Download PDF

9 Habits That Don’t Lead to Success

1 Star2 Stars3 Stars4 Stars5 Stars (No Ratings Yet)
Loading...
Post Views 109

choices

Summary: Our habits and decisions will affect the level of success we can achieve.

Poor decision making is something that will hold you back from succeeding in your life and work. There are nine factors that directly relate to one’s ability to make good decisions that will help foster short- and long-term success. Don’t let these nine habits tear you down and keep you from achieving great things.

  1. Indecisiveness

There are times when making a decision may be difficult because of the complexity of the situation. Despite this, decisions must be made in order to move forward. Lay out the options and possible consequences, it will be easier to see which decision to make. This process should be done even when the situation does not feel like there is any risk because often times there may still be something that can go wrong.

  1. Laziness

Laziness can appear in a variety of areas in an employee. They may fail to check facts, confirm assumptions, take initiative, or gather needed input. Employees that do these things will be perceived as sloppy and unwilling to put in greater effort. Instead, they rely on their past experience to produce the same results.

  1. Lack of communication

Even a good decision can turn out to be a bad one if proper communication is not made to those involved. Those involved may not understand the decision or even know about it. Successful people know how to communicate with others and deliver rationale explanations to them of the decision made.

  1. Unpreparedness

While it may be discouraging to consider the things that can go wrong in your life and career, failing to prepare for them leaves you exposed. While no one hopes for the worst, the worst can happen so it is smart to have a plan to address problems. Someone that can prepare for problems will be successful because they are able to problem solve.

  1. Over-dependence

Sometimes we fail to make a decision because we are waiting on someone else to make a decision and that person is waiting on someone else. If someone in that line of persons is indecisive, then everyone is affected. Letting yourself get held up by another person can put your work in jeopardy of missing deadlines.

  1. Isolation

Decision making cannot be done alone. Making a decision involves others, especially if you want it to be the right decision for the circumstance. Other people can bring you more information, expertise, and experience, which will help you find the right solution to the problem. It is amazing what doors can be opened by involving others in finding a solution. Someone unwilling to work with others and concerned about sharing credit with another will not become successful.

  1. Focused on the past

Sometimes we make decisions because it worked in the past or is a habit. While this may work at times, the situation can change, requiring a new solution or mindset. Relying on an old process does not lead to success. Technology, people, culture, etc. are constantly changing and a successful person is changing with it.

  1. No strategic connection

Bad decisions can be the result of a failure to connect the problem with the overall goal. The absence of a clear plan will make it hard for solutions to make sense. When a plan has a clear, tightly woven strategy, solutions will begin to appear.

  1. Lack of technical knowledge

When trying to make a decision, having a lack of understanding of the technicalities will make it harder to make a decision and easier to make the wrong one. When you lack a technical understanding, you are relying on others to make decisions for you. If you want to succeed at what you do, you will need to know the business. There must be at least a basic understanding of all levels of your work. Only then will you be able to make the right decision for your work.

What habit do you think most keeps people from success? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

To learn more about what successful people do, read these articles:

Photo: pixabay.com

9 Habits That Don’t Lead to Success by
Authored by: Amanda Griffin