“Long ago, I realized that success leaves clues, and that people who produce outstanding results do specific things to create those results.” – Tony Robbins
What are the vitally important skills mastered by the most successful men and women holding the highest executive positions in their industry? A Google search produced some 62,100,000 results in 0.61 seconds!
Let’s begin seeking out the clues scattered by successful business builders by exploring their top dog expertise. Then let’s peep into the future for hints of the executive skills needed in a post-pandemic, digitized, data-driven world yearning for greater equality and diversity.
Vision is Vital
Inspiring those in your business with your simple and fundamental vision of a clear and achievable outcome worth working for is crucial.
This is the skill that elevates effective leaders and keeps their staff and contractors inspired and committed. Reminding your team where you are going and why it is important is essential. Steve Jobs explained, “The vision needs to be reiterated. I do that a lot.”
Conviction is Compulsory
Certainty is knowing for sure your vision of your future outcome will actualize. Successful business leaders have no doubt their desired outcome will manifest. This skill is more than just having confidence, it’s about having an absolute belief that your project will succeed. These leaders eat, sleep and verbalize with firm conviction as if the outcome has been achieved.
“Doubts in your mind are a much greater roadblock to success than obstacles on the journey.”- Orrin Woodward
Infinite Drive
Whatever it takes to be triumphant: true grit, determination, resourcefulness or tenacity to jump over the hurdles or climb the mountain can be summed up in one word, “drive”.
The leader that is rewarded with a big, successful outcome is skilled at energizing every member of the team to pull together and be united in their mission. He or she is masterful at driving the project home by sensing when to change gears for the uphill climb, when to cruise to maintain a steady speed and when to push on the gas during the extra mile to take the team over the finish line.
To be recognized as the number one, amongst a crowded market, you will need infinite drive. When you optimize your health and wellness, and keep your focus when all around you are distracted, you will even surprise yourself. When you dig deep to go beyond and actualize your vision, your extra perseverance will kick in, the extra strength will be there.
Palm Trees That Pivot
To achieve this, there are two more skills you will have mastered.
One is being flexible. Which trees survive the strongest of winds? Those that are flexible, like tall, tropical palm trees.
When the situation changes, (and it will), are you nimble enough to adapt?
When a team member has an idea for a new and better process are you going to stick to your old ways?
When the critical component is not delivered on schedule, can you find an alternative quickly to save the day?
Master the skill of pivoting naturally and easily. Gusts of the unexpected will blow you off course. Keep looking ahead for signs and adjust to keep progressing towards your target.
Diamonds Are Your Best Friend
Whether the diamond is the hardest natural material on the planet is being debated. For apex achievers it’s an exquisite reminder to harden yourself in multiple ways for the inevitable criticism that rising above the pack will attract.
In the second decade of social media and with the trend of the “cancel culture” your diamond defense will be needed more than ever.
You will have to make hard decisions and more than likely will receive some harsh push back. These are times when the top dog digs deep and relies on his or her core values to guide their next step. Core values of integrity, being responsible, accountability, fairness, and transparency, to name a few.
Future Top Business Skill Sets
The future is closer than most of us realize accelerated by the global pandemic.
Leaders priming for success in the months ahead will need to prioritize being:
- Technologically savvy,
- Eager to embrace and encourage far greater diversity in their teams and workplaces,
- Open to adapting to the requirements of staff working remotely and in different time zones,
- A trailblazer in welcoming collaborative team leadership and
- Willing to develop their own personal hard and soft skills and acquiring new knowledge.
Are you up to the challenge of joining the finest business movers and shakers of this decade?
Look for the clues of success left by the leaders that resonant with you and hone these skills until they are part of your DNA. Grab your courage and reveal your vision, and we’ll see you at the top.