I went to the gym to work out the other day and ran into a friend that I hadn’t seen in a while. His name is the same as mine, Sam We spoke for a few minutes and during our conversation a mutual friend’s name came up. Our friend Brian is extremely successful and I asked Sam his opinion as to why he thought Brian was so successful. We agreed that Brian was great at four things.
1. Organized
Brian is incredibly organized. He uses sophisticated systems and technology to keep track of information, follow up on a timely basis and make sure that his team delivers to their clients at a high level of service. He knows what actions lead to what results. He keeps his team focused on activities that move them forward to their goals. Organized people and organizations are more productive, more effective and achieve more.
2. Works Hard
Brian isn’t afraid to come in early, stay late, work on the weekend and do whatever it takes to get the results he desires. Many times in life you do what you have to do so you can do what you want to do. Hard work is always at the core of great results. And, just because you achieve success doesn’t mean you can back off. It’s hard to reach lofty goals, but many times it’s difficult to maintain that level of results.
3. Smart
Brian has spent a lot of time learning his trade. He fully understands the services and products that he offers, he knows all about his competition and he is continually looking to develop new skills. Many people stop learning when they finish school. They stop reading. They stop putting themselves in learning situations like seminars and retreats. Lifelong learning leads to greater competitiveness in your industry. When you know more then your competition you position yourself to outperform your competition.
4. Great at Relationships
Everything of significance that anyone has ever achieved has come about because of one or more relationships. Brian is a master of connecting with people. He follows up and looks to serve the people around him. Being organized, working hard and committing yourself to lifelong learning is only the start. When you bring meaningful relationships into play then you leverage the benefits of all of the first three attributes and position yourself for incredible results. Work hard every week to take your existing relationships deeper and to establish new relationships that you can develop over time.
Where is your skill set in these four areas? Are they strengths for you or is there one or more that you need to work at? Understanding what it takes to be more productive and achieve at a higher level is the first step. Measure your capabilities, make adjustments where necessary and be accountable to achieve the results you desire.
