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Success Advice

10 Common Mistakes That Successful People Never Make

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Midjourney

Do you ever feel exhausted by your efforts to be successful? Everyone’s idea of success differs, but one theme always remains constant – it’s hard freaking work. One day you’re riding the winds of inspiration and the next day, your stomach is in knots as you swallow the hard pill of defeat.

You’re doing everything right, but something’s wrong with the equation. Most days, you feel like you’re just spinning your wheels without getting any traction at all. You know the climb to the top is tough. So do you feel like every time you take three steps forward, it’s followed by a big slide backward?

Surely keeping the pedal to the metal will get you there in the end, right? Not always. Even if you’ve nailed all the big success-driving habits, it’s the little things you don’t get right that will eat away at your efforts, deplete your energy and trap you in a vicious cycle of defeat.

Watch the video below to look at the 10 common mistakes you could be making:

1. Treating every task as equal

The 80/20 rule is the all-powerful master of productivity. It means that 20% of your activities will account for 80% of your results. When applied to your goal-setting each day, you’ll find that two of your top ten tasks will have more worth than the remaining eight put together. By ignoring this rule and expending too much effort on the less fruitful tasks, you’re never going to maximise your potential.

2. Saying yes to everybody

You’re everybody’s go-to person. You know your game, and you get stuff done. But operating without boundaries distracts you from your goals. Be objective with every request, and compare it to your goals and priorities. If there’s no correlation, say no.

“The distance between insanity and genius is measured only by success.” – Bruce Feirstein

3. Not letting go of the details

Micromanaging your employees or freelancers not only zaps time and energy that’s better directed toward more worthwhile tasks, but it annoys people. And annoyed people never perform their best. Trust in your initial decision to appoint them to do the job in the first place. Allow them some autonomy and free yourself from the burden of detail.

4. Burning out before reaching the finish line

Pounding the pavement every day, even when you’re tired, has got to be good for you, right? No. Physical burnout is a real threat to achieving your goals. Ignoring your body and pushing it physically will only set you on the road to burnout. Try adding rest days into your schedule and mix gentle, low-intensity exercise into your regime to protect yourself from burnout. Success takes time, and sustainable activity levels are essential to maintaining the energy needed to propel you to the finish line.

5. Being too busy for anything new

You plan to enroll in a course to upskill yourself…one day. For now though, your days are just too busy to sit for days in a seminar. But, do you ever think “I already know that” or “that doesn’t apply to me”? Truly successful people don’t. They have growth mindsets and live every day with open minds, looking for ways to do things differently, expand their horizons and grow.

6. Building barriers instead of alternatives

Do you catch yourself saying “I can’t” and “that’s impossible”? These self-limiting phrases build mental barriers to your success. Even worse, others perceive them as pessimistic and unconstructive. When you encounter a difficult situation, focus your energy on finding ways to get around it. Retrain your brain by thinking of alternatives and use phrases such as “what I can do is . . .” and “let’s try this instead . . .”

7. Chasing vague goals

Success-driven goals are laser-focused, specific and measurable. Vague goals are impossible to achieve, so they’ll do nothing but erode your self-confidence and motivation. Avoid procrastination by planning your goals. Break them into steps and put them in order of priority. Apply the 80/20 rule and start with your most valuable tasks.

“If you want to achieve excellence, you can get there today. As of this second, quit doing less-than-excellent work.” – Thomas J. Watson

8. Getting sucked into negative space

We all know one of them. That person who drains your energy every time you encounter them. The passive ones quietly sabotage your productivity. The aggressive ones that slash your motivation to pieces. But beware, because they’ll take you down with them. Avoid their negative force-field by limiting meetings, using email instead of the phone and politely declining the “catch-up” they need, but you don’t.

9. Playing the blame game

Nobody is perfect. Even the pros make mistakes. The difference is that they understand the richness that can be found in failure and focus on learning from their mistakes. Failure rewires the brain to avoid the same situation next time. Open your mind to the role you have played in anything that goes wrong and look for the silver lining; it’s always there.

10. Making tomorrow the busiest day of the week

It’s that day of the week with everything in it. All the tasks you couldn’t fit into today. The less attractive actions you need to take to overcome an obstacle. The big things that need more time to do. Realize that putting off action until tomorrow only pushes your success another day further away. The best day to start is today. Even if you only take a small step, it’s still one step closer to your goal. Fix these mistakes and clear your path to success.

Did you find yourself nodding in recognition of familiar behaviors? Or perhaps you started chewing your fingernails in unconscious panic. Don’t worry – it’s not all over.

Now that you’re aware of errors you’ve been making, you’re a huge step ahead of where you were moments ago. Now that you’re aware of the little things that have been holding you back, you’re in the power seat, holding the keys to positive change.

What mistakes are you currently making today and what are you going to do about them? Leave your thoughts below!
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In workplaces around the world, there’s a growing gap between employers and employees and between superiors and their teams. It’s a common refrain: “People don’t leave companies, they leave bad bosses.”

While there are, of course, cases where management could do better, this isn’t just a “bad boss” problem. The relationship between leaders and employees is complex. Instead of assigning blame, we should explore practical solutions to build stronger, healthier workplaces where everyone thrives.

Why This Gap Exists

Every workplace needs someone to guide, supervise, and provide feedback. That’s essential for productivity and performance. But because there are usually far more employees than managers, dissatisfaction, fair or not, spreads quickly.

What if, instead of focusing on blame, we focused on building trust, empathy, and communication? This is where modern leadership and human-centered management can make a difference.

Tools and Techniques to Bridge the Gap

Here are proven strategies leaders and employees can use to foster stronger relationships and create a workplace where people actually want to stay.

1. Practice Mutual Empathy

Both managers and employees need to recognize they are ultimately on the same team. Leaders have to balance people and performance, and often face intense pressure to hit targets. Employees who understand this reality are more likely to cooperate and problem-solve collaboratively.

2. Maintain Professional Boundaries

Superiors should separate personal issues from professional decision-making. Consistency, fairness, and integrity build trust, and trust is the foundation of a motivated team.

3. Follow the Golden Rule

Treat people how you would like to be treated. This simple principle encourages compassion and respect, two qualities every effective leader must demonstrate.

4. Avoid Micromanagement

Micromanaging stifles creativity and damages morale. Great leaders see themselves as partners, not just bosses, and treat their teams as collaborators working toward a shared goal.

5. Empower Employees to Grow

Empowerment means giving employees responsibility that matches their capacity, and then trusting them to deliver. Encourage them to take calculated risks, learn from mistakes, and problem-solve independently. If something goes wrong, turn it into a learning opportunity, not a reprimand.

6. Communicate in All Directions

Communication shouldn’t just be top-down. Invite feedback, create open channels for suggestions, and genuinely listen to what your people have to say. Healthy upward communication closes gaps before they become conflicts.

7. Overcome Insecurities

Many leaders secretly fear being outshone by younger, more tech-savvy employees. Instead of resisting, embrace the chance to learn from them. Humility earns respect and helps the team innovate faster.

8. Invest in Coaching and Mentorship

True leaders grow other leaders. Provide mentorship, career guidance, and stretch opportunities so employees can develop new skills. Leadership is learned through experience, but guided experience is even more powerful.

9. Eliminate Favoritism

Avoid cliques and office politics. Decisions should be based on facts and fairness, not gossip. Objective, transparent decision-making builds credibility.

10. Recognize Efforts Promptly

Recognition often matters more than rewards. Publicly appreciate employees’ contributions and do so consistently and fairly. A timely “thank you” can be more motivating than a quarterly bonus.

11. Conduct Thoughtful Exit Interviews

When employees leave, treat it as an opportunity to learn. Keep interviews confidential and use the insights to improve management practices and culture.

12. Provide Leadership Development

Train managers to lead, not just supervise. Leadership development programs help shift mindsets from “command and control” to “coach and empower.” This transformation has a direct impact on morale and retention.

13. Adopt Soft Leadership Principles

Today’s workforce, largely millennials and Gen Z, value collaboration over hierarchy. Soft leadership focuses on partnership, mutual respect, and shared purpose, rather than rigid top-down control.

The Bigger Picture: HR’s Role

Mercer’s global research highlights five key priorities for organizations:

  • Build diverse talent pipelines

  • Embrace flexible work models

  • Design compelling career paths

  • Simplify HR processes

  • Redefine the value HR brings

The challenge? Employers and employees often view these priorities differently. Bridging that perception gap is just as important as bridging the relational gap between leaders and staff.

Treat Employees Like Associates, Not Just Staff

When you treat employees like partners, they bring their best selves to work. HR leaders must develop strategies to keep talent engaged, empowered, and prepared for the future.

Organizational success starts with people, always. Build the relationship with your team first, and the results will follow.

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