By Carmen Greger
SUMMITING A MOUNTAIN BEGINS WITH ONE STEP
Success in the workplace, whatever form the workplace takes, is not just about being skilled and knowledgeable in your field, but also about possessing certain characteristics that set you apart from your peers. Whether you are an entry level employee, manager, CEO, entrepreneur, artist, athlete or other type of business person imaginable, developing these characteristics can help you achieve success in your career.
Prioritization: Successful individuals are highly skilled at prioritizing tasks and projects. They know how to manage their time effectively, focus on the most important tasks, and complete them efficiently. By prioritizing their workload, they can maximize their productivity and get the most important work done first.
Big-picture thinking: Having a broad perspective and being able to see beyond the day-to-day tasks is a must. Successful individuals can identify long-term goals and are able to map out a plan to achieve them. By having a big-picture mindset, they can stay focused on what truly matters and avoid getting sidetracked by minor distractions.
Growth mindset: A growth mindset is a must; successful people believe that they, their work and the company they work with can always learn and improve. They embrace challenges, view failures as learning opportunities, and seek feedback to improve their performance. With a growth mindset, they can continuously improve and develop their skills, which is essential for long-term success.
Focus: Concentration is key; Successful individuals are able to concentrate on their work without getting distracted by external factors. They are skilled at avoiding time-wasting activities and are committed to accomplishing their goals. With focus, they can stay on track and avoid getting sidetracked by minor distractions.
Finish: Obstacles are opportunities; Successful individuals are finishers. They complete what they start, no matter how challenging it may be. They don’t give up in the face of challenges or setbacks, instead they pause, reflect, get creative, shift gears and get back to business; they are always looking for ways to improve and do better. By finishing what they start, they can accomplish their goals, make the intended impact, and move on to the next challenge.
Follow-through: Reliability and responsibility are vital to successful people; They follow through on their commitments and are known for delivering high-quality work. By following through on their commitments, they can build trust with their colleagues and clients, which is essential for long-term success.
Responsibility: Successful individuals take responsibility for their actions and decisions. They are accountable for their mistakes and are always looking for ways to improve. By taking responsibility for their actions, they can avoid blame-shifting and work to improve their performance.
Dedication: Successful people are dedicated to their work. They are passionate about what they do and are committed to achieving their goals. With dedication, they can push through challenges and setbacks and stay focused on their objectives.
Teamwork: Successful individuals are team players. They work well with others and are able to collaborate effectively to achieve shared goals. By working well with others, they can build strong relationships and accomplish more together than they could on their own.
Positive attitude: Successful beings have a positive attitude. They are optimistic, enthusiastic, and passionate about their work. They are able to inspire and motivate others to achieve their best. With a positive attitude, they can build strong relationships, overcome obstacles, and stay focused on their goals.
Developing these characteristics, and the proper ratio of them according to specific professional demands, can help individuals be efficient and effective leaders across the board, achieving success in a variety of industries, including but not limited to technology, finance, sports & entertainment, and healthcare… the list goes on. For example, successful technology professionals are skilled at data analysis, innovation, prioritization, and big-picture thinking, which are essential for launching, integrating and managing complex projects. Successful finance professionals are oft by nature calculating, pragmatic, reliable and responsible, which is important for managing and advising on large amounts of money. Athletes, coaches, and musicians show up one hundred percent every day with passion to optimize their raw talent as they naturally build their platform, respect, audience, fanship, success, recognition, endorsements, and increased opportunity along the way. Successful innovators and employees in the healthcare industry have the drive of curiosity and wonder, a solution-oriented growth mindset and a positive, proactive, and forward-thinking attitude, which is essential for adapting to new medical technologies and providing compassionate care to patients. The interweaving of the foundational aspects of Prioritization, Big-Picture Thinking, Growth-Mindset, Focus, Finish, Follow-through, Responsibility, Dedication, Teamwork and a Positive Attitude, with unique skills and talents is a recipe for summiting success in any industry.
In addition to these characteristics, individuals who show deep dedication, enthusiasm, clarity, passion, confidence, unique self-expression, and determination in their work are more likely to be recognized and promoted for their hard work and commitment, including being promoted to leadership positions, offered a new job by competitor companies, upgrading to starting player on the pro team, advancing to lead act instead of the opening act, getting the star role instead of being an extra, or being the featured artist on a gallery’s opening night.
Remember, summiting a mountain begins with one step, and then another, and then another, and then staying the course with your eyes on the prize, until one day, you are exactly where you dreamed you would be.
