--- description: Stop micro-managing and learn to trust others title: 5 Signs You're Standing In Your Own Way to Success image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt75f42106a033af82/698860a6e20a87822ca8ce8c/hand-stop-sign.jpg?branch=production&width=750&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # 5 Signs You're Standing In Your Own Way to Success by [Stephen Key / Entrepreneur](/author/entrepreneur/) ## Stephen Key / Entrepreneur Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 25, 2015 12:00 PM CUT  Close-up of stop sign painted on mans hand against gray background Close-up of stop sign painted on mans hand against gray backgroundGetty Images by [Stephen Key / Entrepreneur](/author/entrepreneur/) ## Stephen Key / Entrepreneur Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 25, 2015 12:00 PM CUT While a lot of the entrepreneurs I’ve met and mentored in the past decade have been successful, I’ve probably met as many, if not more, unsuccessful entrepreneurs. Each of them seemed to make a lot of the same mistakes — ones that could be easily remedied, but when left unaddressed, could mean the difference between success and failure. Here are five signs you’re getting in your own way to success and how to move over and let yourself be the best you can be: **1\. You’re unable to complete a task before starting a new one.** Some entrepreneurs just cannot finish. For whatever reason, it doesn’t matter how much time they have or how many resources are available to them — they can’t focus and get something done. Maybe it’s the fear that their final product could be better, or they’re worried it isn’t perfect and they won’t be able to make changes later. But Seth Godin got it right in his book Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? when he wrote: “The only purpose of starting is to finish, and while the projects we do are never really finished, they must ship.” If you miss deadlines and are always late, in the end, you’ll have little to show for yourself. I always say, if it’s 80 percent there, it’s good enough. Because: you must ship. **2\. You micro-manage everything.** Unsuccessful entrepreneurs want to do everything themselves. They don’t believe anyone else can get a job done as well as they can. But even if they were actually right about this — which is doubtful since no one is good at everything — it’s an unsustainable business philosophy. If you want to grow your business and become a leader, you’re going to have to learn to trust others. Everyone needs a support team — even the most competent people. ### 5 Horrible Habits You Need to Stop Right Now  Do Not Email First Thing in the Morning or Last Thing at Night “The former scrambles your priorities and all your plans for the day and the latter just gives you insomnia,” says Ferriss, who insists “email can wait until 10am” or after you check off at least one substantive to-do list item. Chris Pecoraro—Getty Images  Do Not Agree to Meetings or Calls With No Clear Agenda or End Time “If the desired outcome is defined clearly… and there’s an agenda listing topics–questions to cover–no meeting or call should last more than 30 minutes,” claims Ferriss, so “request them in advance so you can ‘best prepare and make good use of our time together.'” Sam Edwards—Getty Images/Caiaimage  Do Not Check Email Constantly Batch it and check it only periodically at set times (Ferriss goes for twice a day). Your inbox is analogous to a cocaine pellet dispenser, says Ferriss. Don’t be an addict. Tools like strategic use of the auto responder and Boomerang can help. Jetta Productions—Getty Images  Do Not Carry a Digital Leash 24/7 At least one day a week leave you smartphone somewhere where you can’t get easy access to it. If you’re gasping, you’re probably the type of person that most needs to do kick this particular habit. by nacoki ( MEDIA ARC )—Getty Images/Flickr RF  Do Not Let People Ramble Sounds harsh, but it’s necessary, Ferriss believes. “Small talk takes up big time,” he says, so when people start to tell you about their weekends, cut them off politely with something like “I’m in the middle of something, but what’s up?” But be aware, not everyone agrees with this one (and certainly not in every situation), and you may want to pay particularly close attention to norms around chit chat when traveling internationally. Reza Estakhrian—Getty Images **3\. You’re always right.** I’ve noticed that it’s difficult for some entrepreneurs to admit when they’ve made a mistake. But if you fail to acknowledge a mistake, you miss out on a learning opportunity. Mistakes are stepping stones to success. Ask for advice and admit when you’re wrong, so you can quickly move forward and do better. **4\. You ask questions, but don’t really pay attention to the answers.** You know the type of person I’m talking about. They ask for your opinion, but they’re only really interested in what you have to say if it’s exactly what they already believe. That baffles me. These kinds of entrepreneurs surround themselves with people who will only ever agree with them. That’s bad for business. You’ll make better decisions if you abandon your stubbornness, truly weigh different points of view and try to understand other perspectives. **5\. You always find reasons not to move forward.** The timing isn’t right. The economy isn’t doing well. You don’t have enough capital. Whatever the excuse, you always have one. But guess what? There will always be reasons to not move forward! You just have to decide to press on. Create options for yourself, be flexible and have courage. That’s really what it is: having the courage to take on risk. As entrepreneurs, we all make mistakes. That’s part of the fun of being willing to take risks. But over the years I’ve learned that the more humble and receptive you are, the more likely you’ll succeed. _This_ [_article_](http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/228320 "undefined") _originally appeared on_ [_Entrepreneur.com_](http://www.entrepreneur.com "undefined") _More from Entrepreneur.com:_ * [5 Movies With Great Lessons for Entrepreneurs](http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/249734 "undefined") * [4 Business Meetings You Should Never Take](http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/249784 "undefined") * [Just as Happy Being Single? This Could Be the Reason.](http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/249791 "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4008646/signs-stopping-success/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4008646/signs-stopping-success/"},"headline":"5 Signs You're Standing In Your Own Way to Success","datePublished":"2015-08-25T12:00:56.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:01:56.968Z","description":"Stop micro-managing and learn to trust others","url":"https://time.com/4008646/signs-stopping-success/","keywords":["career","Success topic"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt75f42106a033af82/698860a6e20a87822ca8ce8c/hand-stop-sign.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Stephen Key / Entrepreneur"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt75f42106a033af82/698860a6e20a87822ca8ce8c/hand-stop-sign.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"hand-stop-sign","caption":"hand-stop-sign","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4008646/signs-stopping-success/","name":"5 Signs You're Standing In Your Own Way to Success"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"How Complaining at Work Hurts Your Career","description":"The Science of Motivation: Rick Tamlyn on Complaining at Work","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/BiVS6RWX/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-08-10T17:52:49.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/BiVS6RWX.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4008646/signs-stopping-success/","duration":"PT2M4S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4008646/signs-stopping-success/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```