The 12 bad habits of otherwise good people

1. The 12 bad habits of otherwise good people Based on the book by Waldroop and Butler

2. Why do people fail? Research by Waldroop and Butler reveals 12 interesting patterns. If we realise these patterns and take preventive steps, the failure rate can be reduced significantly.

3. The 12 character types The home-run hitter The meritocrat The peacekeeper The hero The rebel Mr Spock The acrophobe Pessimist worrier Bulldozer The could have been Lacking a sense of boundaries Losing the path

4. The home-run hitter Successful people do not take excessive risk. They try to hit singles and doubles before hitting sixes. But the home-run hitters are too impatient for that. Often such persons are overly competitive and want to win the game single-handedly to show everyone concerned that they are stars. They want extraordinary and immediate success. Small accomplishments will not do.

5. The meritocrat Such people insist that proposals, ideas and products must be considered strictly on their inherent merit, on their absolute true value. Despite having finished their formal education a long time ago, they have not made the shift from the world of school, where the right answer is sufficient, to one in which they have to persuade others of their ideas' merit. They may even be proud of their refusal to "play politics.� Due to their rigid ways of thinking they fail to demonstrate their value to upper management.

6. The Peacekeeper Peacekeepers are ineffective simply because they are afraid of getting into a fight. Usually they lack the skill to argue their point without becoming defensive and to resume a normal relationship once the argument has been won or lost. Such people act out of fear or compulsion. They act by suppressing natural reactions and emotions and thereby increasing the tension in a group or relationship as unvoiced feelings or reactions are swept under the carpet. They usually have high need for affiliation and want to be liked by people around. Peacekeeping blocks the healthy differences of opinion and their resolution. The peace comes at a high cost.

7. The hero Heroes get the job done, but usually at great cost to themselves and others. Heroes bite off more than they can chew. Money does not attract them. What attracts them is the unattainable. Heroes refuse to accept that anyone else can do the job as well as they can. So they are often micromanagers. Though they often win the admiration of their bosses, heroes sometimes run into trouble for failing to consult them or keep them informed. At the same time, when they're asked to do the impossible, they can't say no, or at least say that it will take a bit longer than scheduled Heroes often suffer burnout, and their personal relationships suffer. Their marriages may run into trouble because of work life imbalance. Once their reputation as slave drivers spreads, they have difficulty getting people to work for them.

8. The rebel Rebels refuse to adapt to the surrounding culture. (In a smaller number of cases they are simply oblivious to it.) They may see themselves as change agents or, like the meritocrats, proudly refuse to play along. Rebels tend to do best early in their careers when their rebelliousness can be written off as youthful exuberance and in industries where rebelliousness is common and valued. But over time, by making those around them uncomfortable, they become ostracized and are often in the end dismissed. Often rebels at some point tend to say or do something that almost literally destroys them.

9. Mr Spock Spock the character on the television program Star Trek expressed few emotions himself and had little regard for those of others. A Spock makes business decisions without realizing the need to take into account how people are going to feel about them, even though the decisions may make sense on every other level. Such people repress their own emotions so much that they cannot hear or see what others do. They invade others� space or respond without a trace of empathy when people express difficulty. They have trouble in communicating effectively and establishing good interpersonal relationships.

10. The acrophobe More than any other factor, people's image of themselves determines how high they go. When people cannot envision themselves in a prominent position, they'll either sabotage their chances on the way there or do something to imperil their standing once, somehow, they have arrived. Of all Achilles' heels, this "fear of heights" is the most subtle and difficult to spot--and treat. Such people because of lack of self esteem undermine and hold themselves back. They never rise out of their comfort level.

11. Pessimist worrier These people have a completely pessimistic view of life. They are always imagining negative outcomes. They keep seeing the negative and worrying about it to excess. They are afraid to take risk They tend to procrastinate They prefer to take the blame for not getting the job done than risk a negative judgment. They have an instinctive fear of change. They have over identification with an organisation that provides a safe secure identity.

12. Bulldozer These are people who keep talking and acting tough They are bullying people They take a win lose perspective. They have poor listening skills They tend to do well early in their career as their actions are not visible to top management and they are effective at getting things done. Over time they become unpopular loners. They also make enemies who are waiting for a chance to get back.

13. The could have been Such people are paralysed by fear of shame and failure. The psychological consequences of slogging towards the summit and not making it are so terrible that the person is unable even to start. They may start a project without too much preparation. If it goes well, they can claim it was effortless. And if it does not go off well, they can always rationalise. When presented with a risky opportunity , they will decline. Their explanation is that they could do it if they wanted to but for various seemingly justifiable reasons they have decided not to. They perceive more of a downside to failure than an upside to success.

14. Lacking a sense of boundaries Such people don�t understand what belongs to office and what to home. They crave affiliation and intimacy. They cannot wait for an occasion to share inappropriate information about themselves. They have the mistaken belief that if they tell everything about themselves, others will reciprocate and this will lead to a close friendship. They get involved in others� affairs to an extent that they are seen as meddling. They completely misinterpret the boundary inherent in boss subordinate relationship.

15. Losing the path Some people have a loss of a sense of direction There is misalignment between underlying interests and activities of the job. They have a sense of powerlessness They nurture a feeling of being ignored/marginalised/falling behind They show lethargy They experience stress/ anxiety/depression

16. Concluding remarks The character types described above are all self-destructive. But the situation is not beyond redemption. Mere awareness can help a great deal. Awareness should be followed by a disciplined approach to practising the desired behaviour. It helps to have a mentor, coach, or confidant to help monitor behavior and give feedback. With the right amount of self-awareness and motivation, habits one did not even suspect were causing trouble can be gradually brought under control

17. Thank You