We hear it all the time as leaders: "Work on your weaknesses." But author and leadership expert Mark Murphy argues that a more effective approach is to build a team that fills in those gaps. Murphy identifies five essential team roles: directors, achievers, stabilizers, harmonizers and trailblazers. "A leader who acknowledges their blind spot and deliberately fills it is not just more effective -- they're more strategic, more self-aware and ultimately far more successful," Murphy writes.

Put it into practice: Each of the five team roles Murphy outlines offers a unique contribution: decision-making, execution, organization, relationships and innovation. The absence of any one role leads to predictable dysfunctions, including conflict and a lack of follow-through. "The real work of leadership is assembling the right ecosystem of roles, not becoming a one-person ecosystem."

Being a people-pleaser at work can hinder your career advancement as you prioritize others' needs over your own goals, writes Beatriz Victoria Albina, a master certified coach, who explains that people-pleasing stems from a desire to avoid discomfort and manage others' emotions. Albina suggests building tolerance for discomfort as a way to break the habit, starting with small steps, such as saying, "Let me think about it and get back to you," to give yourself time to consider whether you can take on more work.

Put it into practice: Discomfort is not the same as conflict, Albina notes, since conflict is external, whereas discomfort is an internal worry about how others perceive you. "Willingness to sit with discomfort often prevents conflict because you're not building resentment from constantly sacrificing your needs."

Conflict is inevitable in daily life and the workplace, but it can be beneficial if managed effectively, writes Lisa Kohn of Chatsworth Consulting Group. Kohn offers five strategies for handling conflict: remembering the core objective, pausing before reacting, staying engaged without withdrawing, understanding the other person's perspective and collaborating to solve the problem. "Conflict is unavoidable and usually unenjoyable, but it can be handled well and it can yield great results," Kohn writes.

Put it into practice: When conflict arises and you're feeling angry or frustrated, pause and give yourself time to respond thoughtfully instead of reacting from your emotion, Kohn writes. "Stay present, even if you step out of the room to cool down. Don't ignore or avoid the conflict -- deal with it or it will never go away."