The 5 Biggest Mistakes Leaders Make When They Are on the Brink of Success

A few years ago, a friend and I bought a house to rehabilitate and sell.  After a few months, the majority of the major work was completed.  It seemed to take forever to finish the last 5% and get it ready to sell.

Likewise, an NFL team can march down the field 10, 20, or 30 yards at a time.  Something happens though once they get near the goal line.  The last 10 yards seems to take more effort than the previous 90.

I began thinking about this topic after watching a compilation video on Facebook showing a bunch of people fail, just when they were on the brink of success.

Check out the video.

As a leader, it is easy to take your eye off the finish line or get distracted when you are so close to success.

Here are 5 mistakes leaders make when they are on the brink of success.

Looking Back Too Early

There is absolutely nothing wrong with checking out your surroundings, even looking back at what you have accomplished.  In fact, it can be helpful.  A continuous scan of your surroundings as you progress toward your goal is important to achieving success.  However, make sure you have crossed the finish line before you look backward.  Otherwise, you might stumble and fall right before you reach success.

Celebrating Your Success Too Soon

There is a right time and a wrong time to celebrate your success as a leader and as a department.  That time is once you have achieved your goal, accomplished your task, made your decision or finished your project.

A number of years ago, the Evening Shift at the Marietta Police Department had a problem with officers talking on a private channel on the radio and then meeting up at an unknown location and wasting time.

I approached the Chief and explained the issue and asked him to let me turn off the private channel.  He agreed.

After a few days of what I thought was a success in this endeavor, a Sergeant from our traffic unit approached me.  He gave me a reality check.  He told me that the traffic unit and other officers in the department used the private channel to talk while completing fatality investigations and other operations.  There were no cell phones at this time.

I had to approach Chief Moody again and ask him to turn the private feature back on.

Celebrating too early can be embarrassing, have disastrous consequences or even cause failure.

Taking Your Eye Off the Finish Line

As you work toward a particular goal, it is easy to get distracted by all that is going on around you.  Taking your eyes off your goal is easy.

When you take your eyes off the finish line, you might never cross it.

Getting distracted can be a big challenge in law enforcement because of so many competing priorities, goals, internal pressures, public concerns, and political considerations.

Make sure you keep your head up and focus on the final results you want to achieve.

Failing to Remember What Got You to the Finish Line

Success does not happen overnight.  A lot of preparation, education, and training go into helping you achieve your goals.

The athletes in the video spent hundreds of hours training for an opportunity to compete, to achieve their goal and find success.

You as a leader must never forget what you have learned and what you have experienced that will help keep you on your pathway to success.

Forgetting Success is a Team Sport

You are not the sole person responsible for your success or the success of your organization.  It is a team effort.  You should never forget that fact.

It is easy to get caught up in the tasks you are doing and forget about your teammates. Forget that they helped you get to where you are today.

The volleyball team in the video is an excellent example of this concept.  One team spikes the ball and a player on the other team dives and hits the shot out of bounds.  The first team celebrated the score immediately.

Unfortunately for them, they forgot about the rest of the team.  A team member for the receiving time reacted quickly, sprinted out of bounds and was able to hit the ball to another teammate.  That teammate delivered the ball over the net, landing at the feet of the other team.

Never forget that teamwork is the key to success for any team or organization.

When you are on the brink of success, don’t make a mistake that will cause you to fail in your efforts to succeed.

Avoid looking back too early, celebrating your success too soon, taking your eyes off the finish line, failing to remember what got you there and forgetting success is a team sport and you and your organization will surely succeed.

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