A simple conversation at the dentist revealed a critical leadership insight that could transform your management effectiveness

As a busy manager, you rely on routines to get through your day. Morning coffee at 6 AM. Team standup at 9. Weekly one-on-ones every Tuesday. These patterns create structure in an otherwise chaotic leadership landscape.

But here's the uncomfortable question every manager needs to ask: Are your management routines actually helping you grow, or are they secretly keeping you stuck?

The answer lies in understanding a crucial distinction that most leaders overlook—the difference between a productive routine and a limiting rut.

Yesterday at the dentist, you know how it goes—he asks you a quick question while he is examining your mouth. We briefly discussed routines and how comforting they can be. Same morning coffee, same route to work, same preparation rituals.

That simple exchange got me thinking about something I see with management coaching clients all the time: highly capable leaders who have unknowingly slipped from helpful routines into career-limiting ruts.

The scary part? Most don't realize it's happening until they hit a wall—declining team performance, missed promotions, or that nagging feeling that they're not growing anymore.

A management routine serves you—it creates efficiency, reduces decision fatigue, and frees up mental energy for strategic thinking.

Effective management routines typically:

• Reduce cognitive load so you can focus on high-impact decisions
• Create consistency for your team to rely on
• Generate predictable positive outcomes
• Feel energizing rather than draining
• Remain flexible and adaptable to changing circumstances

Think of your best management routines. Maybe it's how you prepare for important meetings, your process for giving feedback, or your weekly planning ritual. These routines work because they're intentional, purposeful, and regularly evaluated.

A management rut traps you—it becomes mindless repetition that blocks growth, innovation, and leadership effectiveness.

Warning signs you're in a management rut:

• Autopilot operation where you're going through the motions without conscious choice
• Declining energy around tasks that used to energize you
• Static results with no improvement in team performance or personal growth
• Resistance to change even when current methods aren't working
• Team disengagement as your predictable patterns become stale

The most dangerous management ruts are the ones that used to be effective routines. What worked two years ago might be holding you back today.

Here's a simple diagnostic tool I use with executive coaching clients to identify whether their management practices are routines or ruts:

Routine indicator: You feel prepared, confident, and energized by the structure Rut indicator: You feel bored, tired, or resentful about going through the motions

Routine indicator: Consistent or improving results in team performance, project outcomes, or personal effectiveness Rut indicator: Plateaued results, declining team engagement, or feedback that you're becoming predictable

Routine indicator: You can articulate why you do things this way and regularly evaluate effectiveness Rut indicator: You do things this way because "that's how we've always done it" or you can't remember why you started

Routine indicator: The practice challenges you, develops new skills, or creates opportunities for growth Rut indicator: You could do this in your sleep, learn nothing new, and feel no stretch or challenge

Scoring: If you answered negatively to most of these questions for any management practice, you're likely in a rut that needs attention.

Here's a practical approach I've developed for busy managers who want to transform limiting ruts back into productive routines:

Pick something you do consistently—team meetings, project reviews, one-on-ones, or planning sessions.

Ask yourself: "What would I do differently if I were starting this fresh today, knowing what I know now?"

Don't overhaul everything at once. Change the format, ask different questions, shift the timing, or modify the outcome you're targeting.

After two weeks, assess: Did this change improve energy, results, awareness, or growth?

The beauty of this approach is that small tweaks can create significant improvements without disrupting your entire management system.

The Rut: Sarah, a VP I worked with, held the same weekly team meeting format for three years—status updates around the table, same agenda every time, predictable outcomes.

The Assessment: Team engagement was declining, meetings felt like a checkbox exercise, and no one was bringing new ideas.

The Thursday Reset: Sarah asked her fresh start question and realized she was optimizing for information transfer, not team development.

The Small Change: She restructured meetings to start with one team member presenting a challenge they were facing, followed by collaborative problem-solving.

The Result: Team engagement increased 40% within a month, cross-functional collaboration improved, and Sarah's meetings became the ones people actually wanted to attend.

Asking identical questions in every one-on-one without adapting to individual team members or changing circumstances.

Running meetings focused solely on reporting what happened instead of driving decisions and solving problems.

Providing feedback only during formal review cycles instead of creating ongoing development conversations.

Maintaining the same availability patterns without considering how they impact your strategic work or team development.

In today's rapidly changing business environment, management flexibility isn't a nice-to-have—it's essential for survival.

Leaders who stay trapped in management ruts often find themselves:

• Losing top talent to managers who provide more dynamic leadership
• Missing promotion opportunities because they're seen as inflexible or stuck in old patterns
• Struggling with change management because their own practices haven't evolved
• Experiencing team disengagement as predictable patterns become stale

The most successful managers I work with share one common trait: they regularly examine their own practices with the same analytical rigor they apply to business problems.

They understand that what got them to their current leadership level might not be what takes them to the next one.

This week, I challenge you to:

1. Choose one management practice you do regularly
2. Apply the 4-question assessment (energy, results, awareness, growth)
3. If it's a rut, implement the Thursday Reset strategy
4. Measure the impact after two weeks

Remember: The goal isn't to change everything—it's to consciously choose what serves your leadership growth and what needs to evolve.

Breaking out of management ruts is just the beginning. The most effective leaders build systems for regular self-evaluation and continuous improvement.

If you found this helpful, you might enjoy our Management Minute Podcast, where we interview business leaders about the routines and practices that drive their success. Our new season launches this week with powerful insights from a healthcare leader about values-driven management.

Question for reflection: What management routine in your leadership practice might actually be a rut that's ready for a refresh?

The best leaders aren't afraid to question their own patterns. They understand that growth requires the courage to examine what's working, what's not, and what needs to change.

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About the Author: Dr. Donita Brown helps busy managers develop leadership skills that drive results. Through the Management Minute Podcast and executive coaching programs, she provides practical strategies for leaders who want to maximize their impact without sacrificing their sanity.