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Overcome These Mindset Challenges to Experience Surreal Growth and Success

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As you put in the work to create success, you will experience moments of pure excitement. You set a goal and worked to achieve it. When you do, that’s cause for celebration. You share your wins and accomplishments with family, friends, and those on social media. People cheer for you.

During all the time you’re not with anyone, a lot is going on behind the scenes. Especially in your mind. It’s easy to come off a high and experience your emotions plummeting as darker thoughts try to creep in. 

You try to be authentic with what you share publicly, but you’re a human being that deals with all those complexities. There are things you may be ashamed and embarrassed to admit to anyone other than those closest to you. 

You want the world to see you as a take-on-the-world-without-blinking sort of leader. However, there are things you struggle with but wish you didn’t. If you’re going to create surreal growth in your life, it’s time to get honest about what could hold you back. Clarity is power, and one of the keys to continuing your development. 

Here are some mindset challenges you’ll need to overcome if you want to become the best version of yourself. 

1. Envy of success

You’ve had some cool wins that should make you cheer when you see others experience the exhilaration of success. Sometimes you do, but too often, you don’t celebrate the success of others. You can’t let crazy thoughts run wild through your mind. You spend too much time wondering what that person did to get the win. You wonder why more people didn’t “like” your status or retweet when you shared your good news. 

You think twice before sharing their win because you don’t remember them liking or sharing yours. Envy has a pattern of laying dark roots in your mind. Life would be fantastic if lots of cool things happened to you, but sometimes good things take time to develop. Don’t give envy a place in your mind. Don’t get discouraged or give up because the world is not cheering. When your fellow human being receives a win, celebrate because life is hard for all.

“Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.” – Benjamin Franklin

2. A quick temper

Learning to relax and getting there quicker is a requirement to live a fulfilled life. But life and growth are messy. You yell at times, pout, and walk out of rooms to make your point. You have temporary moments of insanity where you forget how much goodness is in your life. When you want to give in to your moments of mental challenge, don’t. Take the necessary seconds to breathe deeply. Open your eyes and smile. 

3. Impulse control struggles

You want what you want, and you often want it now. You see new technology, smell food, get an email about book deals, and want to buy. It can feel harder to wait, but if every person always got what they wanted, life would fall apart as you lived the life of a spoiled child. It takes time but exercising impulse control teaches you patience and life lessons. Your goal should be small daily victories, and impulse control is a necessary daily win. 

4. Persistent self-limiting beliefs

Despite experiencing success, you still struggle with various life moments. The ties to your old self still linger, and haters are quick to point out your past. Every day, you battle self-limiting beliefs, and they tend to occupy too much of your headspace. To grow, you have to get better and believe in what you can accomplish with consistent action. 

Self-limiting beliefs are challenges that we all struggle with in some form. They will always be in the back of our minds trying to convince us to stay complacent. Life is too short. Talk it out and pursue success no matter what they try to tell you. 

“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” – Winston Churchill

5. Not experiencing full presence

You miss moments in your life and the life of those you love. You tell yourself it’s a necessary sacrifice. Our healthy relationships deserve all of what we can give, not what’s left after a hundred other things have gotten our attention.

We have to be there and not just in physical presence. We have to listen and understand that being fully present is a victorious virtue. We have to focus on every moment and tune out the shiny objects that pull on our attention. Success requires full presence and living each moment.

Earning a living is hard. Maintaining healthy habits is harder. Not fighting seems impossible. Getting distracted and losing focus happens. There are too many ways to lose belief and become derailed from your success journey. To make progress, you have to learn to keep your eyes and mind on what’s important right now. You have to take this journey one step at a time. You’re not perfect, and neither is anyone else — that’s okay. Do your best and work on improving every day. 

She is a consultant, podcaster, and speaker. She helps entrepreneurs and businesses build trust, increase visibility, and drive brand awareness through podcasts and other digital media.

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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
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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

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
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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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