What qualities do you see over again in people who are successful

[Lisa R.]

in their careers or in life?

 

Of course, we don't know what goes on behind the scenes. This thread is meant to be a spin off on the ones that talk about useless degrees/useful degrees and how that has impacted someone's life.

 

For instance, we belong to a local group that meets in a wealthy area of our city. While I'm not inspecting tax returns, based on the lifestyles I'm seeing, these folks are doing very well even in a weak economy. They are eager to volunteer within this group, and most all of them have a servant's heart despite their high position in the workplace. What I'm trying to say is: their success isn't accidental.

 

Here are some common things I see over and over within this group and with other successful people I've known:

 

They are *good* communicators. Some are excellent communicators. They know how to express themselves. They seem to know when to speak and when to stop talking. Along with this, they are polished and know how to present themselves well. I'm not talking about being fake. They just have good manners and react appropriately to those around them.

 

They are decisive. They also understand that *not* making a decision...is, in fact, making a decision. In other words, if I say, "I'm not sure if I should sell my house or not." Then I dwell on this over a year or so. This is making a decision *not* to sell my house.

 

They tend to have degrees in specific areas. For example, they are doctors, lawyers, CFOs, computer programmers, pilots, etc. They are exceptions to this, though. However, more often than not, they have degrees in high-paying fields.

 

 

They have common sense.

 

I'm sure I'll think of more things later. However, these are just the few traits I tend to see over and over in people that seem to be doing well. As I observe these things, I think about these in terms of teaching and training my children. For example, all things being equal, a good communicator will likely do better than a poor communicator in any given situation. Being a good communicator, being polished...these are all things I work on with my kids. I'd prefer that they'd choose certain careers or degrees over others, but ultimately that will be their choice. I do want to guide them and show them examples of people who've made good choices and prospered because of them.

[Carrie12345]

I'm pretty sure my uncle doesn't have a college degree, and dh's degree is not in his field. They're both successful in their professions, which involve selling (different) services to large companies.

 

My uncle and dh don't have much in common, but they are both extremely self-confident, strong personalities, who enjoy doing what they do. And it shows.

[elegantlion]

From the successful people I have been around I have seen...

 

 

 

• perseverance, do not quit when things are getting bad
  
• have a mentor, counselor, boss or someone who has gone before them, even if it is not in that field
  
• being willing to take risks and fail
  
• knows how to work with people and a good listener
  
• discipline beyond what is required
  
• a teachable attitude
  

 

 

Those are a few of the things I have seen.

[Rebecca in VA]

This is a GREAT question. The qualities that stands out for me among *every* really successful person I know are: A cheerful, upbeat disposition. A willingness to go the extra mile. A healthy concern for having a good reputation (meaning, they don't act ugly because it would reflect badly on them). A concern for getting everyone on board and not having unpleasantness in the group.

 

I've known a lot of people who have become extremely successful in life, and they ALL have these qualities. Even people who are only successful in a small, more local way have these qualities.

[percytruffle]

Perseverance is what came to my mind as well.

 

Also, the ability to choose the most successful path. They are not tied to one path in life, if it isn't working they move with the flow and are open to improving or altering what they do to meet the current demands of the market for whatever it is they make/sell/buy/service/manage. They are future oriented and are always on the lookout for new information and market trends.

 

I also second what was said about appearance and professionalism.

[Happy]

Successful people do what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, whether they want to or not.

 

Discipline. Eager attitude. The ability to learn from others, both mistakes to avoid and things to do. Willing to put in the hours. Willing to defer gratification in order to accomplish a goal.

[muffinmom]

Self-motivated. Willing to take criticism and learn from it. A can-do attitude. Willing to take risks. Disciplined. And a good sense of the big picture. (All of these I have observed from my dh--a successful entrepreneur.)

[kalanamak]

Define successful. Looking at the other answers, I suspect that my take on successful is different from the other posters.

 

My father wasn't successful financially. He wasn't promoted, he wasn't a pillar of the community. He was a kind, cheerful Old Joe, but not one that stood out in a crowd. He whistled a lot. He was a hard worker when he needed to be, and a relaxed hedonist when he didn't. He was a faithful and sober husband, a fun father, and a very big reader. He was a scientist, and while he loved music, I'd never heard him talk about visual art much.

 

When he was 90 I took him to the Nelson Art Museum, a rather big place. I borrowed a wheel chair because I didn't think he'd make the whole day on his feet, and I knew from experience he was going to "get his money's worth" by reading every placard by every picture on all three floors. I would wheel him into a room and announce, pardon, we are hard of hearing, and I would read the placards to him, my lips close to his good ear.

In every room he would pick one piece and start to talk about it. The dynasty it was from, the historical importance of the place depicted in the painting, a short bio of an artist, all kinds of things. I'd honestly never heard him carry on like this (I later realized it was the only museum I went to with him without my mother right there). We developed a following...people who moved from room to room with us to listen to him and I turned his wheelchair so he could address the group, not just me. The old college professor was back in the classroom, and I had really the best day of my life with him.

 

Well read, well rounded, honest, decent and true and a laughing twinkle in his eyes. It is all the success I strive for.

[Catherine]

Recently my dh saw a man, former very successful professional athlete, interviewed for this reason: to discuss his career and what factors contributed to his phenomenal success.

 

Basically, he is a man with a high school degree, but he is clearly a very bright person and self-educated in other endeavors than his profession. He made himself valuable to his team by taking it upon himself to learn the game intimately. He watched every play, every pitch, and came to be able to predict the best pitch for a given situation, given the pitches that particular pitcher was able to do. His teammates came to rely on him and he actually called pitches (instead of the catcher doing it)when it was needed. So he was an obsessive observer and astute judge of the nuances of every situation. IOW, he did not rely simply on his own natural gifts but used his mind to enhance his own playing and that of his entire team. His observation elevated him from "great athlete" status to something much closer to "one of a kind" status.

 

He was a very very hard worker. If there is one trait of people who are successful in life, IMO, it's that they are not afraid to work, very hard at times, toward a goal. This means deferring gratification, persistence in face of challenges or even of failures.

 

By the same token, people who give up easily are so often not successful.

 

Make the most of every situation. Don't throw away opportunities. Don't blame others but learn from mistakes.

 

Inflexibility is the hallmark of mediocrity IMO. Being able to think on one's feet, learn from mistakes, listen to all sides when making important decisions, see what others may not notice. It's not the same as persistence, which I see as dedication to a worthy goal, but inflexibility to me means adhering to a plan that has not worked, and doing so for dubious reasons. Read some of the articles that have been written about the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers if you want a lesson in inflexibility.

[Danestress]

Write that one down for your grandkids.

[Catherine]

I mean to say I agree that financial success is not the yardstick I would use to define "success" in every case.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I agree with all of the above.

 

I will add "a sense of humor". The people I know who are successful don't take themselves or their endeavors too seriously even though they work very hard.