“Everything is poison, everything is medicine,” said Paracelsus. This is a book about exactly how our brightest strengths turn into critical shortcomings. It is dedicated to destructors - the strengths of a leader that are out of control. Each of these qualities is useful to a certain extent, and sometimes even necessary to achieve success. However, in stressful situations they can grow uncontrollably, seriously undermining a leader's effectiveness and sometimes leading to catastrophic consequences. Examples of destructors include attention to detail that leads to perfectionism, or self-confidence that turns into arrogance. The book describes in detail the eleven most common destructors, provides numerous real-life examples, offers self-diagnosis tools and many practical advice and recommendations. At the same time, the book is by no means “a manual for self-exposure and self-flagellation” - on the contrary, it is imbued with optimism and the deepest respect for the uniqueness of each individual. She is a guide who will lead you to the light side of the force. The book was also published under the title “The Dark Side of the Force. Patterns of leadership behavior that can cost careers and businesses.”
A series: ECOPSY Library
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by liters company.
Introduction
Which of the following best explains the causes of executive failure?
Ineffective response to new technology, a competitor's product or service;
Failure to develop a clear vision or direction for the business;
Failure to implement a brilliant strategy;
Poor interaction with the board of directors;
Losing talented people and failing to find replacements.
Whichever of the listed options you choose, you are right - but only partly. Yes, high-ranking executives, like other leaders, fail because they do something (or, conversely, do not do something) that is very costly to their companies, spoils their public reputation, undermines competitive advantages or results in the loss of good employees. But if you look more closely, these answer options only point to the visible prerequisites for failure, but not to the underlying reasons that force leaders to do all these wrong actions.
CEOs and other senior executives are almost always bright, savvy business leaders with vast experience and an excellent track record. However, the average CEO tenure in largest companies is shrinking more and more. Magazine covers are full of stories about fallen idols. In a very short time, senior leaders have gone from being “highly admired” to “untrustworthy.” Why do such obviously gifted leaders still make bad decisions, alienate key employees, miss opportunities, and fail to recognize obvious trends and developments?
We have had the opportunity to coach many CEOs and lead learning programs on leadership for senior executives around the world, and we found this issue very troubling - especially in light of the increasing failures of senior management in recent years. Thanks to our previous careers (Dotlich is a former executive at Honeywell International and Cairo is a professor at Columbia University), we are well versed in leadership theory and have seen time and again how flawed strategies and other missteps have ruined the lives of executives and their companies. . We also noticed that many of the failures were due to obvious errors in the implementation of perfectly reasonable strategies. Looking back, one can see that many leaders who suddenly made irreparable mistakes were previously considered strong leaders. What prompted them to do the wrong thing: was it a momentary loss of sobriety of thinking - or something else?
"Something else" seems like a more plausible answer. After all, most of the failures of leaders were not due to lack of intelligence. By and large, disaster has occurred when intelligent and well-intentioned leaders acted illogically, biasedly, or impulsively. Reading stories of company collapses, you begin to ask yourself questions like: “Why didn’t the manager understand that he needed to act immediately?”, or: “How could it be possible not to see that the company would not survive with such a strategy?”, or even: “Why did he didn’t understand what was going on at all?” These leaders could have saved their careers if they had turned to simple logic and common sense in the current situation.
Many of these leaders self-sabotage, albeit unknowingly. They have enough intelligence, skills and experience to lead their company through any challenge, but somehow they fail. Something is ruining their career. Something inextricably linked to themselves - as people and as leaders - and operating below the threshold of awareness.
We have found that executives, like all leaders, are affected by eleven disruptors—deeply ingrained personality traits that influence their leadership style and behavior.
It is very likely that you have at least one of these qualities. For example, you may be a brilliant analytical thinker, and your analytical reflex has helped your company avoid mistakes that rival companies have made.
However, your predisposition to analysis may become distorted when you find yourself in a stressful situation. You become so analytical that you freeze when it comes to taking action. You continue to analyze even when you need to make a decision.
Your desire for analysis takes precedence over common sense. However, from your point of view, this additional analysis is highly justified. This quality is built into you, and it is very difficult for you to step aside and realize that a trait that at another time was yours strong point, has become a destructor of leadership. You sincerely do not understand what you are doing wrong (after all, this is exactly what has led you to success over the years) - and then fate deals you an insidious blow.
The good news is that this attack can be prevented. When you learn to identify and deal with these disruptors, you can spot disaster long before it happens and take steps to prevent it from damaging your career and your company.
We are going to introduce you to these eleven destructors, but first we will tell you how the extraordinary efforts of several people contributed to the emergence of the thoughts and tools that you will find in the pages of this book.
Research into the causes of the fiasco
Robert Hogan, a psychologist and professor of industrial psychology, has conducted groundbreaking research into how the “dark side” of leaders can ruin their careers and create negative consequences for their organizations. His research, which built on earlier work on destructive behavior at the Center for Creative Leadership, and our own knowledge of personality structure, gave us new starting points for thinking about the reasons that lead leaders to failure. In close collaboration with Professor Hogan, we applied his model to practice and developed a special method based on it for assessing leaders. We then used these tools (called the CDR International Derailment Report) to evaluate thousands of senior executives around the world. Our book reflects the results of this activity.
Ram Charan also influenced our work. Charan is a brilliant strategist, consultant and author, and a former Harvard Business School professor who teaches many of our leadership training programs. His insightful insights into why leaders fail and how it relates to their poor actions have been extremely helpful in our work with clients. It was his article published several years ago in the magazine Fortune, served as the impetus for writing this book. This article showed how leaders fail because they fail to manage relationships, understand shareholder needs, and do other things necessary to run a successful business. In our conversations with Charan, we returned again and again to the question of reasons. Why do leaders who are so gifted in every other way find it so difficult to do what needs to be done in the right way? Why do leaders who truly want to do everything right end up doing everything wrong? Charan, Hogan, and many of our clients agree with us: The root cause lies beneath the surface—many leaders unconsciously limit their ability to do the right thing.
Another source of inspiration was Daniel Goleman's revolutionary work on emotional intelligence,” they reinforced our thesis that the failures of leaders have more to do with who they are at their core than with how much they know or how bright they are. Goleman's insight that the key to success is managing negative impulses fits perfectly with our observations that the most successful leaders are those who have learned to manage their derailers.
When we founded CDR International several years ago, we focused on this human side of leadership. Since then, thousands of senior leaders from different functions, industries, countries and cultures have been coached or trained by us. We believed and continue to believe that the success or failure of leaders in most cases is determined by how well they interact with other people and how much they understand themselves. However, translating this belief into practical steps was not easy at first. The work of researchers such as Robert Hogan, Ram Charan and Daniel Goleman has made our task much easier. At the very least, they reinforced our sense that we had discovered something valuable and important. Having coached many different leaders, we developed an approach that drew heavily on Hogan's work on disruptors. Over time, we have refined this approach to the point that leaders can use it to anticipate their weaknesses and anticipate how and where they might appear. In a number of cases, we have been able to help leaders regain their effectiveness after significant failures. In coaching CEOs and other senior executives, we have found that, for the most part, they are not paid enough feedback or resistance that would help them realize their personal characteristics. When this happens, they gain the ability to adjust their behavior to move from success to success. By using self-analysis and some very simple tools, you can achieve the same thing.
A look behind the scenes: how destructors work
Here are eleven disruptors that we consistently find in high-level leaders and executives that you will learn about in this book:
self-confidence: you are right - the rest are wrong;
melodramatic: you always strive to be the center of attention;
emotional instability: your mood swings undermine your business;
extreme caution: every decision you make is the most important in life;
suspicion: you are focused on the negative aspects of reality;
aloofness: you distance yourself or withdraw;
waywardness: rules are made to be broken;
eccentricity: being different from everyone else is just fun in itself;
stealth: your silence is not at all a sign of consent;
perfectionism: caring about little things when everything as a whole goes down the drain;
desire to please: the main thing is to become the most popular.
You may look at this list and immediately think that you know which (or perhaps all) of the items apply to you - but for most people, accurate self-diagnosis requires detailed information and tools, which can be found in the corresponding chapters of the book. So don't think about which of the listed destructors describes your personality just yet, but just remember the following important points.
First (and most importantly), disruptors most often manifest themselves in stressful situations, but what is stressful for one person will not be so for another. For some, pressure is caused by rush jobs and tight deadlines, while for others, doing nothing is pressured. Stress can be caused by anything from trying to capitalize on a great opportunity like acquiring another company to changing jobs and adapting to a different culture. Changes often lead to stress, although there are people who cannot imagine their lives without constant changes. The key here is to understand what kind of stress you are exposed to and what triggers your destructors.
Second, the purpose of this book is not to eliminate your destructors. This, in general, is impossible: they are part of your personality. They did not suddenly arise ten or twenty years after your career began - they have always been with you, they just may not have caused such significant problems before. negative consequences. Sometimes it takes many years for a leader to encounter situations or people that become catalysts for destructors. Until then, their waywardness or eccentricity may be perceived quite favorably by others, since the negative side of these qualities is in a dormant state. In some cases, organizations themselves may overlook or even feed into the negative traits of their top leaders. Of course, many at Enron were aware that Jeff Skilling was overestimating himself. Recent articles have characterized Enron as a company steeped in a culture of overconfidence. However, while the company was doing well, people preferred to deny those aspects of Skilling's leadership style that ultimately led to his disaster. These qualities were apparently not so difficult to overlook, since Skilling's confidence and ego contributed significantly to Enron's impressive success. However, as the situation went downhill, these behaviors were exaggerated because they were part of what led to Enron's spectacular collapse, and in retrospect they were even seen as impediments to the company's previous success. The purpose of this book is to help any leader understand his own self-destructors, identify in what situations they make themselves felt, and learn to cope with them.
End of introductory fragment.
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The given introductory fragment of the book 11 Enemies of a Leader: Behaviors That Can Destroy Careers and Businesses (Peter Cairo, 2003) provided by our book partner -
Many people make serious mistakes that derail their careers. Some cause such serious damage that it is very difficult to recover from a miss. However, career destruction does not happen by accident. Even if you are a true expert in your profession, your career may still not turn out well. Get advice from professionals who know what to do right. This will help you prevent serious mistakes.
Don't choose a job without thorough preparation
Many people choose a professional path without thinking at all about how suitable it is for them. They focus on the list of the most popular professions, listen to the advice of friends or parents, and ignore their own interests, personality traits and preferences. They don't want to find out information about the career they are pursuing. It is not surprising that as a result, many people realize that they cannot realize themselves in their chosen field. If you make such a serious decision as choosing a profession, you must make it on the basis of carefully selected information. 
Don't lie about your qualifications
When you lie about your qualifications on a resume or in an interview, you can face serious problems if the employer finds out the truth. However, such a situation is extremely likely. If this happens before you are hired, consider yourself lucky. It is much better not to get a position than to be hired based on false information. When the inevitable happens, you'll be fired and won't have a good reference from the job you cheated into getting. Never include information in your resume that you cannot confirm in practice. 
Don't downplay your own achievements and abilities
Many people tend to downplay their accomplishments when they could be better positioned to present themselves to a potential employer. Don't think that talking about your abilities will seem like boasting. It's not like that at all. Calmly talk about your achievements. If you don't talk about what you've achieved, no one will know about it. Don't hide important information and don’t be shy about it, because talking about your achievements is completely normal. 
Don't slander your boss
Don't complain about your boss in public, even if you have a very good reason. You never know who's listening. If what you say sounds unpleasant enough, you may find yourself in serious trouble later. Share such details with your loved ones, at home, where no one is listening to you. You can sympathize with your colleagues if you want, but only if you trust them completely. Remember that in the workplace there will always be a person who will tell everything you mention to your superiors. This is why you should never give in to the temptation to gossip and complain. 
Don't annoy your colleagues
You spend most of your time in the company of colleagues. Think about it. If you work in a regular office for eight hours, this means that you spend a third of your day with your colleagues. It is logical that it would be worth maintaining good relations with colleagues. Don't gossip, talk quietly on the phone, don't take credit for other people's achievements - do everything so as not to irritate the people around you. This will help you achieve good relationships with your colleagues. 
Don't think of the office as a dating place.
Looking for your soulmate? You should search outside office building. It is possible that some colleague will seem attractive to you, however, he may not share your feelings. On the other hand, if you start a relationship, this will also be a problem, because your colleagues will be very uncomfortable. When the flame goes out, as it sometimes does, you will all feel awkward. Try to avoid romance at work at all costs. 
Don't stay in a job that tortures you
Many problems with a job you don’t like can be resolved if you don’t want to quit. However, sometimes there is a good reason to quit without thinking: if you are constantly sick because of your job, you should quit it. Start looking for job postings as soon as possible and prepare your resume. Think about your situation. Health is the most important value, so don’t lose it for the sake of your career.
Don't leave work with negativity
The dismissal process is filled with emotions. It's understandable if you want to put in your place a boss or colleague who annoys you. However, remember that you may still encounter this person in life, so do not throw out your negativity. 
Don't resist changing careers if your previous one didn't work out.
Often a person has a profession that he has always dreamed of, but he prefers to stick to his usual career. Changing your career path seems like it would be too hard. Well, it really can be quite difficult to change your life. You need to learn new skills and start from scratch. However, think about it, do you really want to do something that doesn’t bring you any pleasure? Do you really want to spend your whole life on this? Consider all the details of changing your career path. 
Don't work without breaks
Everyone needs a break sometimes. It doesn't matter whether you love your job or hate it, you can't devote all your time to it. Give yourself breaks for a few days or weeks. This will allow you to relax and regain your strength. You will be able to work much more productively after you have rested.
It is no secret that there are stars in the world who earn their fame through scandals: the same Kim Kardashian attracted millions of subscribers with candid photographs and videos, and her husband Kanye West is unlikely to be able to live a month without a provocative entry on Twitter. But for many other celebrities (and just media figures), any inaccurate statement can cost their careers. American stars are under special public surveillance: after the Weinstein scandal, the old sins of celebrities began to actively surface. Only for some it is violence and harassment, and for others it is an unsuccessful Twitter joke ten years ago, but public opinion punishes everyone equally. Let's look at how people treated controversial posts of media personalities 7 years ago and what they are being judged for now.
Disaster jokes
Comedian Gilbert Gottfried always loved cynical jokes, and for the time being he was forgiven for this. He was the man who uttered the first quip about the tragedy of September 11: “I wanted to buy a ticket on that plane, but there were no direct flights. They told me the first stop was the Empire State Building." Only three weeks have passed since the terrorist attack, but, oddly enough, the outraged Americans did not throw the presumptuous comedian off the stage, but simply booed him with the words: “Too early.” Gottfried was able to continue the show that day.
But in 2011, employers denied the comedian a second chance. Gottfried was known not only as a professional joker, but also as an actor voicing cartoon characters (the parrot Iago from Aladdin speaks in his voice). In 2011, Gottfried did not have the same star roles: he voiced the character of the insurance company Aflac, which was actively working in Japan. And then a “brilliant” idea came to his mind: why not make a joke on Twitter about the Japanese tsunami? It all started with a post: “The Japanese are so cool that they don’t go to the beach, but the beach comes to them.” But Gottfried didn't stop there: he wrote 11 more tweets, each worse than the other. Aflac did not appreciate this approach to its clients and immediately fired the comedian. And since then, he hasn’t been invited to television again, but before this incident, Gottfried often appeared in famous evening shows.
Acquittal of the criminal
The man who was the first to gather a million subscribers there also got burned by Twitter. In 2011, actor Ashton Kutcher was experiencing... better times. His wife Demi Moore threatened with divorce, and users of his favorite social network brought down a barrage of criticism on the actor. The fact is that Ashton in his microblog stood up for the coach of the University of Pennsylvania football team, Joe Paterno, who was fired after 46 years successful work with students. It would seem that what’s wrong with Kutcher’s words? But the actor did not know that Paterno was harboring a pedophile at work: his assistant raped guys from the national team for many years, and the coach, who knew about everything, did not even think about stopping the series of crimes. Ashton Kutcher quickly apologized for jumping into the matter without preparation and decided to leave Twitter. This way he could not only save his reputation, but also get his wife back: Demi often complained that Ashton spent much more time on Twitter than with her. But Kutcher’s strong-willed decision did not save the family (and the reputation still remained tarnished).
Mixed up accounts
Fake news
But the PR director " Leroy Merlin“Galina Panina did not confuse the pages: she wrote a post on her own Facebook that outraged the public so much that the company had to fire the intemperate director. Panina shared with her friends and subscribers a story about how football fans, celebrating their team’s victory at one of the Moscow World Cup matches, burned a girl. Commentators quickly realized that the story was completely fake: a girl really burned in Novoperedelkino that night, but the fans had nothing to do with it - she didn’t want to live for a long time and set herself on fire. In addition, the girl worked at Leroy Merlin and could well have known Panina, so the author of the post was suspected of not just disseminating unverified information, but of deliberately planting it.
At this stage, the conflict could still be hushed up, but in the next post, the director said that she was “opening the cotton wool,” that is, removing people who insulted her. And the subscribers themselves were offended: the story (with the obligatory quote about “cotton wool”) immediately spread across the media and social networks, users suggested boycotting Leroy Merlin. The company had no choice but to fire the problematic employee.
Cynical jokes from ten years ago
It is unlikely that James Gunn, the director of the successful comic book Guardians of the Galaxy, could have imagined that in 2018 his career would be destroyed by tweets ten years ago. Even less did he imagine that these tweets would be presented to the public by Mike Cernovich, an outspoken American nationalist, Trump supporter, and renowned writer of fake news and conspiracy theories. It was he who came up with the so-called “Pizzagate” - a theory according to which the Clinton family and other high-ranking Democrats took children to the basement of a pizzeria and held orgies there. Oddly enough, this openly slanderous story found its listeners, one of whom even broke into the said pizzeria and opened fire in it. As a result of the intrigues of the conservatives, Clinton lost the election, and James Gunn lost his seat. And only Mike Cernovich, who openly opposes any manifestations of tolerance, remained the winner.
It must be admitted that James Gunn’s jokes on Twitter were really dirty and frankly provocative: in them, the director ironically justified pedophilia and sexual violence, and also made very rude remarks about people of a different nationality and sexual orientation. In his defense, Gunn openly admitted that he began his career as a provocateur - he tried to attract public attention with taboo statements (in the end he succeeded). Over the past 10 years, he has grown as a person and realized that themes of love and interaction resonate much more in the hearts of people and in his own soul. He began to openly support all minorities and tried to give joy to every person on Earth with his works. Gunn emphasized that his Twitter was from 2009-2011. should not be viewed as an absolute evil. It contains a lot of bad, absolutely not funny and unacceptable jokes from a person to whom all these topics were alien. He has long apologized for every anti-social tweet and now, many years later, he is doing it again.
The message turned out to be quite touching, but it did not penetrate the harsh American public. People who support Gunn primarily point to his gift as a director, as well as the reputation of those who brought charges against the director, but for now James Gunn remains unemployed.
Ridiculous post about opponents of the existing regime
Young “Miss Turkey 2017” Ytyr Esen also came across old posts. In June, three months before the main victory of her life, the girl published a very strange message. She wrote that now, during her period, she “bleeds in honor of the martyrs who bled a year ago.” On that day, Turkey celebrated the anniversary of the suppression of the military coup. The girl not only made an inappropriate comparison, but also mentioned the participants in the coup in a positive way.
In September, Ytyr was officially recognized as the most beautiful young Turkish woman. And while the girl was preparing to sign contract after contract, her page was checked by the organizers of the competition. It was then that a strange entry was found. The crown was taken away from Ytyr, citing the fact that Turkey cannot present to the whole world a person who is so incorrect in his remarks.
Use of prohibited words
The creator of several fashion projects, Miroslava Duma, and her friend, designer Ulyana Sergeenko, like millions of other people around the planet, were very fond of the work of Kanye West and Jay-Z. But they didn’t know that not everyone and not always can quote rappers.
In January 2018, Ulyana Sergeenko invited a friend to her fashion show. She signed the invitation with a quote from West and Jay-Z's favorite song: To my niggas in Paris. Girls sometimes called each other a forbidden word, as if counting themselves among those cool kids about whom their favorite musicians sing. But the cool guys themselves did not appreciate the girls’ innocent fun: after seeing the ill-fated invitation on Miroslava’s Instagram, they raised an international scandal: white people cannot use n-words in any form. They can’t call each other that, they can’t quote black musicians, they can’t make any comments. The girls were showered with far-fetched insults and even calls for violence. Western stars were called on to boycott Ulyana Sergeenko, Miroslava Duma lost her place in her own company. But one of the Russian accusers - model of Afro-Jamaican origin Naomi Campbell - public opinion forgives intentional insults and even fights. This is not for you to write on Twitter.
Quoting the same song almost ended in scandal for Oscar-winner Gwyneth Paltrow. She posted a photo on Twitter from Jay-Z's Paris show with the caption: "It's true, niggas are in Paris!" Gwyneth later explained that this was not an insult, but the name of the song, and everyone calmed down. Surprisingly, the same explanations in the mouths of Russian women seemed unconvincing to the American public. But now, six months after the scandal, everything is already looking up for the girls: Ulyana Sergeenko recently returned from Paris Fashion Week, and Miroslava Duma has launched a new ambitious project.
It's very easy to ruin any career—even easier than you think. One PR pro managed to do it with one mindless tweet. Many successful Sony employees have lost their jobs due to leaks in their private correspondence. An Atlanta police officer was fired after he shared sensitive information about his job (the hours he would work in plain clothes) on Facebook.
Of course, these kinds of gaffes are nothing new. For hundreds of years people have been making stupid, career-destroying mistakes, but now with the advent of social media it has become much easier.
But how can you avoid this in the digital age? Here I will list 5 really stupid ways/factors that can seriously harm your professional growth:
1. You forget that everything and everyone is connected.
First, remember the theory of six handshakes: you are connected to everyone on this planet through six people. (LinkedIn is founded on a very similar belief.) In any given area of business, even less so. Therefore, some stupid things and their consequences, such as dismissal without prior notice, quarrels or poor treatment of colleagues, will haunt you for a very long time. You never know who's one of yours old company I know your new manager.
And secondly, everyone is connected to the Internet. Don’t forget about the spicy photos from your vacation that you publish on your pages. It wouldn't be difficult for a professional hacker to hack your privacy settings. How about discussing your boss and clients on Twitter? Please note that they may be grounds for dismissal.
2. Too much personal life at work
This can happen in various forms. Most employers have already come to terms (even if they don't like it) with the fact that employees will occasionally check their phones or go on Facebook during the workday, but if you overdo it, then it's a surefire way to anger your boss. Additionally, if problems outside of work consistently result in tardiness, absenteeism, or lack of focus, you will be seen as a liability rather than an asset. Too many excuses, even if they are legitimate, can only confirm your incompetence. Work and personal life should go hand in hand, but if you have any major issues (like caring for a sick relative), talk to your manager or HR as soon as possible so they can understand the situation. One or two bad days won't ruin your career, but being unproductive for weeks and months sure will.
3. Lie
This, of course, goes without saying, but many people at work come up with little secrets that then snowball into huge lies. Many people begin to lie on their resumes, exaggerating their responsibilities or qualifications. We then move on to creative excuses about why we're late or taking too long to eat lunch. And don’t forget to come up with a reason why we can’t get to work on time... Instead of using lies, work on your mistakes to improve yourself. This will make you look much better in the long run.
4. Blaming others
If you spend all your time blaming others for your problems and not looking for ways to solve them, you risk making enemies among your colleagues (see #1). But humiliating others in order to elevate yourself is even worse. Instead of blaming others, you need to actively look for ways to solve the problem. It is better to be the one who solves these problem situations, rather than the one who creates them.
5. Untidy and disorganized
You may think that a dirty desk doesn't bother anyone but you, but that's not true. When your workplace is cluttered, you find it difficult to keep track of important things, which affects your quality of work as well as those around you. And when you're so disorganized that you forget about an appointment, show up late because you forgot your keys, and can't turn in a report on time because you simply misplaced it, it affects the entire team. Mastering the skills of time management and organization will not be difficult for you - all you need is a lot of desire and a little effort. Asking your manager or HR for help can have a positive impact on you because you are acknowledging the problem and working to resolve it.
To summarize, I want to say that the ability to control your emotions, the willingness to take responsibility and solve problems instead of blaming others, and to separate your work and personal life is best ways that will help you build a successful career.
What stupid mistakes have you seen (or made) at work that could seriously harm your career? Please share your thoughts in the comments below to help others avoid them.
Often people, having set themselves main task to make a career, they go straight ahead towards this goal, not noticing that they are making many mistakes. And thus, they delay the approach of their goal. And some mistakes can even throw you back almost to the start. And everything you did before will be in vain.
So, what mistakes can be critical in your career and significantly slow down the achievement of your goal?
Critical career mistakes
Overindulgence in books about motivation, personal growth, and self-improvement
A lot of such literature has been written, and it is indeed quite popular. From such books you can learn useful information, but many readers make the mistake of thinking that just reading books will make them more confident, motivated and driven. But just reading in itself is worth nothing if you do not put everything you read into practice.
It is much more useful to take the time to put the acquired knowledge into practice, rather than read another book “How to become a leader” while continuing to be a mediocre office worker in a not very successful company.
Striving to implement all the latest techniques
A common mistake people make: “I am modern man, therefore, must use all the latest methods of professional growth.” Again, now you can find a large amount of literature on the topic of how to become a real professional and correctly use your potential. We are not saying that such materials should be ignored. You can really find useful and up-to-date information in them.
However, there is no need to try to put everything into practice at once. After all, many methods are not universal, and for some people they simply are not suitable. Choose what suits you and what you like, and follow a certain technology.
The opinion that “I am the smartest and I myself know what I need to do” is one of the most common and most erroneous. Confidence in yourself and your actions is undoubtedly commendable. But paying attention to the advice of people more experienced in your business, and especially professionals, is very useful. And not only pay attention, but also try to implement their recommendations in practice as fully as possible.
Suspiciousness
There is no need to exaggerate the importance of other people's opinions. Remember that no matter what you do, no matter where you are and no matter what people you communicate with, there will always and everywhere be people who will criticize you. Even if your idea is truly amazing, you will find someone who will express their dissatisfaction or other negativity in your direction. Listen to criticism and take into account other people's opinions, but always defend your point of view.
Giving up after the first failure
Here you can recall many successful and now famous businessmen. Not all of them succeeded in doing what they had in mind the first time. But they did not give up and tried until they got the desired result. And that’s the only way they became wealthy and successful people. The phrase “every failure brings you one step closer to victory” is very hackneyed and no longer original, but nevertheless true.
Throwing from side to side
If you have set yourself the task of making a career and becoming a real professional, you must treat this as the most main goal In my life. You must understand that you may have to sacrifice many other aspects of your life in order to achieve success at work.
You must give priority career growth, pushing entertainment, relaxation, and your hobbies into the background. Perhaps communication with loved ones will have to be reduced a little. Yes, it's hard. But if you find the most optimal ratio of rest and work, when the first does not slow down the second, you will achieve your goal much faster.
"Pink glasses"
At the very beginning of your career path, it is important not to allow yourself to harbor illusions. Of course, by setting a great goal and having a great desire to achieve it, you will be able to overcome many obstacles along the way. But things may not turn out the way you dream.
In order not to develop constant depression and disappointment in yourself, learn to adequately perceive your failures. In some cases, it’s even worth reconsidering your goals and replacing them with more realistic and achievable ones.
Negative aspects of personality
Everyone is imperfect and everyone has qualities that prevent them from achieving their goals. This could be fear, envy, weakness in something, or the inability to control negative emotions. You must be in a constant battle with your “demons.”
Any negative characteristics of your personality can play a cruel joke on your desire to advance your career or create your own business.
Avoidance of responsibility
The ability to take responsibility and be responsible for all one’s actions is a characteristic of a person who strives to manage his life. If you constantly shift responsibility for your actions onto others - family, colleagues, partners, the state - you will never be able to be the master of the situation.
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