Starting or running your own business already sets you apart from the rest of the population.
It takes a specific personality type to become a successful business owner and not everyone has the stomach to last the distance.
Successful entrepreneurs are calculated risk-takers, they are the renegades, the people least likely to work in a corporate space, as their values normally act like Salmon swimming upstream while everyone is learning the corporate dance.
The main trait that stands out though, is that they are all aiming to be high performers in their own space, and this can be a challenge.
For me, I understand what I had to sacrifice in order to start my multiple organizations. And, blogging is a business all on its own for those of you looking to make a business out of your websites.
Apart from the long hours and sleepless nights, there was a drive that was innate to the overall process.
I wanted to find out what this was and came across some great insights into high performers and how they stay ahead of the pack, something that we can all use in our day-to-day lives running our own business.
So let’s see the common traits of high-performers, shall we?
They Put In The Work
It takes an insane amount of effort to constantly be a high performer, and there is no substitute for hard work.
The trick, however, is consistency.
Many people will moan and complain about how hard they are working and the long hours they put in, but these people will never be successful as they are most likely less efficient than their counterparts and see the long hours as a grudge purchase and not a means to an end to improve themselves and their position.
They Learn From Others
As with anything in life, you absorb knowledge and skills from the people you surround yourself with.
If you constantly choose to hang around with substandard employees, then that is what you will become.
High performers know this and purposefully include mentors and other high performers into their work and social circle.
Only by being around people smarter and better than you, can you improve at a faster pace than trying to go it alone.
They Are Open To Feedback
If you don’t know what you are doing wrong, there is no way you can improve.
High performers are constantly asking for feedback from their peers and mentors.
By using data and feedback, they can adapt and adjust the sails of the boat and improve their output at a faster rate than before.
If you don’t get feedback, but just guess how you are doing, you will never be able to get to the top.
They Look For Learning Opportunities
With every job and assignment they do, they are constantly looking for the learning opportunity.
Learning is a physical process, and only by doing it can they improve their output.
If they are in a situation where they are not learning something new, they often move on and stop wasting their time in an environment that will not benefit them.
It may seem rude at the time, but for them, they would rather be honest and move on, than try not to hurt someone’s feelings.
They Demand Top Compensation
They know their worth and are not ashamed to ask for it. Because they are constantly measuring their successes, they can offer significant data to their superiors on how they are doing, compared to the rest of their peers.
Simply put – If they don’t get the proper compensation or recognition, they will soon move on to someone or something that will offer them the rewards for the effort.
They Are Highly Productive
On average, high performers are 400% more productive than their peers, so it’s no wonder they don’t have an issue asking for higher salaries or bonuses!
They increase their productivity with a number of strategies.
Choosing to only work on high-impact projects or clients, constantly improving their skills, and using productivity systems to monitor their progress and outputs in measurable data.
They Know When To Say No
How often are you in a situation you don’t want to be in just because you could not say no?
Learning how to say no is an important skill to learn in order to ensure your time is spent in the most productive way possible.
Setting boundaries in your workplace is as important as in your private life.
It took many years to learn the skill of saying no to an event or function where there would be no value to attend or even declining a wedding invitation to that long-lost cousin you have barely seen.
They Value Health And Fitness
Often one of the first things to fall off the wagon for high performers, happen to be exercise time and decent nutrition.
When we are busy, ensuring we have decent meals takes a back seat as we reach for the vending machine.
If your training schedule has fallen by the wayside, it is time to get it back on track and schedule your days and meetings around some self-care.
Final Thoughts
All of the above elements can be learned behaviors and improve how you perform, feel, treat people, and get remunerated.
The key is to ensure that you have all the supporting data on hand to justify the endgame. Taking each element in isolation and making it a habit can, over time, turn you into a high performer.
There is no pressure to start with everything at once, as it needs to be sustainable in the long run.
It surely does not help burning out before you can entrench the behavior patterns required to shift the dial and boost your performance.
What would you like to improve on? Let us know in the comments. I would love for you to share your experiences and future goals!
