What are the human qualities that successful people in business possess? It takes more than motivation and will power. It requires more than the ability to set goals. It takes considerably more than having the need to achieve. It takes more than title, or being born into the right family.
It has been said that the worst day of the week for someone who works for a successful person is Monday. The belief comes from the fact that the successful person has had two entire days to think about what needs to be created, changed or eliminated and is now ready to come to work and get all of this done in a single day—Monday.
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That is not always the case, successful people have ideas on a 24/7 basis. But what sets these people apart? What makes them different? What can you learn from watching them? Here are some observations based on watching top performers for almost half a century.
Successful people have an extraordinarily high fear of failure. Should they fail at something, they come back roaring, determined to be on top again. This fear of failure is something that comes from within, as successful people are not at all concerned with what others say, or think. Successful people have a standard within themselves, a personal barometer if you will, keeping themselves motivated to achieve.
Top performers understand fear. However, unlike most others, who focus on a fear and avoid it, successful people face fears head on. They welcome the challenge of addressing the obstacles that stand in their way. Each fear is fully dealt with, never to be an obstacle again.
Taking a long-term view is another trait of those who outperform others. That is not to say that this kind of individual has patience. Usually, patience is not found in the DNA of this kind of person. However, they do understand that to do good things, to build an organization that will succeed over time, a long-term perspective is essential.
To be successful over the long term, top performers have the ability to execute. All too often, this element separates those that are successful from those that are not. The less successful spend a lot of time planning, thinking and dreaming. Those that succeed not only plan, think and dream, they actually divide those plans into bit size pieces, develop action plans and hold themselves and others accountable for getting things done. When timetables are not met, when goals are not achieved, something happens. In less successful organizations, when timetables are not met, when goals are not achieved, nothing happens. Because there is no penalty for not meeting an objective, this becomes the new acceptable standard of performance. American Die Casting Company
Successful people have plans. It is a rare occurrence when the plan is written, but the plan exists nevertheless. The plan changes frequently. To stay successful, these individuals quickly come to realize that they must be flexible in their thinking, ready to move quickly should an opportunity pop into view. This of course, drives most everyone around the successful person crazy.
Making mistakes is something top performers seem to do a lot of. Some of these individuals will talk about what they have been unsuccessful at, and others will not say a word. Regardless, making mistakes is something that has to happen in order to be successful. Having made a mistake, it isn’t dwelled upon; it will be considered a learning experience.
Finally, successful people are not afraid to seek out help. This kind of person understands what they need to know and understands what they don’t know. To close the gap, they ask for help. The funny thing is, they do not usually do this in a public forum, but open themselves up during more intimate, private conversations with those that they trust.
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