7 habits of highly unsuccessful people

These seven habits will test your patience and wear down your meetings, your team and everyone’s morale

Interview requests

Some people walk into a room and elevate the mood. Others walk in, take a call, criticize your work and let you know they’d have done it better, all before you’ve finished your double-double. It’s the kind of behaviour that can derail even a decent day.

We all know someone like that. You’ve worked with them, stood behind them in line at Canadian Tire or watched them take over a Zoom call. And if we’re honest, maybe you’ve acted like them—briefly, accidentally, during a low blood sugar moment.

Before you let these people raise your blood pressure or ruin your week, pause. Naming the behaviours that set us off and laughing at them a little can help. So, let’s start here:

Do you:

1. Never miss an opportunity to educate those around you? Call attention to mistakes and make sure everyone else knows about them? Don’t hesitate to point out when someone (a co-worker, a Canada Post clerk or even the prime minister) is wrong, and how you could do a much better job?
2. Ignore petty criticisms? Believe that people who complain to or about you don’t know what they’re talking about? When your boss raises a concern, you smile, nod and carry on doing exactly what you were doing?
3. Always keep people waiting? Believe others should be grateful you squeezed them in? Whether it’s a Teams call, a coffee meeting or a committee session at city hall, you arrive late, flash a smile and say, “So sorry—urgent issue, and only I could handle it.”
4. Leave your phone on during meetings? Glance at the screen mid-conversation and say, “I’d better take this,” as you answer? Think texting during meetings—or letting your AI assistant summarize them while you scroll—is totally fine?
5. Delegate most of your work under the noble banner of leadership? Not because you’re dodging responsibility but because you believe others need “growth opportunities” which you, of course, will supervise and critique closely?
6. Never apologize? Because, in your view, you’re never wrong? And if forced, you offer: “I’m sorry you don’t seem to understand. I’m sure clarity will come your way eventually.”

7. Guard your downtime like a Fortune 500 CEO, leaving early on Fridays or before holidays. If anyone questions it, you remind them your rest is essential for continued peak performance.

Whether you recognize someone else—or catch a glimpse of yourself—these behaviours can drive even the most mild-mannered to fantasize about retreating to a Wi-Fi-free cabin somewhere.

These behaviours aren’t just annoying; they can derail teams, strain relationships and leave you wondering if you’re the problem. They may never change. So how do you deal with them?

Life is about balance, and the first step toward sanity is accepting that some people will never change, not even when presented with facts, feedback or basic courtesy.

What can change is your own response. Whether it’s a teammate who dominates every call, a condo board member who writes 2,000-word emails, or someone blaming their latest mistake on their calendar app or virtual assistant, your ability to step back and refocus is the only real superpower you’ve got.

Try thinking of these people as grace givers—irritating messengers from the universe whose sole purpose is to teach you patience, compassion and the limits of your own tolerance.

You smile. You nod. You let them finish their ramble, rant or excuse. And all the while, you quietly thank the stars that you don’t have to be that person.

Here are five quick ways to keep your cool:

• Hit the mental mute button. When someone launches into their third “I saved the day” monologue, imagine pressing mute. They keep talking, but your brain gets a short vacation.
• Treat it like field research. Think of difficult people as character studies. If you were writing a workplace comedy, this person would be gold.
• Take a micro-break before you snap. Step away, refill your mug, stretch, breathe. Even a 30-second escape can reset your frustration level.
• Use the classic deflection. A calm, “Huh. Interesting,” followed by a slow sip of coffee sends a quiet message: I refuse to get sucked into this.
• Name it to tame it. Label the moment in your mind: “Ah, the grandstanding phase again.” Once named, it loses its power.

And if modern life feels absurd, it’s because it is. Meetings about meetings. Out-of-office messages about being “offline for clarity.” It’s all part of the surreal comedy we call 2025.

So laugh at it. Shake your head. Adjust your expectations and your attitude. And when things get especially maddening, remember the words of Brendan Gill, longtime writer for The New Yorker:

“Not a shred of evidence exists in favour of the idea that life is serious.”

Smile. Nod. And carry on—volume off.

Faith Wood is a professional speaker, author, and certified professional behaviour analyst. Before her career in speaking and writing, she served in law enforcement, which gave her a unique perspective on human behaviour and motivations. Faith is also known for her work as a novelist, with a focus on thrillers and suspense. Her background in law enforcement and understanding of human behaviour often play a significant role in her writing.