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3 Main Roadblocks to Success

July 26, 2017 By Dave Ferguson Leave a Comment

3 Main Roadblocks to Success

“Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘press on’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” ~ Calvin Coolidge

Perseverance is a key component of leadership, and while I believe it isn’t something you can teach, it is a characteristic you can learn. And it is essential to success.

That said, the desire to persevere isn’t enough. Perseverance also requires application, dedication, and a heavy dose of tenacity.

What is Perseverance?

It is persistent progress in a course of action despite difficulties, roadblocks, or discouragement. As a leader, you cannot give in when met with unexpected difficulty. If you do, there will be collateral damage. You know this.

And yet…you are human. You will face these times and, truthfully, want to give up.

The fact is, the road to success requires the vehicle of perseverance. And you will face roadblocks along the way that will try to stop your vehicle.

What are these roadblocks? And, more importantly, how do you navigate beyond each one?

Roadblock #1: The Propensity to Give Up

The easiest way out of a difficult situation, at least in the short term, is to simply give up – to retreat to our comfort zone. As humans, we are predisposed to avoid pain. Unfortunately, in avoiding the pain of growing, we also avoid the pleasure of success. The number one reason leaders are not successful is simply because they give up too soon.

How to Break Through Roadblock #1:

  • Motivate Yourself – Watch someone accomplish something impossible
  • Push Yourself – Get up to work out—push yourself physically
  • Inspire Yourself – Listen to music that inspires, motivates, and pumps you up
  • Challenge Yourself – Go do something hard, like climb a mountain
  • Encourage Yourself – Find a friend, mentor, or coach who will both encourage you and call you out where accountability is needed
  • Support Yourself – Stay strong by re-energizing your mind, body, and spirit; and keep your head up

Roadblock #2: The Belief that Success Comes Easily

Another major roadblock is entitlement; the belief that you are deserving of the good life without having to work for it. My friend, Larry Winget pays his respects to this idea in many of his books. He has a point.

As with everything in life, there is a spectrum for entitlement. You may not expect to have success handed to you on a silver platter, but you might be thinking it shouldn’t be this hard, either. Either way, it is entitlement.

The fact is, success doesn’t land on our doorsteps. It is earned through perseverance and good old-fashioned hard work.

How to Break Through Roadblock #2:

Dig in and use struggles as a reason to recommit to your goals. Commitment will drive you through the roadblock of entitlement and on to the good life you have worked to achieve.

Roadblock #3: A Lack of Vision

When it comes to goals, individuals who persevere always keep the big picture in mind. They see it, and know what to do or create to keep working towards it.

What is your vision?

Is it to earn money?

This may seem to be the vision. But in reality, money is not the vision, but its predicator.

The real question is, “What is the WHY beyond the money?” That is the vision.

How to Break Through Roadblock #3:

Get to your “why”.

  • WHY do you want to succeed in your business and career?
  • WHY do you want to lose weight?
  • WHY do you want to reach your goals

Pushing through these roadblocks engages and strengthens perseverance. And perseverance, as we’ve noted, is the vehicle to success.

Click here for free chapter on perseverance.

Are you driving the vehicle of perseverance through the roadblocks to your success?

Are you helping and encouraging your team to learn perseverance as well?


Dave Ferguson is “The Leaders’ Coach”, an internationally recognized executive leadership coach, speaker, facilitator, and author. Are you interested in having Dave speak to inspire and motivate your team? “ASK COACH DAVE” at 704-907-0171 or at Dave@AskCoachDave.com.

Check Your Leadership Ego at the Door

June 14, 2017 By Dave Ferguson Leave a Comment

Check Your Leadership Ego at the Door

Leading a business can be a real thrill. It comes packaged with a good dose of power and prestige by virtue of position.

It also can be a real challenge for those same reasons.

The reality is, being a successful leader requires that you check your ego at the door. Now don’t get me wrong, having faith and pride in what you do is great. Self-confidence is essential.

But when leaders get full of themselves and start inflating their self-worth, things start to crumble. As an executive coach, I am sometimes called in to help fix an employee or team issue that is, in reality, is a leadership ego issue.

It is my responsibility to challenge them on it for their sake and the sake of the organization.

The bottom line is, leadership is not about being served. It is about serving.

Positional leaders are LINOs (Leaders in Name Only). LINOs are never truly respected, and their effectiveness is limited.

Guard against these LINOs in your own leadership or on your leadership team.

The CEO on Steroids

They can’t and won’t build an effective team because they depend too much on themselves. They don’t trust enough to delegate and, quite frankly, don’t believe they need others. These are the micromanagers who limit team performance.

Advice for this leader: Look in the mirror, lighten up, and let go a little. Remember the old saying, “There is no ‘I’ in Team.” Say it 1000 times every day, while you’re running on the treadmill.

The Know-it-All

These leaders have little to no commitment to personal growth. They would never think of hiring a business coach, because they truly believe they have already arrived. Their bloated egos block them from taking any advice, and learning is a sign of weakness to them.

Advice for this leader: Acknowledge and learn from your failures. Seek an objective accountability partner. Establish a cabinet of expert advisors – and listen to them. Commit to personal and professional growth on a regular basis.

The “I never make hiring mistakes” Leader

These are the leaders who never admit to making bad hiring decisions, but take all the credit for the one great hire. Meanwhile, turnover is costing the company thousands of dollars a year. Many of these so-called leaders actually believe they can take the bottom 20% of their employee base and turn them around. When that doesn’t work, they blame someone else for it.

Advice for this leader: When you figure out the formula for elevating your bottom 20% above mediocre, let the rest of us know. Until then, cut bait quicker and better, or take yourself out of the hiring process. Use an objective and independent source.

 The White Collar Crime Boss

These leaders are so cocky and egotistical that they invent shortcuts, take special privileges, and begin to think they are above the law. As their character plummets, greed and ego escalate to a point of unethical and sometimes criminal behavior. The collateral damage is widespread, both inside the organization and to stockholders and investors.

Advice for this leader: White collar crime is against the law and can bring you down to the level of the elevator beating bandit. Do right and be ethical!

Power and prestige can be either leadership tools – or weapons. We as leaders can use them to serve, inspire others, and to accomplish great goals, or we can use them selfishly, in which case they leave a trail of destruction.

Guard against the LINOs!


Dave Ferguson is “The Leaders’ Coach”, an internationally recognized executive leadership coach, speaker, facilitator, and author. For help in building a truly successful leadership team, “ASK COACH DAVE” at 704-907-0171 or at Dave@AskCoachDave.com.

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