BLOG
Is Self-Help Really That Helpful? 4 Dangers to Avoid
Troy Grabel • June 12, 2025
The term “self-help” has baggage with a lot of people—even me! It can connotate an unhealthy obsession with toiling to be different. Or it can represent a sincere desire to be better. However you see the term self-help, I suspect you would agree there are some dangers that should be avoided in your personal growth journey. Here are four in particular to be careful of:
- Focusing only on what’s wrong (aka not embracing your strengths!)
It may seem efficient to focus solely on what you can improve on, but it is still misguided to ignore your strengths. I tell my clients all the time to celebrate, utilize fully, and reflect on their strengths! It’s a huge—and healthy—part of anyone’s growth journey!
Pop quiz: Do you read your Strengths section every time you look at your Traction Plan? I hope you said yes!
- Over-comparing yourself to others
You’ve probably heard it said that comparison is the thief of joy. It’s true! There can certainly be healthy comparisons, but it’s easy to push this too far. Make sure your growth is focused on simply being better and not endlessly comparing yourself to someone else. - Not celebrating who you are (aka losing your uniqueness!)
I tell teams frequently that we need to celebrate behavioral diversity. Maybe you see things differently or have a different style than the norm. If so, good! I have to remind myself of this fairly often—I don’t always fit the mold either. This reality leads me to a choice: 1. Feel guilty and isolate myself, or 2. Choose to smile about the ways I am wired. I’ll try to keep picking #2! - Using guilt as a motivator
Let me be blunt: I do not like guilt and shame! No exceptions, nope, just don’t do it. Strive to be better, yes. Live in the past and pile negative emotions onto ourselves, no!
I would love to see more people redeem the self-help term and ensure that we are doing the good version of it, not the dangerous one.
Dr. Chris J White is the Chief Science Officer at Teamalytics. In each edition of the Teamalytics Blog, he will leverage his coaching experience with over 15,000 leaders and his PhD in Statistics to bring you actionable insights that help address the people challenges in your workplace and life. Bio Here
The post Is Self-Help Really That Helpful? 4 Dangers to Avoid appeared first on Teamalytics.
Inclusive Cultures. Unstoppable Leaders. If there’s one truth I’ve witnessed time and again in my years of coaching executives and leading people strategies across industries, it’s this: thriving women shape thriving cultures. I once coached a senior leader, we’ll call her ‘Naomi,’ who had been quietly driving performance in her division for years. She was […]
The post Shaping Cultures Where Women Thrive appeared first on Teamalytics.
In this episode, host Rohan Paul sits down with Nicolina Marzicola, CPO at Nielsen, and Ketty Russeva, Talent Development at Elliott Investment, for a candid conversation on the vital role of trust and authentic communication between private equity operating teams and their portfolio company leaders. Together, they explore how strong, transparent relationships drive performance and […]
The post Optimize Your Team: Ketty Russeva & Nicolina Marzicola appeared first on Teamalytics.
I’d played in thousands of basketball games, and this one felt no different, until everything changed. I was a point guard in the WNBA at the time, and I found myself in a situation I’d been in countless times before. I was the last line of defense on a fast break as the opposing team’s […]
The post Developing a Pipeline of Women Leaders appeared first on Teamalytics.
Recently, several phenomenal female coaches at Teamalytics have shared powerful insights in a series on women in leadership. Their words challenged me to reflect deeply on my own views and experiences around balancing leadership and family. I have the privilege of working with exceptional female leaders, both within our client organizations and at Teamalytics […]
The post Redefining Partnership: Supporting Women Leaders at Work and Home appeared first on Teamalytics.
Confident Women. Confident Teams. “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” – Maya Angelou In today’s workplace, women continue to lead in remarkable ways — often balancing results with relationships, pressure with grace, and expectations with their own authentic standards. And yet, despite increased representation in leadership roles, many […]
The post Breaking Barriers: Building Bold, Resilient Women Leaders appeared first on Teamalytics.
This week, we discuss how diverse perspectives within executive leadership teams will drive maximum results. I sit down with three experts (Deondra Donald, Shalee Lehning, and Missy Forlani) who have collectively spent decades leading, coaching, and consulting across various organizational levels. All three strongly believe that diverse leadership is not just an ideal but a […]
The post Representation Matters: Unlocking the Power of Diverse Leadership appeared first on Teamalytics.
In the latest episode of the “Optimize Your Team” podcast, host Rohan Paul has an insightful conversation with Jeff Schloesser, Executive Vice President at Bell Flight and retired Major General with a distinguished military career, including Commanding the 101st Airborne Division and Regional Command-East in Afghanistan. The show explores how to lead effectively in high-pressure, […]
The post Optimize Your Team: Jeff Schloesser appeared first on Teamalytics.
If you had to pick one adjective to describe all that is happening in the world right now, there is a strong chance – if not a high certainty – that you would pick the word uncertainty. The stock market is volatile and, as a result, is uncertain. Restructuring at many companies is causing employees to look […]
The post Leading Through Uncertain Times appeared first on Teamalytics.
In this episode, host Rohan Paul interviews Scott Rauer, President of Akima’s Facilities Solutions Group and a 22-year Army veteran. They discuss how Scott’s leadership style evolved from leading military units to leading a large, globally dispersed corporate team. Scott describes his leadership style as collaborative, a facilitator with a low “freakout factor”. He notes […]
The post Optimize Your Team: Scott Rauer appeared first on Teamalytics.
OOPS—2 PHRASES THAT ACCIDENTALLY SOUND DEFENSIVE! What if I told you that I saw someone in the grocery store who had multiple better options but knowingly chose to get in the longest line (by far) at the checkout? Crazy, right? What if I told you this person was you? The reality is, when we […]
The post OOPS – 2 Phrases That Accidentally Sound Defensive! appeared first on Teamalytics.
