10 Success Behaviors To Increase Your Career Trajectory

by Tony Colangelo

January 25, 2024

Small Behavioral Changes Can Greatly Enhance Your Career Trajectory:

Over my 30 years in leadership roles in the business consulting and technology industries, I have hired or been directly involved in hiring hundreds of people. Reflecting on what influenced my hiring decisions, I now realize how much I relied on assessing candidates based on their demonstrating the following top ten Success Behaviors. These Behaviors are foundational to success as they have stood the test of time and are as powerful today as ever before. Some of these Success Behaviors may seem trivial at first glance. However, when you look at the most successful people in your sphere, you will notice how many of them exhibit these traits daily in their business lives.

I recently realized that these 10 Success Behaviors were so simple yet tremendously impactful that I needed to include them in my Blog series "Leadership Lessons I Wish I Had Learned When I Was Younger. "?In each of the ten, I outline how these powerful traits can help you succeed.?

I hope you can benefit from these ten proven Success Behaviors to help you reach your next level of success.

1.?Your Personal Brand Matters Most, Not Your Job Title -?In business, your brand, unlike your current job title, is something you carry with you for life. Your personal brand is your calling card and how others view and measure your professionalism and competence in your domain. Be authentic and stand out from the crowd, leveraging your strengths and unique value proposition. Looking back at my career, I was presented with great opportunities because I focused on building strong senior-executive client relationships. This personal brand I developed projected to my leadership that they could rely on me for valuable client insights and emerging industry trends to help grow our business.

2.?Do What You Say You Will Do -?Your word can be as valuable as gold or nothing, based on your track record of delivering on your promises. The fastest way to build relationship trust and credibility in business is to fulfill your commitments. A client told me early in my career that one of the key reasons our firm won a multi-million dollar contract over our larger competitor was that they trusted my track record of delivering on my promises. Never underestimate the power and influence you create with your business relationships based on a track record of delivering on your promises.

3. Never Complain and Never Explain -?We can all think of colleagues we try to avoid who constantly complain about their work challenges and attempt to explain why they are failing. The never complain and never explain method is simple: When you feel the need to explain how you dealt with a challenging issue or failure, use positive language about how you will overcome the challenge and move forward effectively. Own your successes and failures, as all great leaders do, and you will earn a new level of respect.

4. If You Are on Time, You Are 5 Minutes Late -?If you think this is trivial, believe me, you are significantly underestimating the damaging and long-lasting consequences of how people feel about you when you are late for meetings, whether internal or external. When you arrive early, you set a positive example and demonstrate competence and control over your destiny. Being punctual shows that you value your time and the time of others, which is a hallmark of professionalism. Remember, being five minutes early means being on time, and it's a simple but effective way to set yourself up for success.

5. Leverage the Law of Attraction -?Ancient philosophers first outlined this theory, espousing that "what you think about and desire grows and will bring unexpected outside support from others to help you attain it." Most of us have knowingly or unknowingly experienced this law of attraction by focusing intensely on achieving a goal, developing a plan, deeply visualizing the accomplishment, and then unexpectedly receiving outside support that arrives to help us on our path to achievement. To leverage the law of attraction, write out your goals in detail, develop a plan that includes the key milestones required, and visualize attaining the goal with the support you need. If you combine using the Law of Attraction in your goal planning and commit to doing the required "hard work," it is amazing how it can help to bring the people and opportunities into your life to assist you in attaining your goals.

"Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions; watch your actions, they become your habits; watch your habits, they become your character; watch your character, it becomes your destiny." Lao Tzu

6. Learn To Tell the Time Versus Building Clocks -?Great leaders value efficiency and effectiveness and surround themselves with people who can quickly tell them the time (meaning give them a status on any situation shortly and concisely). There are times when conducting a deep dive strategic analysis (building a clock) is necessary. However, for typical day-to-day business situations, develop the skill of quickly and accurately assessing situations to "tell the time."

7. Manage Your Energy and Always Focus on Your "A" Priorities -?If you want to increase your impact significantly, focus 90% of your energy and time on your "A" priorities. By implementing this strategy, you will be surprised to see how many less significant issues get resolved on their own. Great leaders have developed the ability to focus relentlessly on high priorities. As the saying goes, "You can not manage time"; however, you can manage the energy you put into your highest-priority goals. Become a master at prioritizing your tasks and start every day focused on moving your "A" priorities forward.

8. Continually Share Unique Perspectives -?Enhancing your creative thinking abilities is a critical skill set for reaching new heights of success in your career. Continuously study your area of expertise, test new ways to get things done, develop stronger communication skills to inspire others, master the art of effective questioning and active listening, use visualization to create a clear picture of success, and set larger goals. These are all essential steps to increasing your impact as a creative thinker.

9. Develop Your Executive Gravitas -?Developing your gravitas is crucial for leaders who aspire to advance in their careers as it is a critical component of Executive Presence. Gravitas refers to the qualities that engender respect, trust, and confidence with everyone you interact with. Develop gravitas by increasing your professional acumen, communication skills, body language, and confidence. Leaders with high gravitas also have the composure to remain calm, in control, and laser-focused in challenging situations, exuding "grace under fire" and instilling confidence in everyone around them.

10. Have an Attitude of Gratitude -?Be positive and grateful for what you have rather than focusing on what you lack. Always look for opportunities to "give first" in relationships without expecting to receive. The beautiful thing about this giving approach is that you will notice that, over time, you will receive unexpected gifts in return. A person with an Attitude of Gratitude lifts others and inspires them to be their best. Studies show that grateful people are happier, more satisfied, and live longer. Having an Attitude of Gratitude also enables you to connect emotionally with others, helping you build much deeper and stronger relationships.

Conclusion:

Incorporating these ten Success Behaviors into your daily life will provide new and powerful ways to help you stand out as a leader and increase your impact and overall career satisfaction and success.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts and comments on this topic.

Tony Colangelo?is a Certified Executive Coach and Founder of eXecutive Factor Coaching. Tony is also a Speaker and?Author of the Blog Series "Leadership Lessons I Wish I Learned When I Was Younger."?Tony has over 30 years of experience in Leadership roles in the management consulting and information technology industries.

Contact Tony Colangelo on LinkedIn or?[email protected]?for a free consultation on helping you achieve your full leadership potential.

This article is Leadership Lesson # 4?from Tony's Blog Series "Leadership Lessons I Wish I Learned When I Was Younger,"

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