What if your comfortable habits have put you in autopilot?
The other week, I realized I was on autopilot when I drove my husband to a meeting. Despite his instructions to go a different route, I defaulted to our usual route. “You’re on autopilot this morning,” he said, and he was right. This moment made me reflect on other automatic habits I follow without much thought.
What is your mindset and openness to new and different situations? This can be described as your comfort with discomfort. The biggest and boldest results are realized from a place of discomfort. Habits make us comfortable and easy to rely on, but change never comes from a place of comfort.
Health Check your Leadership Habits
How do your current habits align with today’s leadership mandate?
For many leaders, habits are essential rituals that shape the day. However, when work environments shift rapidly, like the evolving dynamics with global hybrid teams, habits may need reassessment. Do your habits support adaptability, or do they keep you rooted in the familiar legacy approach?
The Challenge of Autopilot in Modern Leadership
Research shows that 43% of our waking behaviour is habitual (Habits in Everyday Life: Thought, Emotion, and Action," authored by Wendy Wood, Jeffrey M. Quinn, and Deborah A. Kashy). While routines help reduce cognitive load, they can also create tunnel vision, leaving leaders unable to adapt quickly to new challenges, such as technological advances or global shifts.
With our Pivotal Growth Diagnostic, we measure tech agility in leaders. We’ve observed that baby boomers and gen X leaders can lack confidence in tech adoption. For example, they may default to using email instead of collaboration tools like Slack. On the other hand, millennials—digital natives—readily embrace tools that enhance efficiency and engagement.
How might comfortable habits constrain your goals?
Also, how well do you know your habits?
1. Habits tune-up
A habit is a regular tendency or practice that is hard to give up. In today's digital-first world, this means examining not just physical habits, but also digital practices, such as how we manage virtual communication.
There is a leadership change that we have done deep research on. It’s the intersection of gen X and millennials in senior leadership positions, and they are two completely different types of leaders. Gen X has always been more hands on in an "I need to see that, so I know work is being done" mentality, versus the Millennials, who have an "I don't need to see it because I know my team is getting it done” mindset. This is a generational shift that impacts the number of emails you get from a senior leader. Modern leaders believe in collaboration and teamwork, a change in ownership and responsibility of work getting done without micromanaging them. Rigid mandates often stem from a need for control, but the most effective leadership isn’t about controlling every decision—it’s about fostering trust and empowering others. This Forbes article, Something Deeper is Driving Restrictive Work Mandates, explores what drives these approaches and why leaders need to evolve.
2. One small change
Modern leaders must embrace micro-changes that adapt to both in-person, remote dynamics, and a changing workforce. One small adjustment to your routine or mindset can start a positive ripple effect.
Digital boundaries matter. Are you a person that is disabling notifications or putting timers on your social media? It could be something as small as setting designated times to check your inbox, taking control of your space. Digital boundaries help time management and improve cognition, as they reduce distraction and enables focus.
It’s the change in your habitual behaviour that shifts your momentum.
3. Nurturing a feedback loop
Self-assessment remains step one, but feedback is even more crucial when teams are distributed. In a global business culture where there are fewer in-person interactions, virtual feedback tools and consistent check-ins can offer insight into how leaders are perceived in real time. Try crafting 4-6 targeted questions to gain feedback, particularly in areas impacted by remote or hybrid work habits.
4. Pause to reflect
As you close meetings or workdays, take time to reflect. Ask yourself, ”When was I on autopilot today, and how did it impact my engagement?” Evaluate which habits remain valuable and which need to be updated. This reflection is even more vital with the increasing integration of technology and shifting workplace expectations.
Autopilot allows you to do something without thinking, but thinking is what keeps us engaged. Practice an incremental pause to catch your breath, or try to be intentional about bringing your focus back into a meeting. Autopilot can be reactive; the way you mitigate it is to be intentional.
5. Reframe and set goals with updated habits
A new habit still consists of the five core elements: a reason, trigger, micro-habit, practice, and plan. However, today’s context might require you to consider how your habits integrate with digital tools, remote work structures, and team well-being.
Most leaders haven't got any white space. They are in back-to-back meetings with absolutely no time to pause and reflect. I liken it to being on cruise control at 200 mph. You are blowing past stop signs and exits, and you aren't looking in the rear-view mirror to see who you have left behind. How can you stop doing that? Create one micro habit. For instance, book 50-minute meetings instead of 60 minutes, and then you have an extra 10 minutes at the end to reflect.
Your Homework
Over the next couple of days, add a little more time at the end of meetings for personal reflection.
When were you on autopilot?
Which habits are valuable, and which hold you back?
What new habit could align with where you want to be in two years?
Final Thought
Today’s leadership work often finds us craving familiar tasks and easier paths. Modern leadership, however, requires a daily commitment to embracing new efforts, evolving work methods, and adapting communication styles. The most effective leaders today are those who can blend discipline with adaptability. By regularly reviewing and adjusting habits, leaders build their flex capacity and prepare themselves to meet whatever challenges come their way. Focus on the change in behaviour that shifts your momentum and sets you on the path to sustained growth and success.
Dream big. Start small. But most all, start. – Simon Sinek
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