7 Things Confident Leaders Don't Do
In a world full of wannabe
entrepreneurs and leaders, don't try to be what you're not.
If you've been around long enough,
you begin to realize that success is just as much about what you don't
do as what you do. Any CEO, entrepreneur, or venture capitalist will tell you
that lack of focus is one of their most insidious enemies.
It's always been true, but the
temptation to try to do more or give in to distraction has never been greater
than it is today.
Don't get me wrong. Some people do
manage to find ways to capitalize on their natural tendency to get easily
sidetracked. I should know. I'm one of them. Still, it's a constant battle that
I fight to this day. No kidding.
In my experience, and I've worked
with hundreds of successful executives and business leaders, there are certain
things they simply don't do. I don't know if they're instinctive or cognitive,
but I've noted seven things they rarely, if ever, do.
1. What everyone else is doing.
Quite the contrary, they tend to
have a natural tendency to question conventional wisdom and challenge the
status quo. Fads, cultural norms, groupthink, forget it. They don't worry about
their personal brands, personal productivity, or social media.
That is, unless that's their
competency, their passion, who they are. I'm sure Mark Zuckerberg and Jack
Dorsey manage to update their Facebook and Twitter pages from time to time.
2. Worry about weaknesses.
Maybe they should. For all I know,
maybe that's the difference between successful people and really
successful people. All I know is, they're usually confident and comfortable
with who they are. They're not plagued by the fear and self-doubt that derails
so many people. They don't fixate on what they're not. They accept it.
Don't get me wrong. They are human.
They have fear. But one of the key reasons why they're so successful at what
they do is because it is their passion. They've found their true path. When
they're doing what they love, they're comfortable with it, not fearful of it.
And it shows in their work.
3. Waste a lot of time.
It's not that they're concerned with
productivity or time management. They don't waste a lot of time because they
have a vision--a mission. They truly want to spend their lives on whatever it
is they love doing, so that's what they do. Period.
They don't indulge activities that
so many people waste their lives on. They don't try to get inside other
people's heads. They don't ask why things happen or why people do the things
they do. That is, unless it's a problem they really want to solve.
They don't wish for things to be
different. They make things different.
4. Try to be successful.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying
they're not savvy business people. What I am saying is they're usually just
trying to accomplish something. Then they're trying to accomplish another
thing. Then another. Most successful people are driven to do, to accomplish, to
win. It's one thing at a time. Success just comes with the territory.
5. Breathe their own fumes.
There is a downside to being too
indoctrinated with your own vision. You can become blinded by it. That's what
ultimately takes down lots of people who are initially successful but can't
sustain it. They stop asking questions, succumb to their own status quo, stick
with flawed ideas.
Highly accomplished people do not
surround themselves with yes-men, give in to group think, or accept anything
other than the genuine unfiltered truth. Sure, they might bite your head off at
first. But that doesn't mean they're not listening. What can I say; that's how
it is.
6. Fear competition.
They understand competition, know
their competition, are comfortable with competition. They're generally
confident in their abilities and courageous in the face of competitive battle.
That said, they're not fools.
They're not sure they'll prevail. It's just that, the question doesn't usually
enter their minds. They just do what they do best and give it all they've got.
After the fact they may look back and see that they've won, but only briefly.
By then, they're usually on to the next battle.
7. Try to be what they're not.
Not a single successful executive,
VC, entrepreneur, or business owner that I've ever known has ever gotten to
where he is by being something he's not. Not a single one. Anyone who tells you
to focus on self-promotion instead of doing whatever it is you love to do just
doesn't get it.
It sounds so simple, but this is the
big takeaway that will set you apart. In a world full of wannabe entrepreneurs
and leaders, where everyone's a CEO of their own little world, don't try to be
what you're not. Just be you.
Steve Tobak http://www.inc.com/steve-tobak/7-things-successful-people-dont-do.html?cid=em01013week09b
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