Success Advice
How to Stay Focused on Your Goals and Succeed When Times Are Tough
It’s important to realize that your career or business venture is unlikely to have any kind of linear pathway.

I may not have a crystal ball, but I can tell you one thing for certain: The economy never stays the same. As a mentor once explained, within any 10-year span, two years will be amazing, two years will be awful, and the rest of the years will be “meh.” In other words, you don’t have to feel overwhelmed when you read about stagflation, inflation, or an uneven job market.
Of course, you probably will. After all, you’re human and you’re ambitious. You want to achieve your career goals. However, you have to face the fact that you can’t control downturns.
There’s a bright side here, though. You have plenty of things you can influence even while the world is adjusting to a new norm. One of the biggest things is you.
Control What You Can Control — Leave the Rest on the Backburner
I’ve been in this situation before. In 2005, my employer told me we’d need to let go of members of our team. Not because we weren’t talented; it was a necessary evil of the business cycle in the financial industry.
As a professional early in my career, my first instinct was dread and uncertainty. Fortunately, my second instinct was to reframe the uncertainty and risk before me to chart a new path. After reflection, I saw it as an opportunity to explore what was best and next in my future, and it ultimately evolved into a start-up.
In 2008, I ran into another predicament which could have been seen as an obstacle. I had hit the ceiling and felt I was stuck in a situation with limited growth potential. I decided that I would be creative (and a little bold) and offer my skills differently. I floated the idea of collaborating with the technology team to innovate something new for the company.
My gamble paid off. I had the chance to deepen my value because I tweaked my own thinking rather than staying steeped in worrying about my limitations.
Often, we get caught up in the negativity of moments. I credit the positivity of my parents for enabling me to stand up in the face of career challenges. Don’t get me wrong: It was stressful. Yet it showed me that I had the power to create the right path forward for myself. You have that power, too.
Forging Ahead When the Economic Waters Are Turbulent
It’s important to realize that your career or business venture is unlikely to have any kind of linear pathway, especially in our modern global economy. It’s more apt to go up and down in the long term over and over again.
The sooner you accept that, the easier it will be to adapt when you’re heading south instead of north.
This is really all about naming your fear (of failure or uncertainty) and asking yourself “How will I get where I want to go?” Once it’s named, it doesn’t have the same hold over you. Instead, it floats “out there” and frees you from its grip. At that point, you can take steps to define what you do know and strive for your desired future, always guided by four principles.
The first principle…grit. With grit, you dig down and persevere. With grit and determination, you’re able to move mountains. Angela Duckworth is the world’s leading expert on “grit,” the much-hyped ingredient in personal success. As Duckworth defines it, grit is passion and sustained persistence applied toward long-term achievement, with no particular concern for rewards or recognition along the way. It’s the ingredient needed for your 1-, 3-, 5-, and 10-year (and beyond) ambitions.
The second principle is resilience. I liken resilience to non-stick Teflon. Resilience allows you to shake off your fears and worries and bounce back from things that don’t go as you’d hoped.
Of course, having courage, which is the third principle, is critical. Courage gives you the strength to take action in the face of unknown, or known, risks.
As Dan Sullivan of Strategic Coach®, a leader within the entrepreneurial space, states: “Courage isn’t the absence of fear. It’s being afraid, acknowledging your fear, and pushing ahead toward your goal anyway, knowing that along the way, you’ll gain the necessary capabilities to achieve your goal, which will result in greater overall confidence.”
Fourth up is curiosity. I credit my quirky curiosity for what’s gotten me to where I am today. When you’re curious, you’re always open to learning, growing, and discovery. And then using newfound knowledge and experience to propel yourself forward.
Once you’ve set your mindset for grit, resilience, courage, and curiosity, you are ready to build momentum. While you’re navigating the economy and uncovering possibilities, keep the following truisms in mind. They’ll bolster your spirits and keep you from backsliding too often. (It’s okay to backslide a little. I sure did and we all do. It’s understandable. Just remember to pick yourself back up and keep on keeping on.)
“Resilience is accepting your new reality, even if it’s less good than the one you had before. You can fight it, you can do nothing but scream about what you’ve lost, or you can accept that and try to put together something that’s good.” — Elizabeth Edwards
1. The worst thing anyone can tell you is “no.”
My dad shared this advice with me a long time ago. Now, I’m passing it along to you. Never allow yourself to hold back just because you could hear “no.” Certainly, it doesn’t feel good when someone turns you down, but it’s just part of the normal process of business. It’s not easy when clients or bosses say “no,” but there are always others that want to work or collaborate with you. You must always believe in yourself and that it’s just a matter of finding the right people.
2. Positivity is a gift you can give yourself.
If you’ve tuned into this article, you may be feeling impatient and driven. Those traits can be assets — or liabilities. Temper your desire to make everything happen immediately by staying positive and focused on your goals. Yes, you’ll be experiencing emotions (frustration, disappointment), but don’t get into a cycle of toxic thinking. Tell yourself that no matter what, things will work out, if only just one step at a time. Possibilities are ahead. You simply need to rely on those four above-mentioned principles to get started on getting from here to there.
3. Opportunities are often hidden in plain sight.
Feel like you’re just never going to be able to share your talents or live your passions? Maybe you’re just not identifying career or partnering opportunities. For instance, I recently met a woman who helps underprivileged women get their education in Costa Rica. I was riveted by her goals and got in touch to find out if I could help her. I don’t know how exactly, but I’m hopeful that this becomes an opportunity for us both. In other words, I’m open to what tomorrow could bring without feeling the need to know exactly what that might be.
It’s not easy to have big career dreams at a time when the economy isn’t playing nice. Nevertheless, if you stay focused, optimistic, and determined, you’ll be able to get to the next logical place in your career journey.
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.

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…)
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

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…)
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.

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:
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Build diverse talent pipelines
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Embrace flexible work models
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Design compelling career paths
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Simplify HR processes
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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.
Entrepreneurs
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