Imitate Winners—Jump-Start Your Success!

Q. I’m in my 30’s and think it’s time I stepped up my career plan. I’m reasonably successful now, but I want to move up in my company faster than I have in the last five years. How can be even more successful? Bob S.

A. By imitating the successful, productive people you see in your company. What works for them is likely to work for you. Here are some key behaviors that make people successful. Identify the successful people in your organization and you’ll probably see that they have these traits:

Work Values and Character

• They get personally involved in the company’s work, goals, and culture—with zest. They show that this isn’t just a job for them—but a career and company they’re committed to.

• They show real enthusiasm at meetings, on the phone, when they talk to people one-on-one. Their energy moves others to imitate them—and they get noticed.

• They maintain a positive outlook: love your life, your work. They focus on the plus, not the negative—and look for the opportunity and challenge in a problem, rather than being discouraged by it.

•  They’re honest with themselves and others. They show people they can be counted on to give the straight story—that they’re not manipulating or playing head games with people. They set an example of commitment to quality and integrity.

• They expect to be wrong sometimes…and admit it. People admire and trust them for it.

Ideas and Insights

• Successful, productive people look beyond their immediate tasks, and imagine what a successful future would look like…and work toward it. This gives them a clear goal to work toward.

• They welcome new ideas. This helps them stay open to change—and growth. And it keeps their thinking fresh. And they never give up. Never.

• They take calculated risks. (The turtle never makes progress until it sticks its neck out.)

• They sort their priorities often throughout the day. And they’re willing to change priorities when they encounter new information.

• They make decisions carefully. They typically use decision-making tools, and can explain their decisions without becoming defensive. They weigh the possible options of their actions—and the likely consequences—before they take action.

• They work hard to spot trends and options — as early as possible—so they can move in that direction. This means they have to keep their thinking fresh and stay open to new ideas. They know that doing things a certain way because they’ve always done them that way won’t help them stay fresh.

• They take stress in stride. Stress is a part of life and work, and how we handle it will show whether we have the character and personality to handle even more stress well.

Focus on Results

• Successful people meet challenges head-on. They identify and manage their fears so they won’t get in the way of their achieving results.

• They usually take the first step to reconcile conflicts: that way they eliminate negative energy, and build alliances instead of enemies. They consider each conflict a barrier to achieving good results.

• They know when to hold their ground—and when not to. They know they sometimes have to back off temporarily to achieve the results over the long term. And they’ve learned that giving in to a minor point could open the door to achieving a major result that wouldn’t be possible otherwise.

• Typically, they help people work together—synergize them. We all want good leadership. The best results are achieved when everyone works together.

• They don’t let events force them to act prematurely: they avoid a “Ready-Fire-Aim” mindset. They firmly believe that failing to plan before they act is really planning to fail.

• They measure their results— and report them to upper management/others. They know any activity can be quantified.

• They challenge boundaries—to help them and others grow.

Build Solid Relationships

• Successful people show compassion for others—especially those with lesser talents. They know they need their support to get things done.

• They stand up for people who have good ideas but are on the shy side. This helps them build solid support—and a network of people they can count on.

• They help others to succeed.

• They encourage individual initiative. They typically delegate as much as they can to help other people develop their skills.

• They communicate warmth, friendship, and trust for the people they work with. That’s one reason they get so much support.

• The share the rewards, but not the punishments.

• They respond with their heart as well as their mind. And they easily show that they value and respect others’ feelings.