Effective people come in many different shapes, sizes and forms but among the most dangerous are those who are convinced their past success is a positive indicator of future success. If you are an effective person and wish to remain successful in the future here are seven habits you may want to unlearn:
1. You don't know as much as you think do. To remain effective, instead, you must strive to become more aware of what you don't know.
2. Don't only use your intelligence to win arguments and defend the status quo. Instead use your intelligence to stay curious and engage alternative viewpoints.
3. In the name of cohesiveness, effective leaders have in the past emphasized teamwork. Moving forward, effective leaders must expend an equal amount of energy cultivating voices on the fringe and finding a way to get "different" people — who might initiate conflict — into their leadership circles.
4. Effective leaders solve problems. But what happens when a problem can't be solved? In the future, effective leaders must also become dilemma managers.
5. Effective leaders are action-oriented. Sometimes, however, the best course of action is to do nothing.
6. Effective leaders reward success. The truth is that fostering a culture of risk-taking and rewarding failure (when those calculated risks don't pan out) is also a critical ingredient to long-term success.
7. Effective leaders have achieved considerable success adhering to a "my way or the highway" approach but the future will require more and more leaders to embrace ambiguity.
