There are a lot of executives who do things right. They make bold moves that pay off and the stock does well on the market. The CEO is asked to be the keynote speaker at conferences around the country and is even seen on the cover of business magazines. Everyone’s happy with the company, including the analysts.

However, what happens when one of those executives make a mistake? The company may go down in flames and the stock tanks.

There are valuable lessons to be learned from these executives and ones that you don’t want to miss out on. A recent book by Sydney Finkelstein explores this topic in great detail. A six year study was conducted about failure on a leadership level and what the most common causes were behind such failures. He found that there were seven habits held by unsuccessful people and these were evident within all the companies that were researched – even when they spanned across various industries.

The book, Why Smart Executives Fail, is a read that you won’t want to miss. It can help to identify skills that you may have and why it’s a good idea to learn how to overcome them so you don’t make the same mistake an executive has already made.

Some people say you can learn from your mistakes and that’s true. However, why should you have to make them and then learn from them when the easier solution is to learn from the mistakes that others have already made?

 
 
 

This is where life coaching can become your best friend. You can learn the psychology of what goes on with an executive and their failures as well as the business side of things. If you want to be successful, it’s not just about learning the seven habits that are held by unsuccessful people, you also need to know how to change the habits if they affect you so you can move past the various hurdles that are currently standing in your way.

Whether it’s that you lack motivation or lack the ability to speak your mind, these are habits that can be broken with the right coaching. Many of the greats have accepted life coaching. It’s not a failure to ask for help. It’s a sign of strength to recognize and admit that you need help – and then to seek it out. When with the right coach, you can be a better person, be better at your career, and not make mistakes that others have made – which can save you a lot of time in the long run.

Start learning from the mistakes of executives now so you don’t have to make the same mistakes that they have.

Scott and Greg specialize in Corporate Training, Workshops, Leadership Training and Motivational Speaking in Sydney, Australia and Globally! We also focus on Life Coaching, Business Coaching and Executive Coaching in Sydney and on the Phone or Skype. Click the links above or call +61 481 307 778 (Global) or0481 307 778 (Sydney, Australia).