Shift your perception
We are beginning to see more and more Fortune 500 companies shifting their cultures from promoting competition to advocating for collaboration. In fact, 49% of millennials, who are soon to comprise the majority of the workforce, support team building, and using tools for workplace collaboration.
If people within the same work environment can see each other as sounding boards for growth and opportunity, instead of threats and competitors, then success will follow. When you are open to collaboration and allow yourself to become the student, you are open to success.
In honor of celebrating the spirit of truth and success, here are four tried and true tips on how to be successful and avoid perpetuating the “faking it til you make it” phenomenon.
Give yourself permission to progress
Strive for excellence, not perfection. The late, great Vince Lombardi said, “Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.” So check it: steadily striving for perfection creates a false sense that looking good and actually doing good are the same things.
Focus on getting better each and every day. You don’t have to be perfect to make progress.
Be a lifelong learner
Sometimetimes life will demand that you be in the driver’s seat, but sometimes you’ll be better off in the passenger’s seat. A key concept in how to be successful is being okay with being a student and not the teacher. Allow your colleagues to shed light on your blind spots then make yourself available to be coached. Being available and open to coaching is truly the heartbeat of your success.
Learn from your elders
Who told you that your mentors have to be available for conversations? You can learn so much, not just from the living but from those who have passed on. Pick up a book and read about the pioneers in your field. With the growing popularity of audiobooks, taking a page from the greats is now easier than ever. We have access to a wealth of knowledge on how to be successful. Do yourself a favor and take advantage of it.
Be transparent and learn how to be successful
You were born for greatness and to help others discover the importance inside of themselves. Be honest and admit when you don’t know something. Take a step back and let others teach you how to be successful in all aspects of your work. When we continue to “fake it till we make it,” we rob ourselves of interactions that are designed to organically build character and connect with others. Your journey won’t look like your neighbor’s, and that’s okay! Learn how to be successful by realizing that you don’t already know everything. The sooner you admit it, the quicker you will fill the missing gaps in your career.
