“Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.”— Zig Ziglar
As I think about the core traits essential to becoming a high performer or top producer, so many pop into my mind.
I personally believe that you could add to a list daily to help with personal and professional success. It’s so important to break free from complacency and prioritize self-awareness.
I truly believe that to become the best version of myself that I can be, I must be willing to take the time to analyze my actions, reactions, etc., including the following:
1. Get things done. In our industry, so many things can go wrong. I find that I must be more adaptable and flexible now more than ever before. I try not to complain as well—a bad attitude can be paralyzing and contagious! I recommend using the 80/20 rule in prioritizing your agenda that will lead to the most reward/return. An example is that I have been working on a couple of small projects, one of which is a new brochure that can be mailed out. For two weeks, I was working on the piece until one day, I just took the time to finish it up and get it ordered. I cannot tell you the relief I felt by getting this project knocked out.
2. Self-awareness. Continue to analyze what your strengths and weaknesses are. I also recommend seeking coaching or finding a mentor who can help you along your journey. I like to read good self-help books and listen to audiobooks to continue to get better daily. Be open-minded enough to be 100 percent honest with yourself and about what needs to be tweaked.
3. Empathy. Everyone has challenging days. I encourage you to show empathy and respect to everyone you encounter. Train yourself to try and see all perspectives of a situation. Please try to recognize when your customer could use a little encouragement or kind words. Be so focused on your customers that you pick up on what they are expressing to you.
4. Healthy communication. This is not a one-size-fits-all solution. We must embrace how to communicate ideas to different people in different ways. We all learn differently, so I encourage you to be calm, precise, listen first, and communicate concepts with clarity. Stay in communication with updates and the feedback necessary to remain successful. Always speak up if something doesn’t sound or feel right. I always try to communicate what to expect for a shed delivery. If we are two to three weeks out on delivery, I tell my customers that we are three to four weeks out (weather pending) to give everyone involved a little slack in case it is needed. I have found that providing your customer correct expectations eliminates those dreaded phone calls.
5. Simplify. This one is probably my favorite. I cannot stress the importance of keeping things simple. I encourage you to learn how to break down complex issues or situations and simplify them. K.I.S.S. (Keep it Simple Silly) really works.
6. Emotional Intelligence. We must learn to distinguish and separate impulsive emotions from our decision-making. I have had to learn to turn off my impulsive reactions to things. I struggle daily to stay focused on money-making activities, and I force myself to make those extra follow-up calls when I do not feel like it.
7. Time management. We need to learn to manage our time and productivity better. We all know what needs to be accomplished, and knowing what to prioritize, delegate, and eliminate goes a long way. A great question to ask yourself would be, ”Is what I am doing goal-achieving or tension-relieving?” Many of us make the mistake of thinking just because we are busy, that we are being productive.
8. Embrace being wrong. Yes, I said it. Many different viewpoints exist on this subject, which is absolutely okay. I’m working on always taking full responsibility for my mistakes and working to correct them. Work to develop a growth mindset and strive to be better every single day. Remember that it’s okay to be wrong or make a mistake. Quickly own up to it and move forward.
As I mentioned at the beginning, we can continually add to this list as so many things play a role in helping us achieve our full potential when thinking about success. Staying focused and not having a distractable mindset is becoming the skill of the century.
So many things compete for our attention daily and can negatively affect our attitudes, so if they are not growing us or moving us forward, they are merely a distraction.
I hope you found this insightful and encouraging as we all strive to persevere in the face of challenges and an ever-changing business environment. I encourage you to start moving forward and up.
Our best days are ahead shed nation!
