Like many people, I used to think that success happened to those lucky few—you know, like lottery winners. They beat the odds. The guy who got the big promotion was in the right place at the right time. The woman who sold the mega account was lucky because she knew one of the executives in the customer account. While these people seemed to get lucky breaks, they likely achieved success because they were prepared.
Preparation takes skill and practice, and it does not happen overnight. With practice, you will build a deeper awareness of yourself, greater confidence, and you will demonstrate your emerging growth in mastering a new skill. This preparation will prepare you to maximize your opportunities for success.
In this issue of Promotional Consultant Today, we share these four tips to get prepared for success from Jill J. Johnson, president and founder of Johnson Consulting Services.
1. Daily efforts are essential for success. If you aspire to leadership in any area of your career, you need to invest time in each of the many components required to be effective. Each day determine at a micro level what you need to do to be prepared for your advancement to your next level of success. How you then practice those required skills is your preparation. As you elevate your positions or level of responsibility, your opportunities will tighten. Fewer people move on to reach the highest level of leadership roles. Those who decide they will progress to higher rungs of success figure out a path to get there. They’re confident in what they know because they are prepared.
2. Build your skills before you need them. You must always be preparing so you have developed your skills before you need them. To be prepared to progress to a level beyond where you are now, you need to look ahead. Pay attention to what others at that level are doing. Ask yourself, “What else is going to be needed from me as I move up to my next level of success?”
You can practice your skill development anywhere—at home, at school, in your job, in a church group. Finding opportunities to practice new skills are all around you. You should plan to practice your new skills both inside and outside of work.
3. Volunteer to accelerate your preparation for success. You probably think you are too busy to volunteer for a leadership role in an association, community group or non-profit organization. Work and family responsibilities likely leave very little room in your schedule for taking on any kind of outside leadership role. Yet, this view limits your opportunities to accelerate your potential for success. The truth is, engaging in volunteer leadership experience can have an exceptional impact on your entire career. By agreeing to serve in any leadership role, you will have opportunities to practice the skills you need to work on and it will help you gain exposure to the new skills you will need for long-term career success. Confidence comes to you faster when you practice in a lower risk environment, such as that of a volunteer.
4. Work through the learning curves. As you build your skills, you will have learning curves. There will be times when you’re going to fumble and bumble. Mistakes happen to everyone. You must always be willing to learn from the experience. No matter what the skill, you will need to practice. Sometimes you’ll blow it. It’s okay. Chalk it up to learning and resolve to do better next time. Move forward and learn from it.
Consider how you will prepare for your next level of success. To consistently move forward, you need to intentionally develop new skills and probe for deeper insights of understanding as the issues you address become more complex. The search to understand what it will take to propel you toward your next leadership challenge never stops.
Source: Jill J. Johnson, president and founder of Johnson Consulting Services, is a highly accomplished speaker, award-winning management consultant and author of the bestselling book Compounding Your Confidence. Johnson helps her clients make critical business decisions and develop market-based strategic plans for turnarounds or growth. Her consulting work has impacted more than $4 billion worth of decisions. She has a proven track record of dealing with complex business issues and getting results.
