you see this advice time and time again — it works. And, it works well. When you say “Yes” you are making a commitment that can quickly balloon out of control. You need to learn how to spot bad ideas and those which won’t deliver results. “No” gives you the power to be selective. A strong commitment to maintaining good character. Perhaps the most effective daily habit successful people practice is to maintain a strict adherence to good character. What other effective daily habits would you add to this list? Which ones do you practice and recommend? Please share your thoughts and experiences by commenting! Interested in learning more about business? Then just visit Waters Business Consulting Group.