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Success Advice

Selfishness In Your Career Is Causing You To Lose In The Long-term.

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In my career recently, I dealt with someone who blocked me from doing what I love. They chose selfishness over an abundance mindset when it came to decision of helping me or not.

Right now, it feels like the short game works.

You perform an act of selfishness in your career and you think to yourself “Hey I just won.”

You feel like you’ve won… temporarily.

Then you go on a holiday for a while, come back to your career and realize that everything has changed. Your act of selfishness secretly got noticed behind the scenes causing your appearance of being a leader to be shattered into a thousand pieces.

A restructure hits while you’re away and you realize that all your supporters are gone. Then, all you’re left with is your reputation.

That reputation means nothing when you’re known for being selfish.

The trouble with all of this?

You never find out.

“This hidden disease that you’ve planted yourself in your career attacks at the very foundations of your career health while you think you’ve won”

Selfishness has a bitter aftertaste. Selfishness is always discovered whether you like it or not.

You have a choice.

The choice is to try and protect everything you have and build your own empire within the context of your career or do what I have religiously done: stop giving a f*ck and give whatever you can, whenever you can.

People remember kindness.

People remember who helped them in their career.

People give opportunities to those who are not selfish.

“The selfish ones end up marching behind an army of the blind thinking negative thoughts and blaming “The Company” for their misfortunes”

You’re responsible for your misfortunes and they grow from your own selfishness.

Your grand plans for your career are stupid if they come about from a position of selfishness and personal gain. Choose kindness instead.

Once you burn your current career, this happens.

You come back from your holiday and realize you need to move on. You contact the customers you think are your allies and realize they’re not feeling very generous.

The opportunities you thought you had as a fall-back in case someone discovered the true selfish person that you are don’t exist.

The real world doesn’t acknowledge or bend over backwards for those who demonstrate selfishness on a regular basis.

The long game is where it’s at ladies and gentlemen.

What is the long game you ask? Simple. Don’t be selfish in your career. What does that look like? See below:

–    Help people step up into your role while you are away on holidays, maternity / paternity leave

–    Breed more leaders if that’s what you call yourself

–    Do random acts of kindness to help people in their career when there’s no reason to

–    Put your own self-interests to one side when dealing with customers

–    Quit thinking with a “protect my own fortress” mindset – it’s killing your success

–    Be humble, grateful and caring towards everyone you work with – even if you dislike them

The long game is about demonstrating that you can be the kind of person that is trusted and unwavering in the human pursuit of success, and the people you work with.

When your colleagues win, you win too – that’s how you have to start thinking.

This Silicon Valley Mindset of “I have to beat everyone I work with” and “We’re all in competition with each other” is total BS.

“Collaboration trumps silo work and selfishness every day of the week”

Wake up and take a look at the entrepreneurs you admire like Elon Musk, Richard Branson and Tony Robbins. Do they do everything themselves or collaborate like crazy?

You already know the answer.

Does Gary Vee sit around doing everything himself and taking all the credit? Not a chance. He promotes his creative colleagues Babin and D-Rock and makes them the star of his content.

Selfishness is always going to surround you.

And that’s why if you do the opposite and show love and kindness in your career, then you’ll become the 1% that succeed, live with passion, and go on to be CEOs and Founders.

Be the difference you want to see in your career.

Throw selfishness out with the bath water and join the abundance economy where it’s all about focusing on the long game.

If you want to increase your productivity and learn some more valuable life hacks, then join my private mailing list on timdenning.net

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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
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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