Behavioural Waste

What do people that win or succeed have in common?

I’m sure we can all quote lots of people in the headlines that we believe are successful and naturally good at what they do.

But here’s the shock – it only looks natural because they’ve done it time and time again, they’ve practiced and focused. They’ve failed along the way but looked at it as a learning process, where the next time they’ll be better. But you know all that so it’s not a shock at all! Every blog, article or book you’ve read says predominantly the same thing.

However knowing it and doing something that makes it work for you can be wildly apart, in fact so far apart that they appear to be on distant unconnected islands – one island in the Atlantic Ocean called ‘Knowing’ and another in the Pacific Ocean called ‘Doing’. Two different oceans and no safe route from one to the other, so no wonder no one wants to take that journey on open stormy seas!

But some do it and those that do are successful and are winners.

What makes winners different?

Think of a couple of people that inspire you from business, sport or whatever arena you like.  If you were asked to talk about them and say why you’d probably include words like confident, collaborative, engaging, determined, self-belief, funny and many more comments. But on some occasions when you’re having fun, in the zone and flying at what you do, you are some or all of these aren’t you? But why some of them and not all? And why only sometimes and not mostly or always?

If you look at it differently you may come up with some thoughts that are more insightful as these taken from a Forbes article by  Dan Schawbel – the New York Times best-selling author of “Promote Yourself”.

1. They know when to stay and when to leave. Successful people know exactly when they should change employers, start a company or fold their company. They have good intuition and aren’t afraid to make hard choices, despite opposing forces.

2. They do more than what’s asked of them. They view their job descriptions as just the beginning of what they can do with their job. After they’ve completed their mandatory tasks, they will always ask to take on more projects that challenge them. They are even willing to take on the tedious work that no one else wants to do in order to be a team player.

3. They are willing to fail in order to eventually succeed. All successful people know that it doesn’t come easy and they are bound to fail more than they will succeed at anything. They are willing to learn from each failure, as it will help them make better decisions that lead to success later. While many people give up after failing at something, a successful person will persevere.

4. They know that they make their own luck. Luck is derived from hard work over time and positioning yourself for success. You won’t randomly get lucky and successful people know that. They will do at least one thing every single day to put themselves in a better position to get lucky and then use that luck to grow.

5. They set real goals that they can accomplish. Successful people wake up and they’ve already planned their day, while unsuccessful people are scrambling to figure out what they need to do next. Their goals are very focused, big yet obtainable and are aligned to their strengths. They know what they are capable of and will invest all of their efforts in it, avoiding their weaknesses.

6. They take accountability for themselves and their actions. They aren’t relying on other people in order to get the job done. Instead, they are looking inwards and are trying to find the solutions, while leveraging their current assets. If they make a mistake, they own up to it and immediately think of ways that they can improve next time, not making the same mistake twice.

7. They make change instead of being affected by it. Successful people aren’t waiting around to be affected by economic trends. They are the ones who are creating the trends and making things happen.

8. They are able to adjust to changes in the marketplace. Successful people are willing to reinvent themselves to stay relevant in the business world. They understand that if you stay stagnant and ignore trends, that you will be left behind. They are constantly coming up with new ideas, searching for the next big thing and getting new skills.

9. They can communicate their story effectively. If you walk up to a successful person and ask them what they do, they will able to tell you everything in a concise manner. They know who they are, what they do and can make you believe in them. They have strong posture and are very persuasive and confident.

10. They ask the right questions to the people who can deliver the right answers. Successful people know they need to solve problems by tapping their networks. They aren’t afraid of emailing or calling the best person who can answer their questions. They are always prepared with the right questions and are always willing to help the other person out in return.

11. They are life-long learners who push themselves out of their comfort zones. While most people think that when they graduate college, they are finished being a student, successful people remain students. They are constantly learning new things and have new experiences. They aren’t afraid to try new activities and to fail at them.

12. They know who they are and their place in the world. Successful people are confident and can lead themselves, as well as others. They have their own vision and mission and seek to bring it to life on a daily basis. They also know who they aren’t and don’t waste time on things that they aren’t good at or they aren’t satisfied with.

13. They are more excited about the journey than the pay out.Successful people ignore get rich quick schemes. They are more focused on building sustainable careers through hard work, risk taking and creativity. They enjoy the journey, despite the obstacles, because they are doing something that has meaning in their lives.

14. They create instead of just consume. While most people are busy reading emails, watching TV or listening to a podcast, successful people are creating new tools, presentations and coming up with ideas. They are the ones who are making things that other people need instead of being on the other end of the spectrum, consuming them.

Of course…

You Know All That Too!

I doubt any of it is surprising or something you’ve heard before.

So what’s stopping you from the journey across the Atlantic and Pacific from your island of “Knowing” to the winner’s island of “Doing”?

The answer is simple, even though it may not be obvious. We all have Behavioural Waste^TM but most of us do nothing about it. Yes we all have it and what’s great is that if we acknowledge it, work on it and get rid of it we’ll create the space to be better. How better? Well that’s your opportunity in your world.

Behavioural Waste^TM is a disease

Just like the phrase suggests it’s any wasteful behaviour in that it diverts energy, focus, talent and resources away from personal or organisational purpose. It stops you from being successful and winning. It stops us thinking, leaves us in a frustrated state and we lose the drive to do anything different. Behavioural Waste results in unproductive ‘games’ that people persist in playing.

Want To Get Rid Of Your Behavioural Waste?

First you need to accept you have some – WE ALL HAVE !

So if you’re open to changing your belief now the next step.

And we’ve made it easy to take. Something for FREE – something that has years of experience and research from all sorts of people in public and private business sectors, charities, education sports… and life in general.

Why Free? Because we want to take away any barrier (Behavioural Waste^TM) you have put in the way. Those barriers are mostly habits you’ve developed that all add to your behaviour – you’ve always done it that way.

So now’s the time to reduce your Behavioural Waste^TM – but it’s still your choice. And yes you have a choice in everything you do as demonstrated in the book.

So here’s the link

http://www.mindfitltd.com/product/recycling-behavioural-waste/

It’s called “Recycling Behavioural Waste” because when we know what creates it we can stop it and reduce it. Written by Prof Victor Newman and Graham Williams, with contributions from the Mind Fit team, it’s a lifetime’s work on people’s behaviour.

“Feedback is the breakfast of champions” from Ken Blanchard’s minute manager. So I’d welcome some of that whatever you may be thinking. Criticism is just feedback to us and up to the receiver how they take it. That’s explained in the book too!

Now it’s over to you. It’s still your choice, so what’s yours?

All the best

Neville Gaunt

CEO Mind Fit