People don’t get to the top of their fields in the business world by accident. They get there because they develop their own strict productivity routines, they set goals and then they work hard to achieve them.
They have help along the way, whether from friends and family members or from business coaches, and sometimes they have a little bit of luck, too. Everyone is different and so everyone has a different approach, but there are also a bunch of commonalities to consider.
And so without further ado, let’s take a closer look at what those commonalities are.
To Achieve Top in Business: The Main Principles of Success
-
Network
This is almost old bat by now, but it really is true that who you know is just as important as what you know. It doesn’t matter what your line of work is, if you’re not spending time networking then you’re going to struggle to make allies and to get your voice heard in a competitive marketplace. The good news for those who’ve always struggled with face-to-face networking is that in the COVID era, it’s becoming increasingly the norm to network online.
-
Get help
You need a certain high level of skill to even consider going into business in the first place, but some people make the mistake of being overconfident and thinking that just because they’re very good at one thing, they’re very good at everything. Don’t fall into this trap. Instead, seek help when you need to, whether that’s an accountant for your tax return or whether it’s dissertation help to get you over the line with an important professional qualification.
-
SMART goals
You’ve probably heard about SMART goals before, and there’s a reason for that. Put simply, they work. SMART is an acronym that’s designed to help you to remember the different attributes that make up a good goal:
- Specific: The more specific, the better. “Generate 100 leads within six months” is better than “generate more leads”.
- Measurable: The more measurable the goal, the better. “Generate more leads” is better than “get better at marketing”.
- Achievable: There’s no point shooting for the stars if you don’t have a rocket to take you there.
- Relevant: There’s no point shooting for the stars if you’re not an astronaut.
- Timely: Adding a time limit helps you to hold yourself accountable and pushes you to work towars a deadline.
-
Hold yourself accountable
Businessmen are always being held accountable, whether they’re in their first job and reporting to a line manager or whether they’re the CEO of a huge multinational company and they’re reporting on their earnings. And sure, you could rely on these other people to hold you accountable, but you’ll find that you’re much more effective when you’re holding yourself accountable. I often find myself setting more aggressive deadlines than the ones that my clients give me, and for two main reasons. It helps me to under-promise and over-deliver, and it also gives me some breathing room so that if I miss my own deadline, I can still get it finished off on time for the client.
-
Innovate
Following the leaders in your industry will only get you so far, and if you really want to position yourself as an expert, you need to lead the pack. The best way to do this is by being innovative, adopting new technologies when you get the chance and devoting at least 10% of your time to trying out new technologies and approaches and then permanently adopting the ones that work.
Conclusion
These are just a few of the approaches that are common amongst many of today’s most successful businessmen and entrepreneurs, and in fact many of them have also been adopted by athletes, celebrities and other key figures.
Still, there’s no way we could have covered everything, and there’s also no shortage of businessmen out there who break the rules. Still, I hope that the tips I’ve shared today have been enough to inspire you and to get you thinking about how to better approach your own business. Good luck!