Are we overdosing on steps to success?

I posted a tongue-in-cheek comment to LinkedIn a couple of days ago that if I followed all 55 tips I consumed in one week on everything from communicating effectively and building a cohesive team to being a better leader to achieving career success, would I truly be better off or just confused? Sure, that's an extreme stance, and I realize we must possess good judgement to pick and choose that which is most valuable, but it's worth pondering.

This week alone, well-meaning and successful writers/career coaches have posted the following steps to success-type articles:

- "5 things to do to grow the Influencers in your organisation"

- "Let go of the rope? #18 Mentorship Lessons"

- "10 Ways to slow poisoning an organization (part 2/5) More scripts and plots"

- "Top 5 Tips To Having A Productive Team"

- "6 CASH FLOW TIPS FOR STARTUP COMPANIES"

- "8 steps to refresh your business plan"

- "10 ½ Quick Ways to Energize Your Team"

My favorite on the list has to be the last article because the author wasn't content to stop at the confines of ten, but was entrepreneurial enough to add a 1/2 tip at the end. Who am I to judge? A majority of these articles have anywhere between 170-500 comments ranging from "excellent advice" and "well written" to "that's a piece of hogwash" and "write for the appropriate audience please."

Anyway, is there a secret governing organization hidden in the frosty tundra of Alaska that determines what steps have a higher success rate than others? Is the leader a bald guy named Blofeld? If so, does he pet a grumpy cat and discard of unworthy 7-steps-to-success authors by dropping them through a trap door that leads to flesh-eating sharks?

So, what the heck is my point? Well, maybe there's increased value to be found in introspection and a willingness to learn from our own, unique experiences to become more successful or productive? Otherwise, at what point are we following steps, as crafted by people whom we've never met, that will lead us to a brick wall instead of mass admiration?

Honestly, if we're all following the same 55 1/2 tips, we're just going to run into each other and explode -- if only because we're simultaneously trying to figure out how to achieve a 1/2 tip.