Pamela Murray-Jones...................................... Five Fads that Lead to Failure and how to avoid them.........
Last time I looked, Amazon had 270,956 books listed on the topic of success.
That’s an awful lot of wisdom by a lot of clever (and some not so clever) people. However, there were less than 2,000
books listed on the topic of failure and even fewer on how it can be avoided. Yet far more people fail than ever
succeed. Ironically the reason for their failure can often be traced to jumping aboard the latest success fad without
thinking first.
Here are five fads to avoid on your way to success:
Diversification: Trying to do too many things in too many markets is a recipe for failure that even some of the world’s
biggest companies have made. Decide what you have the capability of doing well and focus on that.
Differentiation: I am constantly surprised by how many people spend so much time on what I call “majoring in
minors”. Worrying about the smallest details on business name, logo colour, web site design and product packaging in
an effort to differentiate yourself is usually a waste of time - and sometimes trying to create artificial differences can
make it even harder for customers to make the decision to buy.
What customers really want are quality products, reliable services and fair value for money. Concentrate firstly on
meeting these basic needs and lastly on trying to make you look different with a clever name or packaging.
Do-It-Yourself: There are almost as many books on do-it-yourself website development, marketing, bookkeeping and
self-help generally as there are on success.
Trying to do everything yourself and not asking for, or being willing to pay for, specialist advice or help is a sure fire
way to fail. The most successful companies and people seek out the best advice and support that they can afford.
Multi-Tasking: This is perhaps the greatest myth of the 21century. We can only ever do one thing well at any one time
but we can certainly do lots of things poorly all at the same time. Set aside time for important tasks -turn off the
phone, get off of your email and shut off the TV while you do things.
The Magic Bullet: Back in the 1970s Douglas Adam created a comic sci-fi radio serial called The Hitchhikers Guide to
the Galaxy. The hero was in search of the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything. It
takes an enormous computer 7.5 million years to come up with the answer which turned out to be, 42!
Meaningless? No more so than the latest panacea to whatever ails you or your business. Whether it is the latest diet
or exercise equipment which promises to remove those extra inches in 14 days, or The Secret which promises a no-
effort way to get whatever you want, the only thing you can be sure of is that it won’t be the magic bullet you were
hoping for.
That piece of exercise equipment you bought probably will work. It won’t if you leave it gathering dust in the corner
and only if you cut out some of those unhealthy eating habits as well. And the Law of Attraction of Rhonda Byrne’s
Secret, in the film and book of the same name, also has a lot going for it – but not in isolation.
Unfortunately there are no short-cuts to success. Hopping on the latest success bandwagon can be a fast track to
failure.
Pamela Murray-Jones is an executive coach, strategist and board consultant with over
20 years’ of corporate world experience and a background across Australasia in
executive development. Pamela helps individuals in organisations focus to achieve
outstanding success. Based in the South Sydney region, phone +61 412 523 550 or
http://www.strategycoaching.com.au or email [email protected]