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Top Ten Ways People Get in Their Own Way

August 8, 2001

"Here are ten top reasons people fail.  Please be open-minded, and try to see yourself and your shortcomings from the following list.  Become aware of recurring issues in your life.  You may find your Achilles' heel.  By the way, the Achilles of ancient Greek myth was a warrior who was totally indestructible - except in one tiny spot on his heel.  And that one flaw allowed his complete destruction.  That's the way flaws work.  So don't mentally minimize the amount of damage that a weakness may create.

1. Poor People Skills
2. A Negative Attitude
3. A Bad Fit
4. Lack of Focus
5. A Weak Commitment
6. An Unwillingness to Change
7. A Shortcut Mind-Set
8. Relying on Talent Alone
9. A Response to Poor Information
10. No Goals (Maxwell, 2000, pp. 154-162)."

Reference:  Maxwell, J.C. (2000).  Failing forward: turning mistakes into stepping-stones for success.  Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.

What is your Achilles' heel?

Failing Forward is available on loan from the Ohio State University Leadership Center.  A complete listing of all the Leadership Center's resources is available on our website http://leadershipcenter.osu.edu/

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Created: 2009-01-02, Updated: 2009-01-14