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Success Advice

The 5 Simple Ingredients to Ultimate Lifelong Success

Success is the sweetest word that excites all of us. But not everyone can reach it

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Success is the sweetest word that excites all of us. But not everyone can reach it.  Only a few can.  Why is it so?  Is there a magic wand for successful people?

Success is the confluence of several ingredients such as passion, vision, mission, execution, and feedback. Whenever you want to achieve something in your life, you must know what you love the most.

1. Passion

Don’t ape other successful people blindly as it ends up in a fiasco.  What clicks others may not click you.  What is required is to find out what touches your heart the most.  

What are the areas of interest that drive you and give you a kick for moving ahead?  Most of the people successful in the world are passionate about what they do.  

They did what excited them.  They did what brought joy while doing.  They tapped their inner talents.  They discovered their hidden strengths.  They carried forward their raw abilities ruthlessly.

2. Vision

The second successive ingredient for success is vision.  It tells you where to go in your life.  It reminds you of your present status in life.  It directs you in a specific direction based on your passion.  

Most successful people are visionaries. They know what they want and where they want to go in their lives.  They set their directions properly and move ahead successfully.  Succinctly, it is like placing the ladder on the right side of the wall.

“The key that unlocks energy is desire. It’s also the key to a long and interesting life. If we expect to create any drive, any real force within ourselves, we have to get excited.” —Earl Nightingale

3. Mission

The third ingredient for achieving success is mission.  It tells you how to go.  Once the direction has been set, the mission unveils the methods, tools, and techniques involved in following a specific direction.  

It reminds you of the resources that are essential for following your path to success. It is during this journey that constant efforts and energies are essential to move towards success. 

It is necessary to equip the skills and abilities for achieving.  In brief, it is like climbing the ladder. 

4. Execution

The fourth ingredient toward success is execution.  It is the toughest task.  It is easier said than done.  There will be several practical bottlenecks that hinder the path to success.  

There are both internal and external forces and factors that contribute to execution.  The internal factors can be easily managed as things are very much within human control. Self-discipline, self-motivation, hard work, perseverance, determination, and grit will play a crucial role.  

The external environmental factors which are beyond human control may disturb the path to success. A few call these fate.  Few call the same as luck.  It can either make you or break you as a successful person.  

People who have high internal locus of control don’t believe in destiny.  These people strongly feel that their destiny is in their hands.  They try to control the external environment as far as possible.  

If they are not able to manage and face setbacks during the process, they pursue their execution with more energy and enthusiasm.  

The difference between successful and unsuccessful people is effective execution. It will tip the scale toward success.

5. Feedback

The last ingredient for achieving success is taking feedback.  It is a review process where in you look at how far you reached your goals and objectives.  If you failed to reach why did you fail?  

How to overcome the failures and what remedial measures can be taken to pursue the path towards success.  Feedback helps in aligning your efforts effectively towards your goals and objectives.  

Confucius aptly put it, “When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don’t adjust the goals, adjust the action steps.” 

Soar Like an Eagle

Ralph Marston said “Don’t lower your expectations to meet your performance. Raise your level of performance to meet your expectations. Expect the best of yourself, and then do what is necessary to make it a reality.”

The road to success is not a cakewalk.  It requires a lot of struggles and sacrifices.  To sum up, you need to be passionate about whatever you undertake.  You have to set out your goals and objectives which becomes vision.  

You set out a clear path or roadmap toward your success and that is known as a mission.  Mere words won’t pay you but deeds play a crucial role in ensuring success which is execution. 

Finally, it is equally necessary to take stock of the situation periodically for remedial and corrective action which is known as feedback.  

When all these ingredients are effectively integrated success would touch your toes.  

Professor M.S. Rao, Ph. D., is a 21st-century Philosopher and the Father of “Soft Leadership.” He is an International Leadership Guru and the Founder of MSR Leadership Consultants, India. He has forty-four years of diversified experience, including military, and is the author of fifty-four books, including the award-winning See the Light in You.

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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
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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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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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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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