Success Habits

There’s a certain percentage of people who are consistently successful almost regardless of circumstances. This success is as much of a formula as it is an outcome.

One common denominator I see among the most successful people is a series of particular habits. A habit is something you do over and over until it becomes part of who you are and how others regard you. These success habits are quite diverse. Some are simple, while others require discipline and diligence.

Get in the Habit

1] Successful people listen. They listen to the positives, negatives, and dissident voices in the room. They listen for the nuggets of information and the answers to the important questions. Listening is a muscle that needs to be consciously exercised. Begin the habit of active listening.

2] Successful people act. Success is a verb, not a noun. While it’s important to contemplate the ideal outcome, nothing will be achieved without action.

3] Successful people exceed expectations. This is an important way that they build relationships, win deals, and create trust. Exceeding expectations can be as simple as showing up to an appointment
5 minutes early or, more significantly, by delivering on an unexpected sale. The habit is to make sure you always exceed the expectation you set.

4] Successful people blend the mind and the heart. The heart supplies empathy and emotion while the mind provides data and facts. Listening to the heart allows for gut-level decisions and acts of kindness, while considering the data means you will reduce the roller coaster of emotions. 

5] Successful people give. If you give, you get. Giving to others will provide you with things that cannot be obtained through winning or receiving. If you make it a habit to teach and coach others, you will actually gain more mastery over the knowledge you are sharing.

6] Successful people ask questions. By asking questions, you will gain a greater understanding of the context and motivations of others. This allows you to better guide the vision or discussion. Asking the right questions helps make the solution a dialogue rather than a dictate. If you always ask questions before zeroing in on the immediate answer, you will generally have a more successful outcome.

Use these habits to take a personal inventory. Do you connect more with some of these points than with others? Why or why not? Thinking about these habits will force you to define success for yourself and develop your own habits to achieve it.