Thank you to Dr. Davana Pilczuk of The Human Performance Group for this article. Dr. Pilczuk is an award-winning kinesiologist who specializes in human performance. She is a speaker, writer and consultant for Fortune 500 companies, sports teams and small businesses.
Want to be successful or stand out in your profession? Looking to be called a high performer or someone who is considered extremely good at what they do? Here are some inside tips that very successful people use to set themselves apart from the rest of us.
Health first
Top athletes and top business people put their health first, not when it’s convenient, but religiously. Whether its maintaining a good diet, cutting out the alcohol or getting their workout in daily, successful people know that their physical health is the foundation of their performance. They do not follow their co-workers and go drinking after work every Thursday or habitually work off of five hours of sleep. They design their day to include their workouts, to make sleep needs a priority and stick to their diets, regardless of how long and crazy the day becomes. Your health sets the stage for everything else, so if you want to start seeing improvements in your performance, start with getting at least six hours of sleep, eating better, cutting out the alcohol and fitting in daily physical activity.
Say ‘NO’ more
When you start to become noticeably good at something, more people will want you. The will ask for your time and help because you are very talented. The problem is, the more you give, the more likely you will burnout. And once you burn out, you lose the very sparkle that got you noticed in the first place. Before you accept a request to give of your time and energy, weigh out the payoff your efforts will yield. Yes, occasionally volunteer or do something just to genuinely help, but be protective of where you give your time. Everything we do takes time and energy; the more you give it up to things that yield little return to your life, the less time and energy you have for the important things. Your time is exceptionally valuable, so don’t say yes to every request that comes your way. If you continue to do so, you will become resentful and exhausted. Practice saying no more than you say yes.
Work smarter
The old adage “work smarter, not harder” is spot on. Successful people are very familiar with the Pareto Principal (also known as the 80/20 rule) which says that 80% of the results come for 20% of the efforts. This means that the majority of your success will come from just a few key actions. There is not enough time in the day to do everything well, but by focusing on a small percentage of highly impactful items, you will get much farther. Successful people know that there are key things that they must focus on in order to get ahead and they are perfectly fine with giving everything else much less attention.
Brand yourself
Every one of us has our own brand, whether you know it or not. From the way you speak to the way you dress and greet people in a room, we each have a unique style that others quickly pick up on. Successful people are highly aware of this and know that their credibility and trustworthiness are huge factors in how others will view them and ultimately treat them. We humans are constantly summing each other up. We try to determine who we can trust and who actually knows what they are talking about. If you treat people well and do not use them for personal gain, others will notice. Same goes for your credibility and quality of work. Slackers can only hide for so long until it starts to become apparent that they don’t have the knowledge or experience to sustain good work. Brands take a considerable amount of time to build, so guard them closely because they can be ruined in a second. Miss a few key details or treat someone rudely and watch your beloved brand get instantly tarnished.
If you want to be successful, always dress professionally and be on time, but remember, the biggest factor that will contribute to your brand is your trustworthiness. Do not betray confidences or attempt to appear more competent than you currently are. People will be more forgiving to an honest beginner than a self-serving expert.
The Human Performance Group LLC has a new course, “How to BEAT Stress” designed to help businesses of all sizes handle the stress of today’s world. Reach out for more details: www.HPGsolutions.net or davanaHPG@gmail.com.
