The most successful people in
business approach their work differently than most. See how they think--and why
it works.
I'm fortunate enough to know a
number of remarkably successful people. Regardless of industry or profession,
they all share the same perspectives and beliefs.
And they act on those beliefs:
1. Time doesn't fill me. I fill
time.
Deadlines and time frames establish
parameters, but typically not in a good way. The average person who is given
two weeks to complete a task will instinctively adjust his effort so it actually
takes two weeks.
Forget deadlines, at least as a way
to manage your activity. Tasks should only take as long as they need to take.
Do everything as quickly and effectively as you can. Then use your
"free" time to get other things done just as quickly and effectively.
Average people allow time to impose
its will on them; remarkable people impose their will on their time.
2. The people around me are the
people I chose.
Some of your employees drive you
nuts. Some of your customers are obnoxious. Some of your friends are selfish,
all-about-me jerks.
You chose them. If the people around
you make you unhappy it's not their fault. It's your fault. They're in your
professional or personal life because you drew them to you--and you let them
remain.
Think about the type of people you
want to work with. Think about the types of customers you would enjoy serving.
Think about the friends you want to have.
Then change what you do so you can
start attracting those people. Hardworking people want to work with hardworking
people. Kind people like to associate with kind people. Remarkable employees want
to work for remarkable bosses.
Successful people are naturally
drawn to successful people.
3. I have never paid my dues.
Dues aren't paid, past tense. Dues
get paid, each and every day. The only real measure of your value is the
tangible contribution you make on a daily basis.
No matter what you've done or
accomplished in the past, you're never too good to roll up your sleeves, get
dirty, and do the grunt work. No job is ever too menial, no task ever too
unskilled or boring.
Remarkably successful people never
feel entitled--except to the fruits of their labor.
4. Experience is irrelevant.
Accomplishments are everything.
You have "10 years in the Web
design business." Whoopee. I don't care how long you've been doing what
you do. Years of service indicate nothing; you could be the worst 10-year
programmer in the world.
I care about what you've done:
how many sites you've created, how many back-end systems you've installed, how
many customer-specific applications you've developed (and what kind)... all
that matters is what you've done.
Successful people don't need to describe themselves
using hyperbolic adjectives like passionate, innovative,
driven, etc. They can just describe, hopefully in a humble way, what they've done.
5. Failure is something I
accomplish; it doesn't just happen to me.
Ask people why they have been
successful. Their answers will be filled with personal pronouns: I, me, and the
sometimes too occasional we.
Ask them why they failed. Most will
revert to childhood and instinctively distance themselves, like the kid who
says, "My toy got broken..." instead of, "I broke my toy."
They'll say the economy tanked.
They'll say the market wasn't ready. They'll say their suppliers couldn't keep
up.
They'll say it was someone or
something else.
And by distancing themselves, they
don't learn from their failures.
Occasionally something completely
outside your control will cause you to fail. Most of the time, though, it's
you. And that's okay. Every successful person has failed. Numerous times. Most
of them have failed a lot more often than you. That's why they're successful
now.
Embrace every failure: Own it, learn
from it, and take full responsibility for making sure that next time, things
will turn out differently.
6. Volunteers always win.
Whenever you raise your hand you
wind up being asked to do more.
That's great. Doing more is an
opportunity: to learn, to impress, to gain skills, to build new
relationships--to do something more than you would otherwise been able to do.
Success is based on action. The more you volunteer, the
more you get to act. Successful people step forward to create opportunities.
Remarkably successful people sprint
forward.
7. As long as I'm paid well, it's
all good.
Specialization is good. Focus is
good. Finding a niche is good.
Generating revenue is great.
Anything a customer will pay you a
reasonable price to do--as long as it isn't unethical, immoral, or illegal--is
something you should do. Your customers want you to deliver outside your normal
territory? If they'll pay you for it, fine. They want you to add services you
don't normally include? If they'll pay you for it, fine. The customer wants you
to perform some relatively manual labor and you're a high-tech shop? Shut up,
roll 'em up, do the work, and get paid.
Only do what you want to do
and you might build an okay business. Be willing to do what customers want you
to do and you can build a successful business.
Be willing to do even more and you
can build a remarkable business.
And speaking of customers...
8. People who pay me always have the
right to tell me what to do.
Get over your cocky, pretentious,
I-must-be-free-to-express-my-individuality self. Be that way on your own time.
The people who pay you, whether
customers or employers, earn the right to dictate what you do and how you do
it--sometimes down to the last detail.
Instead of complaining, work to
align what you like to do with what the people who pay you want you to do.
Then you turn issues like control
and micro-management into non-issues.
9. The extra mile is a vast,
unpopulated wasteland.
Everyone says they go the extra
mile. Almost no one actually does. Most people who go there think,
"Wait... no one else is here... why am I doing this?" and leave,
never to return.
That's why the extra mile is such a
lonely place.
That's also why the extra mile is a
place filled with opportunities.
Be early. Stay late. Make the extra
phone call. Send the extra email. Do the extra research. Help a customer unload
or unpack a shipment. Don't wait to be asked; offer. Don't just tell employees
what to do--show them what to do and work beside them.
Every time you do something, think
of one extra thing you can do--especially if other people aren't doing that one
thing. Sure, it's hard.
But that's what will make you
different.
And over time, that's what will make
you incredibly successful.
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