Want to Lead like a Builder? Ten senior leader sins to stop committing now

If you're a CEO, a member of the executive team, or any flavor of high-ranking leader, Dan Adams has a question for you: Are you a Builder...or are you a Decorator?

On the surface, it seems like an easy distinction. Builders drive profitable, sustainable growth by delivering differentiated value to customers as they brush aside business fads, on short-term distractions, and financial gymnastics. Decorators focus looking good to investors, quarter after quarter after quarter. But Adams says the question isn't as clear-cut as it seems.

"No leader wants to admit to being a Decorator," says Adams, author of Business Builders: How to Become an Admired & Trusted Corporate Leader. "While there is nothing wrong with looking good to investors, when it's a leader's primary goal and constant focus, it slows growth, alienates employees, and weakens the company. Who wants to admit to being responsible for that?"

While every company was (by definition) founded by a Builder, research conducted by The AIM Institute suggests only one-third to one-half of them are still led by one. At some point, the reins were turned over to a different type of leader. And if you're that leader, the numbers suggest there's a good chance you aren't a Builder even if you think you are.

In his book, Adams explores the difference between Builders and Decorators (as well as two other types of leaders: Remodelers and Realtors). There's also a quick and easy free assessment you can take at https://www.areyouabusinessbuilder.com/. But these forms of self-evaluation aside, Adams says the best way to decide if you're a Builder is to take a good hard look at your behaviors.

"Being a Builder is a mindset, but that mindset is revealed in your day-to-day actions," he says. "And there are certain things that Builders just don't do." That said, here are ten of the most egregious Builder "no-nos:"