Why Some People Fail While Others Succeed In Their Careers

By Perminus Wainaina

One young lady once told me that her career life and her bank account both had something in common. She could only get as much as what she put in. Nothing extra!

Now, have you ever wondered why we have so many successful CEOs, Lawyers, Doctor and Business people in Kenya today who were not born successful, while we also have a big number of people trying so hard to get their careers to a certain level with no visible result?

I’ve personally seen very deserving people who never get things started, and others who make it look so easy. It doesn’t always seem to make sense.

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Over the past 7 years of career coaching in Kenya, I have interacted with every type of person and every type of personality you can imagine; from the outgoing lawyer, to the fierce military officer, to the polite air hostess among many others.

The thing I’ve found consistently in these people who succeed in their careers is understanding that the same traits that made them successful have another side that can lead to their downfall, a secret you must be missing out on.

So why do you find yourself always at the failing side of your career while others are succeeding in the same area with simple yet very successful ideas that you had at your disposal.

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Here is why…

1. You normally don’t have a clear vision of what you want

Have you heard of this common saying that if you have no direction, you might as well end up anywhere? This one applies here.

If you want to get a good result which everyone wants anyway, then it’s very important that you draw a clear plan on how you want to get there.

For example, if you are looking to be promoted as a sales manager, plan on improving your selling skills, and make sure you’re meeting targets and impress your employer with your plan.

In short, think about all the good things you will need to progress your career and draw a perfect plan that will lead you there. You will never be disappointed with this.

2. You lack consistency in your work so you end up giving up every time you try

A friend of mine once told me that consistency at work requires so much patience that some people lack, especially in an office environment with all types of people. And I totally agree with him on this.

Do that which you’ve been doing for long enough making sure you are taking feedback positively and working on them. A major problem with people today is that they want to succeed and they want it now.

So if they try once and twice and it fails, then they give up. You should know better now.

For instance, if you are seeking to successfully lead your marketing team into hitting the highest sale record, remain consistent with your plan making sure you are correcting the mistakes you get on the way.

This requires patience though, and you will need it in plenty.

Remember, change only happens when you’ve put in enough focus, effort and time into your work and this is absolute consistency at work.

3. You don’t want to go an extra mile. You want to do your part and that’s it.

Have you heard of James Mworia, the current CEO of Centum investments, story? If you haven’t, then let me narrate it to you.

James Mworia joined Centum in 2001 as a 23-year-old intern; his ambition was to “become CEO someday”. 

Because of his curiosity and a “desire to be better”, he went an extra mile and took the internship position despite being overqualified for such   which has led him to his current position 7 years later.

Now, what if James remained stuck to his lane just because he had a degree and turned down the internship offer?

You see, average people do what they are expected to do, and nothing more. That’s why they can never get to the next level. But leaders prefer to work harder today so that they can be successful after some time.

So choose now whether you want success or a failure.

4. You always listen to naysayers and worry about what they have to say.

There will be at least 3-4 people who will say something negative, in a week if not a day, about your plans or goals.

Your job here is to ignore them and focus on the bigger price ahead. Successful people have their eyes on the price. Imagine what James Mworia had in mind when he took that internship.

Of course he did all the little work you can imagine interns do, got scolded just like any other trainee but never gave up. He knew that at the end of it all, he was learning how to become a great CEO.

So focus! The naysayers are just distractions to reduce your pace. Don’t give them time!

5. You don’t learn from your mistakes rather you give up once you fail

Did you know that even the person you admire most in your company made so many mistakes before they finally succeeded?

Did you also know that success is product of persistent mistakes and learning each time you fail? I bet you knew about this only that you missed on the trying again part.

The reason why you seem to fail in all areas of you career is because you are not open to mistakes.

Remember, they are your greatest teachers and make you more experienced. Just don’t give up and always try one more time every time you feel like enough is enough.

That one last time will make all the difference.

Finally,

As I said earlier, you need to be wise about your career plans in order to get them to succeed.

The same resources you have are the same ones someone else is using to become the most successful entrepreneur or the most talked about CEO in the Kenyan corporate world.

So remember, your success at work is an inside job. It has nothing to do with your colleagues or your boss. Nurture it yourself using this few tricks and you will see great results!