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5 Ways You’re Subconsciously Sabotaging Your Online Success

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online success

You’re an entrepreneur with big dreams and goals.  You work long hours and most weekends but despite all the effort and hustle, you’re struggling to hit 4 figures let alone 5 figures in income.  

The way you see it, you’re doing everything right. You’re a consistent blogger, you network, you’ve read heaps of business and marketing books and taken online classes. So what’s up? Why isn’t your inbox overflowing with enquiries from people eager to work with you?

Here are 5 sneaky ways you may be subconsciously sabotaging your online success:

1. Your email signature is not quite right

You use an email signature because you want to look professional and trustworthy.  But you’ve forgotten to include your contact information. In fact, not only have you neglected to include contact details, your email signature consists of only your name and logo. No website link. No link to your latest blog post and no link to your social media accounts.

Make sure your email signature includes the following:

  • Your first and last name
  • Your company name and website URL
  • Your company logo
  • Your contact details
  • Links to your social media accounts
  • Link to your latest blog post

2. You neglect to include share buttons

As someone who has to regularly curate content for my clients, I find nothing more irritating than coming to the end of a great post and not finding share buttons. I know I’m not alone on this.

Here’s the thing, chances are you’ve slaved over your blog posts to make sure your ideal audience will find your content original, educational and useful. So why not make it easy for readers to spread the love? Including social share buttons increases the likelihood of getting fresh eyeballs on your content.

Here’s what you can do:

  • Include social media share buttons in your posts
  • Try out Social Warfare or SumoMe if you’re on WordPress.  

“Content is king, but marketing is queen, and runs the household.” – Gary Vaynerchuk 

3. You don’t use images

Text is only one part of a great blog.  Just like an enticing headline is vital to a blog post’s success, so are images.  Every post should include a featured image.  This image is the one that will appear at the top of the post and on social media when it gets shared.  

Use an easy-to-use tool like Canva (there is a free version) to create eye-catching images.  

Here’s what you can do:

  • Include at least one image in every blog post
  • Include your post’s headline in the image

4. You’re hiding in the crowd

Successful people don’t blend in with the crowd.  They stand out.  If you’re staying small and safe by offering up more of the same (content, products, features) then you’re not going to rise above your competitors.  To stand out, dare to be different.

Doug Pick’s, founder and president of Hearos Earplugs, formula for success is to see where the masses are headed and go the other way. He asked himself:  “If the trend is to go downstream, what if I go upstream?”

This of course, demands real effort and vision on your part.  It means considering all possibilities and looking for gaps in the market.

Here’s what you can do:

  • Refuse to blend in.
  • Be authentic.
  • Share your own perspective.
  • Adopt a contrarian mindset.

“As an actor, I think sort of relish the chance to take a leap and sort of put yourself out there…you just have to be willing to embarrass yourself, because otherwise you are not going to really reveal anything that you have. So I think it’s exciting.” – Daniel Radcliffe

5. You’re not building a community

The surest way to build trust and likeability online is to develop an online community.  You should be doing this on social media. Focus on growing those channels where your target audience hangs out.  For example if your ideal client is mostly on Facebook and Twitter then make sure you are active in both.  

Building an online community will do two things for your brand: Help nurture relationships with your audience and differentiate you from your competitors. Invest a minimum of thirty minutes a day to create and share content that will delight your audience and spark discussion.  

Here’s what you can do:

  • Be consistent with your posts.
  • Respond to messages and comments.
  • Follow back and engage.

Take a closer look at your email, blog and social media and see where you can implement these points to improve your chances of success.

Which one of these tips are you going to focus more on today? Leave your thoughts below!

Image courtesy of Twenty20.com

Yolanda McAdam is a social media and online marketing strategist and experienced business coach. She helps small business owners attract a consistent flow of ideal clients and buyers and grow their businesses with the help of social media and BS-free strategies, processes, and tools.

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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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Success Advice

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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leadership tips for new CEO
Image Credit: Midjourney

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
Image Credit: Midjourney

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

Inside the mindset of entrepreneurial leaders who transform risk, passion, and vision into world-changing results.

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entrepreneurial leadership skills and traits
Image Credit: Midjourney

When you think of Richard Branson (Virgin Group), Bill Gates (Microsoft), Steve Jobs (Apple), Rupert Murdoch (News Corporation), and Ted Turner (CNN), one thing becomes clear: they are not just entrepreneurs, they are entrepreneurial leaders. (more…)

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