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10 Reasons Why Intelligent People Never Achieve Success

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emotional intelligence for success
Midjourney

A few decades ago, most people believed that there was a simple formula to success; the higher your IQ, the more successful you were. This turned out to be wrong. Further studies discovered numerous factors that predicted success, including willpower and emotional intelligence (EQ). These other factors are still under-emphasized to this day.

Here are 10 reasons why intelligent people underperform:

1. They Over-Analyze

Intelligence actually works as a stumbling block for social interactions. The smarter you are, the more capable you are to over-prepare and over-analyze. Dumb people actually have an advantage because they aren’t even aware of the consequences.

They just go in and talk to people. This lets them stay relaxed and confident, which improve their results. So how do you solve this? Take one piece of social skills advice at a time. Focus on just improving executing on it because it avoids information overwhelm.

“We are dying from overthinking. We are slowly killing ourselves by thinking about everything. Think. Think. Think. You can never trust the human mind anyway. It’s a death trap.” – Anthony Hopkins

2. They Rely Too Much On Intelligence

Many smart people end up using their intelligence as a crutch. They reason, “I will just get smarter rather than work on my weaknesses.” While it’s sometimes better to double down on your strengths, avoiding glaring weaknesses can keep you from improving.  

For example, you can end up never improving your social skills. This leads to severely off-putting lack of social intelligence that destroys earning opportunities. This is a mistake because no matter what job you have, you will be interacting with people.

3. They Have An Ego

Have you ever heard someone say a certain sport is the best just because they play it? Similarly, you can defend intelligence as the only key to success simply because it’s all you have. Yet many people are smart and not rich. How come?

Ego overpowers reality. Realize that other factors, like willpower, fitness, and EQ are worth improving. Find someone who is just like you. What advice you would give him? I did this with a man who clearly needed to go to the gym. It turns out I need to do the same.

4. They Put Theory Over Practice

Book smarts are great, but the real word is different. In the book Willpower Instinct, the author, a Stanford professor, discovered that her scientific theories didn’t always work in practice with students. Over time, she discovered factors that the scientific process hadn’t accounted for, which allowed her to shape her teachings better.

5. They’re Scared of Change

The world’s top CEOs have expressed the importance of embracing change. This includes Sam Walton, founder of Walmart, Jack Welch, CEO of GE, and Charles Koch, founder of Koch Industries.

Change is important because if you don’t keep innovating, your competitors will catch up with you. You always have to stay vigilant. Most of us grew up in a risk-averse culture. Rather than taking calculated risks that are worth it, they avoid all risks.

6. They Avoid Mistakes

The psychologist and world-famous TED speaker, Carol Dweck, wrote a book recommended by Bill Gates called Mindset: the Psychology of Success.

In the book, she discovered that unsuccessful people had something called a fixed mindset. These people believed that they could never improve and didn’t see mistakes as learning lessons. Do the opposite and you’ll start winning.

7. They Have an Entitlement Attitude

A top pattern I’ve seen among high achievers is that they never complain and never act like they deserve anything. They work for it. Among average people, the opposite is true. They feel entitled to all sorts of things from food to shelter to tuition.

Try to not complain about anything for 7 days. Ask yourself “How can I get this?” instead of just thinking, “I can’t get this.”

8. They’re Tempted By Too Many Goals

In the modern world, there are plenty of shiny objects to chase after. You can fear missing out on something if you have to focus on something else. But this is wrong.

Here’s a story to illustrate. Once upon a time, there was a donkey. He couldn’t decide whether to eat some hay or drink some water. He was stuck in the middle between them, paralyzed with what to do. He ended up starving to death.

If he had just focused on going to one first, he would have found that he had plenty of time later to go to the other one. You must do the same in life. Focus on one thing for a few years. You have decades to spend.

“To succeed in your mission, you must have single-minded devotion to your goal.” – A.P.J Abdul Kalam

9. They Lack Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

One of the key discoveries of the recent century was EQ. It doesn’t have to do with numbers and math. It’s about how well you can recognize the emotions of others (and yourself) to better navigate situations.

What’s great about EQ is that it is learnable, unlike IQ. Even to this day, EQ is swept under the rug. Most people don’t bother to improve it and fail to achieve their potential in the areas EQ impacts, like wealth and relationships.

10. They Lack Social Intelligence

Similar to EQ, social intelligence is about effectively navigating social interactions and conversation. IQ is still over-emphasized in the modern world and social intelligence is just acknowledged as something that is there, which can’t be improved.

But the opposite is true. Social intelligence is critical to most of our lives. We are navigating with people all the time. This doesn’t mean that you have to become an extrovert. There are socially skilled introverts as well as shy extroverts.

You can improve it. Put yourself in more social situations in your career or free time. Join an improv class or get a job with more social interactions, like a salesman or waiter. Reflect on how you could have done better everyday and you will improve over time.

Which one of these are you currently guilty of? How are you going to improve it? Leave your thoughts below!
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Success Advice

Why One-Size-Fits-All Leadership Will Always Fail (and What Works Instead)

The surprising truth about leadership styles that can make or break your team’s success.

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Why one-size-fits-all leadership doesn’t work
Image Credit: Midjourney

Leadership has always been as much about people as it is about performance. Ken Blanchard, in his influential book, “The One Minute Manager”, put it simply: different strokes for different folks. (more…)

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What Every New CEO Must Do in Their First 100 Days (or Risk Failure)

Your first 100 days as CEO could define your entire legacy, here’s how to make every move count

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When Tim Cook took over from Steve Jobs at Apple, the world watched with bated breath. Jobs wasn’t just a CEO; he was a visionary, an icon, and a legend of innovative leadership. (more…)

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Entrepreneurs

The Leadership Shift Every Company Needs in 2025

Struggling to keep your team engaged? Here’s how leaders can turn frustrated employees into loyal advocates.

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Bridging the gap between employees and employers
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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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Entrepreneurs

What Makes an Entrepreneurial Leader? Traits of the World’s Best Innovators

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