Beware of Stealth-like Success Saboteurs

A crucial element of management involves a complex mixture of self-awareness and an understanding of group dynamics, and  you have to be  alert to hidden saboteurs that can derail the development  journey. These success saboteurs can be found as internal mindset issues and in close associates and team members. They don’t initially present as problematic but can gradually erode  focus and confidence.

The Relentless Competitor

Competition is healthy but the instinct to compete with others can be unhealthy if it’s so cutthroat or all-consuming that it creates loss of  focus on your own purpose,  vision and mission. Competing with yourself is healthy because it helps you to set goals and grow, ruthless competition with others ultimately creates  dissatisfaction. The solution to a competitive streak is to challenge yourself and your business to be the best you can be.

The Energy Sapper

This is the person or situation that takes all your emotional energy by  bringing tension to situations that need you 100 % business focus. The easiest way to spot this is, the is repetition and lack of resolution. Energy sappers leave you exhausted as  they compel a focus becomes on problems not solutions. You’ll need to be able to compartmentalise and give problem identification a time limit at an  appropriate time and then  get into solutions mode.

The Negative Recaller

Easy to spot, this saboteur. It’s in the constant recall of every mistake, the reminder that every mistake you’ve made can happen again. Giving  voice to your worst fears, it may initially seem rational and objective. You’ll also recognise this voice  as the inner critic. The best strategy for negative voice ignore and counter. Remind yourself of your successes.

The Picky Perfectionist

Most business leaders and entrepreneurs will admit to a degree of perfectionism. It can manifest in different ways some may be positive like drive and  focus, but it can be negative and  create procrastination, elevated stress levels and anxiety. In personal development terms dealing with the fear of failure and accepting the learning that comes from ‘doing’ is part of the solution.