I recently read a good article by Jeff Haden on “9 Success-Killing Decisions Exceptional People Refuse to Make” on Inc.com. Personally I thought that the points were spot on, but were explored too briefly. Each one of the points could be discussed as individual articles in and of themselves… or even books.

So I thought I’d explore each of the point independently and try to contribute some to the narrative.


SUCCESS KILLING DECISION #1 - FROM INC.COM


Choosing to give in to fear.

Being brave doesn't mean you aren't afraid -- in fact, the opposite is true. Courage without thought or meaning is simply recklessness. Brave people aren't fearless; they've simply found something that matters more to them than fear.

Say you're scared to start a business (something you can do injust a few hours). Find a reason to do that that means more: creating a better future for your family, wanting to make a real difference, or hoping for a more rewarding and fulfilling life.

Once you find a greater meaning, you also find courage. See fear not as something to shrink from but as something to overcome, because that's all it is.



This is perhaps fittingly the top success-killing decision. Giving in to fear keeps us from going forth with plans. It births procrastination, and inaction. For leaders, this is critical since it can interfere with their ability to lead change. In an ever competitive world, organizations must change and improve, but if doing that were easy, everyone would be at the top. Great organizations, and therefore their leaders, recognize they must make decisions and many of those are the difficult and painful ones.

As the first point in the article states – Being brave doesn't mean you aren't afraid -

True leaders understand the inherent risks of certain decisions. They do not dwell on the things that could go wrong. They channel the fear to identify the contingencies that need to be taken to ensure risks are minimized.



NEXT ARTICLE: SUCCESS KILLING DECISION #2 - Choosing the pain of regret over the pain of discipline.