Successful Professionals Have These 5 Traits
Do you?
Some professionals are in a league of their own.
In the last couple of years, I have observed individuals who are particularly successful in their careers. These people seem to edge out others in their careers, and everyone seems to look at them and marvel without knowing their winning formula.
Well, I can share some of their winning formulas with you.
There are more qualities, but these are the most common among these professionals.
Actively seek (new) opportunities to learn
Successful professionals actively seek new opportunities to learn.
They study in the field every day. I mean daily. I didn't make a mistake.
They have dedicated study hours. They actively pursue new learning opportunities to help them grow and improve their careers. They understand that the more knowledge they have, the more power they have, so they go all in, ready to consume any resources that will be helpful to them.
So, if you are keen and serious about your professional growth, you must commit time to learning in your field daily. It's not as hard as you think. Treat your career like your savings account and put in sometime every day to learn.
You should:
Commit time to learning daily.
Actively pursue learning and grow.
Consume new resources in your field to get better at what you do.
Take personal responsibility for their growth
Successful professionals have a growth mindset.
The second characteristic of successful professionals is that they actively take responsibility for all things in their careers.
They don't give excuses.
They don't expect their bosses to help them plan their careers and future. They know exactly what they want and spend time reflecting on what they need to achieve their career goals.
These professionals typically plan their careers well ahead of time and are not scared to fail. They know their plans are imperfect, so they remain flexible. They always find new opportunities to renavigate their career if they encounter a stumbling block.
The question is, do you?
To be a top professional, you must be ready to take full responsibility for your career. Do not be the person that blames others if things don't go your way. Be the person who takes full responsibility for the events in your life and career.
You must:
Be prepared to take responsibility for your career.
Make plans for your career.
Be flexible and accept that things will not always work out your way.
Invest heavily in their careers
Successful professionals invest heavily in their careers.
I have a friend I am always worried about. This fellow spends most of his savings to enrol in a new degree or course.
He is a top professional in his field. He leads a big team in his organisation but still actively commits resources from his earnings to learning new things that will directly help his work. Once he recognises a new need in his job, it's a no-brainer for him. He will go after the knowledge at any cost.
To be a top professional, you must commit to committing resources to learning. There are no two ways about it. If you prefer to buy McDonald's Burgers over a course, you might soon find yourself getting left behind because you are not growing.
You must:
Commit your resources to learning new things. You are the best investment you can ever have.
Actively seek out new challenges in your current work, then enrol in courses to help you get better.
Think ahead of others
Successful professionals are leaders.
They are visionary and know what they want and where they need to be.
They have career clarity and are filled with purpose.
They know what their organisation requires of them and actively take daily steps to achieve their goals.
They hardly wait to be told what to do. They know where they need to be and are always happy to figure out what to do to get there.
They are not afraid of encountering failures or challenges along the way. They are happy to get going and figure it out. They don't want to wait to be told what to do.
If you want to be unique in your career, thinking ahead of others is a skill you must master. If you like to be told what to do, you might be closer to the exit door than you think.
Why?
Because your employer knows they can easily replace you. All they need to do is to hire a new person and give them instructions.
You must:
Stop waiting to be told what to do.
Always be steps ahead of others, especially your boss.
Always think of what's next.
Genuinely care about helping others
Successful professionals genuinely care about others.
They care about helping others succeed and will go to lengths to help the other person.
They value human relationships and understand their network is their net worth.
You need career evangelists to unlock certain opportunities. If you struggle to find professionals who are willing to help you around, then maybe you aren't helping others enough.
You will unlock the next level of career leverage once you shift your mindset from focusing on what you want others to do for you. Instead, you should focus on helping others succeed.
We are social beings. We want to return favours to those who have helped us in the past. We want to return the favour as quickly as possible.
Remember;
Genuinely care about the other person's needs.
Help someone achieve these career goals.
Be a giver, not a receiver.
Final thoughts
Successful professionals are not aliens. They are like you and me. You can be like them if you want to. All you need is to seek learning opportunities, take responsibility for your career, invest in your career, think ahead of others, and genuinely care about helping others succeed.
Do you?
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