Five mistakes guaranteed to derail your career
John McKee
"I've had a successful career. I've outlasted a lot of people
who started at the same time I did. And, I make a lot of money. It
boils down to this - I succeed because I behave in a certain way.
Anyone else who wants to be successful only needs to follow my
example. Just do what I do."
The guy who said that was wrong. Simply copying his behavior
would have been exactly the wrong thing. I'll explain why in a
minute, but before that I want to share five approaches and tactics
that, if you're serious about your career, you need to avoid:
1. Always chasing the brass ring: Many execs,
and companies as well, are constantly looking for a big win. When
they find these "awesome opportunities" they throw resources at
them in the hope that this success will fix a lot of existing
mistakes and problems.
However, while going after the brass ring, they often starve
many of the smaller initiatives or operations which have been
plodding along successfully for a long time. As a result of lost
resources, these little successes consequently founder. They may
fail. When the big win doesn't materialize - and they usually don't
- the organization is left with less-effective pieces that can no
longer provide enough juice to continue. Adding to the loss:
Ultimately this approach of always going for the brass ring can
demoralize even the best performers.
2. Failing to spend time on the practice range:
When it comes to sports or new hobbies, nearly everyone understands
the importance of repeated practice to improve performance. But for
some reason, leaders often fail to practice on the job. They apply
new techniques, style changes, or business approaches without the
necessary testing. For some reason, many leaders think that all
they have to do is read or hear these new approaches and they can
they go out and put them into action. Consequently, they blow it.
At that point they may decide this new way is no good and abandon
it too soon.
New approaches - physical or mental - require practice. Accept
the idea that during your first few times of trying something new,
you're likely to stub your toe. Learn from your flub: What could
you have done differently for a successful outcome? Then try it
again. It'll come. Soon it will become a part of your management
style repertoire and your game will improve.
3. Failing to be tough-minded when it comes to people
issues: Intellectually, everyone knows that having the
right person in the right job is critical. And yet.
Many bosses will leave a weakling in a role for too long. They
often attempt to justify their lack of action ("Chuck's been with
us for years. Sarah's still learning," etc.), but regardless of
their reasons, this mistake can cause a lot of problems. Good
people will leave, or at the least, simply become less engaged. The
wrong person in the role may miss opportunities that another may
have seen, he / she may create more problems because they are in
over their head. Being soft isn't generous, or thoughtful, or kind
hearted. It's just dumb. I'm often told by the recently terminated
that they kind of knew, in their heart of hearts, that they should
have been more proactive.
4. Believing that behavior causes success: The
guy quoted above was showing signs of being superstitious, never a
good personality trait in an organization's leader. Like most
winners, in any game, he was successful because he did more of the
right things than he did of the dumb things. But he did do wrong
things too. Almost everybody does at certain times.
His delusion regarding his success kept him from constantly
upgrading himself, fixing his mistakes, and building on the really
good things he did. Like many corporate high-flyers, he flamed out,
crashed, and burned.
5. Being a constant fixer: Some people are
naturally predisposed toward helping people fix their problems. If
you're in trouble, you may welcome his or her stepping-in to help
correct your issue. But many times, you don't need that person to
come and tell you what to do. Then, their help is seen as
interference. And it can make you pretty cranky.
If someone is thinking aloud with you, resist the urge to jump
in. Don't interrupt them to provide "the answer." Let them process
it on their own - it will make them better and more
self-sufficient. And, as a bonus, you may actually learn
something.
On the other hand, when another individual comes to you with a
great idea, just tell them it is. That's all. Don't add anything.
Because by adding, "that's good, why don't you add this to it," you
devalue both their idea and their thinking. That's demoralizing and
frustrating. So, keep this in mind - for the most part people don't
like fixers. Just shut up, let them own it, and tell them they're
doing good stuff.
This article reprinted courtesy of
TechRepublic.
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