Showing posts with label perseverance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label perseverance. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Sherry Cooper’s formula for success
Sherry Cooper (@DrSherryCooper)
is TMX professor of financial economics at the DeGroote School of
Business at McMaster University and former chief economist and executive
vice-president at Bank of Montreal.
The key attributes of successful people are remarkably similar, regardless of their choice of fields. I am often asked by young people and their parents where the best opportunities are, as though success were determined by economic factors – the pursuit of a career in a growth sector. Instead, I believe that potential lies within the individual and is determined by a set of attributes and behaviours that can be applied to any field. Here is a list of the eight indispensable characteristics of successful people:
1. Passion is essential. Doing what you love is key to any successful endeavour. If you do what makes your heart sing, chances are you will be good at it. What’s more, passion is contagious and energizes those around you. Follow your dreams and dream big. Anything else is a cop-out, and forget about the money. If you follow your dreams, the money will come.
2. Energy is closely linked to passion. Doing something you love gives you the energy required to achieve your goals. It takes hard work – very hard work – to shine in today’s complex and volatile world. The willingness to put in the 10,000 hours required to master a skill, any skill, is essential. That includes the ability to write, speak, engage and motivate – all essential to reach your full potential.
3. Perseverance is the difference between mediocrity and success. No one achieves anything meaningful without hitting roadblocks, experiencing failures and overcoming adversity. Indeed, these disappointments and difficulties hone your skills and redirect your energies. All failures must be seen as opportunities to reroute and reinvent. That is a winner’s mentality. Never give up and never let naysayers defeat you. Unfortunately, there will always be people who question your judgment and criticize your decisions. You can listen, but let it roll off you. Believe in yourself.
4 . A willingness to surround yourself with positive people who make you feel good, and dispose of destructive and dysfunctional relationships. That includes bad work relationships. If your boss is unsupportive and demeaning, get out. You will never succeed under such a negative force.
5. Focus is essential. It is what psychologists call being in the flow. Any real achievement requires hours of uninterrupted concentration, which is increasingly difficult with the constant bombardment of e-mail. Anything worth doing is worth doing singlemindedly, which is the antithesis of today’s multitasking ethos.
6. Efficacy – the power or capacity to produce a desired effect – is crucial to your well-being. Take ownership of your power. You determine your destiny, not your biography. Regardless of your circumstances, you and you alone can make things happen. The defining factor in success is not resources, but resourcefulness. Passivity is the antithesis of resourcefulness.
7. The determination to push yourself. Take the stretch assignment or, as Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg says, Lean In. Move outside your comfort zone; it is the only way to learn, and lifelong learning is crucial. The body of knowledge is growing so rapidly that anyone wishing to succeed must keep reading, adapting and learning new skills.
8. Innovation. Creativity is the essence of meeting competitive pressures. Anyone who remains the same is falling behind as the pace of change is relentless. As Charles Darwin said: “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” Yet most of us do not like change, which lets those who embrace change stand out and rise to the top.
The key attributes of successful people are remarkably similar, regardless of their choice of fields. I am often asked by young people and their parents where the best opportunities are, as though success were determined by economic factors – the pursuit of a career in a growth sector. Instead, I believe that potential lies within the individual and is determined by a set of attributes and behaviours that can be applied to any field. Here is a list of the eight indispensable characteristics of successful people:
1. Passion is essential. Doing what you love is key to any successful endeavour. If you do what makes your heart sing, chances are you will be good at it. What’s more, passion is contagious and energizes those around you. Follow your dreams and dream big. Anything else is a cop-out, and forget about the money. If you follow your dreams, the money will come.
2. Energy is closely linked to passion. Doing something you love gives you the energy required to achieve your goals. It takes hard work – very hard work – to shine in today’s complex and volatile world. The willingness to put in the 10,000 hours required to master a skill, any skill, is essential. That includes the ability to write, speak, engage and motivate – all essential to reach your full potential.
3. Perseverance is the difference between mediocrity and success. No one achieves anything meaningful without hitting roadblocks, experiencing failures and overcoming adversity. Indeed, these disappointments and difficulties hone your skills and redirect your energies. All failures must be seen as opportunities to reroute and reinvent. That is a winner’s mentality. Never give up and never let naysayers defeat you. Unfortunately, there will always be people who question your judgment and criticize your decisions. You can listen, but let it roll off you. Believe in yourself.
4 . A willingness to surround yourself with positive people who make you feel good, and dispose of destructive and dysfunctional relationships. That includes bad work relationships. If your boss is unsupportive and demeaning, get out. You will never succeed under such a negative force.
5. Focus is essential. It is what psychologists call being in the flow. Any real achievement requires hours of uninterrupted concentration, which is increasingly difficult with the constant bombardment of e-mail. Anything worth doing is worth doing singlemindedly, which is the antithesis of today’s multitasking ethos.
6. Efficacy – the power or capacity to produce a desired effect – is crucial to your well-being. Take ownership of your power. You determine your destiny, not your biography. Regardless of your circumstances, you and you alone can make things happen. The defining factor in success is not resources, but resourcefulness. Passivity is the antithesis of resourcefulness.
7. The determination to push yourself. Take the stretch assignment or, as Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg says, Lean In. Move outside your comfort zone; it is the only way to learn, and lifelong learning is crucial. The body of knowledge is growing so rapidly that anyone wishing to succeed must keep reading, adapting and learning new skills.
8. Innovation. Creativity is the essence of meeting competitive pressures. Anyone who remains the same is falling behind as the pace of change is relentless. As Charles Darwin said: “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.” Yet most of us do not like change, which lets those who embrace change stand out and rise to the top.
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Four Traits of Women Who Lead
TEC Canada recognizes the importance of having a more gender-balanced approach to leadership roles. Forbes.com reported that according to studies, firms with women on their boards “outperform their rivals with a 42% higher return on sales, 66% higher return on invested capital and 53% higher return on equity.” Quite simply, women look at problems differently and often take a more empathic approach to leadership. TEC’s peer groups are designed to challenge the status quo and encourage dynamic, inspiring conversations to process the issues senior executives face on an ongoing basis. We welcome more women to contribute to this dialogue and this starts with having exceptional Chairs to guide that process.
While all of our Chairs have many awards and accolades, we would be remiss if we didn’t recognize two of our own successful women leaders:
- Joyce Groote, Vancouver Chair is receiving the Influential Women in Business award on March 3, 2014.
- Katherine Crewe from Montreal is one of TEC Canada’s newest Chairs. She was recognized as one of the Top 100 Businesswomen to Watch by Entreprendre Magazine.
Sheryl Sandberg’s bestseller “Lean In” paints a vivid picture of how far women in leadership still have to go:
• Out of 100 global heads of state, only nine are women,
• In the corporate sector, just 15 to 20 per cent of C-suite jobs are held by women, and
• In the non-profit sector, women hold only 20 percent of the top positions.
Helping women to develop their leadership potential has been a passion of mine and a key professional commitment I made many years ago. After more than two decades of executive consulting, study at some of North America’s most recognized leadership institutes, and my role as CEO of TEC, I have found the successful women leaders I have coached and worked with over the years generally all share four particular traits. What follows is a brief look at these four and what some of the world’s most successful women CEOs have to say about them.
1. Believe in Yourself
Believing in yourself – your vision, your aspirations and dreams – will drive you forward especially on those days when you can’t see the forest for the trees. Author J.K. Rowling, fashion icon Coco Chanel, Body Shop Founder Anita Roddick – these are women with resolute beliefs in themselves despite their many critics and naysayers. Rowling, who was named the “Most Influential Woman in Britain” by leading magazine editors in 2010, achieved publishing success only after several years of constant rejection. “I was convinced the only thing I wanted to do was to write novels. So what’s the worst that could happen? Everyone turned me down; big deal,” she said.
2. Value Perseverance
Building a business, moving forward in your career and leading organizations all require dogged determination. Whatever obstacles may be put in your path, it is essential to move forward, modelling for your employees, colleagues and customers that you will not back down from a challenge. Cosmetic icon Estée Lauder once said, “I didn’t get there by wishing for it or hoping for it, but by working for it.”
3. Stay Focused
The power to set both short- and long-term goals should never be underestimated. Goals are the road-map to success and goal-setting takes place daily, weekly, monthly and annually. Consider what Mary Kay Ash, Founder of global cosmetic company Mary Kay, once said, “We must have a theme, a goal, a purpose in our lives. If you don’t know where you are aiming, you don’t have a goal.My goal is to live my life in such a way that when I die, someone will say ‘she cared.’” Staying focused is about knowing what you want, then mapping your path with the goals and measures to achieve it.
4. Be a Smart Risk-Taker
To truly accomplish great things, you must go outside your comfort zone because that’s where growth happens. As Sandberg says, this is where you need to “lean in,” raising your hand for opportunities and stepping into new challenges.
Never underestimate that quiet inner voice and its ability to lead and guide you forward. Your inner wisdom – something women are generally closer to – can help you to accurately assess risk. Calculated risks can lead to payoffs beyond what you thought possible.
Martha Stewart, who through her savvy, grit and determination created a brand and a business enterprise that has weathered all kinds of difficulties, maintains “it is within everyone’s grasp to be a CEO.” I am committed to making TEC the kind of organization where women business leaders can achieve beyond what they thought possible.
If you are aiming to move your leadership skills and
abilities to a new level contact Richard Peters @ rpeters@tec-canada.com
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Four Traits of Women Who Lead
by Catherine Osler, President of TEC Canada
TEC Canada recognizes the importance of having a more gender-balanced approach to leadership roles. Forbes.com reported that according to studies, firms with women on their boards “outperform their rivals with a 42% higher return on sales, 66% higher return on invested capital and 53% higher return on equity.” Quite simply, women look at problems differently and often take a more empathic approach to leadership. TEC’s peer groups are designed to challenge the status quo and encourage dynamic, inspiring conversations to process the issues senior executives face on an ongoing basis. We welcome more women to contribute to this dialogue and this starts with having exceptional Chairs to guide that process.
While all of our Chairs have many awards and accolades, we would be remiss if we didn’t recognize two of our own successful women leaders:
Sheryl Sandberg’s bestseller “Lean In” paints a vivid picture of how far women in leadership still have to go:
• Out of 100 global heads of state, only nine are women,
• In the corporate sector, just 15 to 20 per cent of C-suite jobs are held by women, and
• In the non-profit sector, women hold only 20 percent of the top positions.
Helping women to develop their leadership potential has been a passion of mine and a key professional commitment I made many years ago. After more than two decades of executive consulting, study at some of North America’s most recognized leadership institutes, and my role as CEO of TEC, I have found the successful women leaders I have coached and worked with over the years generally all share four particular traits. What follows is a brief look at these four and what some of the world’s most successful women CEOs have to say about them.
1. Believe in Yourself
Believing in yourself – your vision, your aspirations and dreams – will drive you forward especially on those days when you can’t see the forest for the trees. Author J.K. Rowling, fashion icon Coco Chanel, Body Shop Founder Anita Roddick – these are women with resolute beliefs in themselves despite their many critics and naysayers. Rowling, who was named the “Most Influential Woman in Britain” by leading magazine editors in 2010, achieved publishing success only after several years of constant rejection. “I was convinced the only thing I wanted to do was to write novels. So what’s the worst that could happen? Everyone turned me down; big deal,” she said.
2. Value Perseverance
Building a business, moving forward in your career and leading organizations all require dogged determination. Whatever obstacles may be put in your path, it is essential to move forward, modelling for your employees, colleagues and customers that you will not back down from a challenge. Cosmetic icon Estée Lauder once said, “I didn’t get there by wishing for it or hoping for it, but by working for it.”
3. Stay Focused
The power to set both short- and long-term goals should never be underestimated. Goals are the road-map to success and goal-setting takes place daily, weekly, monthly and annually. Consider what Mary Kay Ash, Founder of global cosmetic company Mary Kay, once said, “We must have a theme, a goal, a purpose in our lives. If you don’t know where you are aiming, you don’t have a goal.My goal is to live my life in such a way that when I die, someone will say ‘she cared.’” Staying focused is about knowing what you want, then mapping your path with the goals and measures to achieve it.
4. Be a Smart Risk-Taker
To truly accomplish great things, you must go outside your comfort zone because that’s where growth happens. As Sandberg says, this is where you need to “lean in,” raising your hand for opportunities and stepping into new challenges.
Never underestimate that quiet inner voice and its ability to lead and guide you forward. Your inner wisdom – something women are generally closer to – can help you to accurately assess risk. Calculated risks can lead to payoffs beyond what you thought possible.
Martha Stewart, who through her savvy, grit and determination created a brand and a business enterprise that has weathered all kinds of difficulties, maintains “it is within everyone’s grasp to be a CEO.” I am committed to making TEC the kind of organization where women business leaders can achieve beyond what they thought possible.
If you are aiming to move your leadership skills and abilities to a new level contact Richard Peters at rpeters@tec-canada.com
TEC Canada recognizes the importance of having a more gender-balanced approach to leadership roles. Forbes.com reported that according to studies, firms with women on their boards “outperform their rivals with a 42% higher return on sales, 66% higher return on invested capital and 53% higher return on equity.” Quite simply, women look at problems differently and often take a more empathic approach to leadership. TEC’s peer groups are designed to challenge the status quo and encourage dynamic, inspiring conversations to process the issues senior executives face on an ongoing basis. We welcome more women to contribute to this dialogue and this starts with having exceptional Chairs to guide that process.
While all of our Chairs have many awards and accolades, we would be remiss if we didn’t recognize two of our own successful women leaders:
- Joyce Groote, Vancouver Chair is receiving the Influential Women in Business award on March 3, 2014.
- Katherine Crewe from Montreal is one of TEC Canada’s newest Chairs. She was recognized as one of the Top 100 Businesswomen to Watch by Entreprendre Magazine.
Sheryl Sandberg’s bestseller “Lean In” paints a vivid picture of how far women in leadership still have to go:
• Out of 100 global heads of state, only nine are women,
• In the corporate sector, just 15 to 20 per cent of C-suite jobs are held by women, and
• In the non-profit sector, women hold only 20 percent of the top positions.
Helping women to develop their leadership potential has been a passion of mine and a key professional commitment I made many years ago. After more than two decades of executive consulting, study at some of North America’s most recognized leadership institutes, and my role as CEO of TEC, I have found the successful women leaders I have coached and worked with over the years generally all share four particular traits. What follows is a brief look at these four and what some of the world’s most successful women CEOs have to say about them.
1. Believe in Yourself
Believing in yourself – your vision, your aspirations and dreams – will drive you forward especially on those days when you can’t see the forest for the trees. Author J.K. Rowling, fashion icon Coco Chanel, Body Shop Founder Anita Roddick – these are women with resolute beliefs in themselves despite their many critics and naysayers. Rowling, who was named the “Most Influential Woman in Britain” by leading magazine editors in 2010, achieved publishing success only after several years of constant rejection. “I was convinced the only thing I wanted to do was to write novels. So what’s the worst that could happen? Everyone turned me down; big deal,” she said.
2. Value Perseverance
Building a business, moving forward in your career and leading organizations all require dogged determination. Whatever obstacles may be put in your path, it is essential to move forward, modelling for your employees, colleagues and customers that you will not back down from a challenge. Cosmetic icon Estée Lauder once said, “I didn’t get there by wishing for it or hoping for it, but by working for it.”
3. Stay Focused
The power to set both short- and long-term goals should never be underestimated. Goals are the road-map to success and goal-setting takes place daily, weekly, monthly and annually. Consider what Mary Kay Ash, Founder of global cosmetic company Mary Kay, once said, “We must have a theme, a goal, a purpose in our lives. If you don’t know where you are aiming, you don’t have a goal.My goal is to live my life in such a way that when I die, someone will say ‘she cared.’” Staying focused is about knowing what you want, then mapping your path with the goals and measures to achieve it.
4. Be a Smart Risk-Taker
To truly accomplish great things, you must go outside your comfort zone because that’s where growth happens. As Sandberg says, this is where you need to “lean in,” raising your hand for opportunities and stepping into new challenges.
Never underestimate that quiet inner voice and its ability to lead and guide you forward. Your inner wisdom – something women are generally closer to – can help you to accurately assess risk. Calculated risks can lead to payoffs beyond what you thought possible.
Martha Stewart, who through her savvy, grit and determination created a brand and a business enterprise that has weathered all kinds of difficulties, maintains “it is within everyone’s grasp to be a CEO.” I am committed to making TEC the kind of organization where women business leaders can achieve beyond what they thought possible.
If you are aiming to move your leadership skills and abilities to a new level contact Richard Peters at rpeters@tec-canada.com
Sunday, October 27, 2013
The Importance Of Never Giving Up
As you may have gathered I am a big sports fan and I see many parallels between sporting achievement and achievement in the business world. This summer I was struck by a number of examples of athletes not giving up when all seemed to be lost. The picture above is probably the most striking I encountered. It shows the 400m Final at the World Athletics Championships. Christine Ohuruogu had been behind for the entire race and looked to be beaten. She kept going down the finishing straight and managed to dip at the line. The result was that she beat Amantle Montsho clocking the exact same time of 49.41 seconds, but it was the Briton who was deemed the winner by four thousandths of a second.
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The other example was watching Bradley Wiggins at the World Road Cycling Championships – Time Trial. He would have known that part way into the race he stood no chance of winning gold, as Tony Martin was in unbelievable form and already ahead on time. What impressed me is that he kept going through the pain right to the very end of the race, and in the end claimed a silver medal by 2.25 seconds from Fabian Cancellara.
Over the years I have been involved in enough programmes and projects to know that I will always come up against those that say “We have no chance of delivering on time. We might as well re-baseline now!” The problem I have with this is that as soon as you concede then you stand no chance of meeting your objective no matter how outlandish the possibility might seem. Just like Christine Ohuruogu and Bradley Wiggins you have to stick to your own game plan and make every effort to achieve the outcome you are after. There might also be that point where the reality sets in that you aren’t going to get the gold. Do you throw your arms in the air pack up your toys and go home or do you focus on the next goal of getting as close as possible to winning?
In my experience many times I have seen what might have been a two week miss turn into a two month miss and significant additional cost because people take their foot of the gas when winning is no longer likely. We have to learn to live with the discomfort that we might fail in order to succeed more times than most. Too often there is the temptation to not push through that final bit of pain when we are just on the verge of success.
I still find it strange that people somehow think that success will just be a walk in the park and everything will go to plan. I have a simple three step strategy to delivering success in a business context.
- Things will go wrong – don’t be surprised!
- You will need to get creative and be clear on what would need to be true for you to be successful.
- Never give up until all is said and done.
What are your strategies for success in business?
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