Failure Guide: Nine Mistakes That Will Guarantee Your Career's Failure

Failure Guide

Walk into any bookstore, and you'll find dozens of books discussing how to achieve miraculous success at work. Whether it's Trump, Iacocca, or that oddly-haired man who bought a razor company-they're all eager to share their secrets to "making big money."

But aren't there books written by people who want to escape success and crave failure? Why isn't there a manual, the opposite of alchemy, to guide those who want to shirk their medals of achievement? Clearly, a large group of readers is waiting for that.

"Fear of success is very common," says Mordecai Fainberg, president of the Psychological Association. "Some people have a desire to escape achievement. They see each success as another new constraint. For them, one way to escape increasing responsibility is to fail." He continues, "Others feel they shouldn't be so lucky; they see themselves as failures and try to prove themselves. Give them a noose, and they'll use it to hang themselves." "When insecure people succeed, they feel like frauds, so they want to sabotage their success," Dr. Fainberg explains. "Their policy is: it's better to be discovered slowly at the back of the room than to be seen immediately at the front."

If you're avoiding responsibility, lack self-confidence, or have an inexplicable urge to fail, Dr. Farnberger has already done the homework for you. He interviewed many top managers who were willing to share their experiences-people who, despite lacking the skills, could readily recount their embarrassing moments. "Now all these guaranteed failure techniques are yours!" You can experience what it feels like to shoot yourself in the foot. Of course, if failure isn't what you want, the following failure patterns can also serve as a reference for resisting "negative and decadent behavior."

Refuse to share your power. Insist on privilege and don't consult others; any failures will naturally fall on your shoulders. You won't survive long as a dictator. Here's an example of a young manager's failure at a food distribution company. Obsessed with a new "nut yogurt" product, he placed a large order without consulting his sales staff. He later discovered the sales staff disliked the product; had he discussed it beforehand, they would have readily admitted their aversion. As a result, he and his family ate that yogurt for years.

In contrast, David Dubowski, president of the International Women's Garment Workers Union, had his own unique survival strategy: "When things go well, it's entirely my decision; but if things go wrong, I find someone to share the burden." Make enemies. When you beat a colleague to a promotion, make sure they remain your rival; if you lose, it's best to simply hold a grudge. Never join a united front against your rivals.

Former US President Jameson was a shrewd man, and Dr. Farnberger believed he could avoid such defeats. If President Jameson lost to his opponent, he would seek reconciliation. That's why, after challenging Gandhi for the presidential nomination, he managed to secure second place in the vote, later becoming the president's adversary. Furthermore, whenever he won, he always cleverly brought his defeated opponent into his camp. On one occasion, speaking of a potential enemy, Hoover, who would later become FBI Director, he said, "I'd rather have him in the tent with his gun pointing outwards than have him attack me from the outside."

Or, as former U.S. baseball manager Leo Duerh once said, "I never let four guys who hate me sit with someone who doesn't yet have a grudge against me!" An arrogant attitude, treating your colleagues like employees, will easily demoralize you, disrupt work efficiency, and turn potential friends into enemies. Revlon's Charles Leverson was known for his autocratic style; he had a large security detail because he feared competitors would use any means to steal his product secrets. Once, a new security guard asked him for his pass, and he immediately fired him. He said, "He should have known who I was long ago." An Estée Lauder cosmetics HR manager claimed that their company employed a large number of refugees; someone asked, "Are they Germans?" He replied, "No! They're refugees from Revlon."

Ingratitude and betrayal. Dr. Feinberg once interviewed a highly successful company executive who preferred to miss board meetings and let the directors sit idly by rather than neglect his own work. In the end, even with a strong foundation of potential, he was inevitably ousted by the board.

Ignoring those who have helped you and not treating them sincerely will breed a great deal of resentment. This is one of the most common mistakes made by those who fail.

Personnel issues are often delayed until all hope is lost, at which point the inevitable decision to fire incompetent employees is made. This leads to short-sightedness and a failure to see the bigger picture. When caught up in the excitement of large investments, the risk-reward ratio is often forgotten. For example, a manager might invest heavily in a new product in a small, highly competitive market. Even if the product succeeds, the company won't make a fortune; but if it fails, the company will suffer significant financial losses. Clinging to existing products or services without innovation is another problem. There's a belief that your product is exempt from the inherent cyclical patterns of the product lifecycle. In 1970, the American auto industry was still producing large, fuel-inefficient cars, while neglecting the fact that fuel-efficient Japanese cars had already become consumers' favorites.

Launching a new product too early when it's not yet mature is a bad idea. If your idea is excellent, why let those lazy people in charge of market research and production get in the way with their boring calculations? Just do it! Seriously! A computer company prematurely announced the release of an improved version of its product. As soon as the news broke, customers stopped buying the current version, preferring to wait for the upcoming new one. However, the new version encountered production problems and couldn't be released on time, causing cash flow to gradually stop, and ultimately leading to the company's bankruptcy.

Ignore your competitors. Even if your business is booming, never underestimate other companies in the same industry, or you will suffer a crushing defeat. For example, after the invention of the quartz watch, the inventor approached several manufacturers, but they were unwilling to produce them. Watchmakers said, "That's not a watch-it doesn't have a mainspring or gears." They didn't believe that digital watches would affect their market.

If you follow one or two of the strategies mentioned above, any capable company executive will relinquish their position. Therefore, carefully avoid these pitfalls, and you might one day be invited to write a book on how to succeed.