A Drive to Achieve

Having a drive to achieve is an inner strength and skillset attainable by all, but not attained by all. This skill, a competency of emotional intelligence, consists of?high personal and professional standards...you know, the kind which are stellar even when no one is watching. It's also about having the motivation to continually stretch toward high standards of excellence, always developing, growing and improving.

How Achievement Drive Shows Up

A superb story of achievement drive is that of a successful and well known woman in business, Indra Nooyi, who served as PepsiCo's CEO for 12 years. Working hard to get good grades in high school, she went on to graduate from college at the young age of 18. She had her MBA by the age of 20, and landed her first job at a textile firm, where she served as a business strategist, then went on to do marketing for Johnson & Johnson.?From there she pursued a degree from Yale, working the night shift?as a receptionist to earn money while getting another master's degree. As the story goes, while she was at PepsiCo, she often came in before seven a.m., rarely left before eight p.m., often taking work home.?During her tenure, PepsiCo's annual net profit more than doubled, from $2.7 billion to $6.5 billion, and she was named "the most powerful woman in business" for 5 years running.?She did all of this while raising two young daughters.

Those who are strong in achievement drive have a strong desire to set goals and pursue them. They are results-oriented and want to succeed. Their objectives and standards challenge them to be their best selves. They are willing to do hard work and take calculated risks when needed. If they don't have an answer they need, they relentlessly pursue learning until they have it. They have a positive outlook toward the future and expect to be successful.

Does this sound like you?

"Success is almost totally dependent upon drive and persistence." -- Denis Waitley

Characteristics of Low Achievers

Those who struggle with achievement drive are more passive and reluctant to set goals of high performance. They meet standards but don't reach for more, nor do they push themselves to achieve beyond what is expected of them. They do the bare minimum -- enough to get by. When things get tough, they may quit easily, and see failures as permanent. They envision negative outcomes more clearly than positive ones. Their internal standards are low, and they tend to show up with excellence only when others are watching them or prodding them. They tend to make excuses or blame others when they let others down or fail to meet expectations.

“Failures, repeated failures, are finger posts on the road to achievement. One fails forward toward success.” – C.S. Lewis

Benefits of Being an Achiever

There are many benefits of having a strong achievement drive. In an article, Creating a Sense of Accomplishment at Work, written by the Indeed Editorial Team, the authors outline these four advantages which come about as a result of accomplishment:?enhanced productivity, healthy bonds, increased retention and loyalty, higher-quality customer service.?Oregon State University outlines the benefits of achievement in this way: "When we accomplish something,?we tend to feel proud of ourselves, confident in our abilities, and a sense of achievement. These feelings can contribute positively to our overall well-being."

In an article, Achievement Oriented Leadership Tactics and Benefits, written by Leaders Perception, the authors outline how achievement drive (in leaders)?promotes effective communication, provides opportunity for helpful feedback, creating a supportive and successful work culture of motivation and increased productivity.

And let's bring it to a personal level. Think back on the last major accomplishment you achieved at work. How did you feel? Most likely you enjoyed increased job satisfaction, pride in your work, improved confidence, gratitude, motivation, and maybe even a sense of relief (after all the stress and hard work).

“One of the differences between some successful and unsuccessful people is that one group is full of doers, while the other is full of wishers.” – Edmond Mbiaka

How to Develop Stronger Achievement Drive

One way to develop this competency of emotional intelligence is to set one major goal for the year and direct your focus and attention toward it. Then, create an action plan of things you can do -- as early as today. Here's how:

• Write out the goal and be as specific as possible. Make sure the goal both stretches you and is attainable.
• Define what success will look like and how this success will be measured.
• Make a list of the resources you will need to reach this goal (money, time, manpower, knowledge, skills, etc.)
• Note the?hurdles which may get in the way of your success.
• Develop a detailed task list (with timelines - when does this action need to be accomplished?). If you struggle with this how-to step, consider enlisting the help of a social and emotional intelligence coach.
• List the people who will work with you (or be involved, indirectly, or need to be notified) on this action plan.
• Keep a daily log of your achievements, mistakes, and learned lessons.
• Take at least one step each day toward your goal.

It's not a bad idea to create a Plan B (and C, D, etc.) to prepare for the possibility that you don't reach the goal within the desired time frame. Remember, failure is not a negative thing. Learning from mistakes and missteps can fuel?your knowledge and wisdom to do things?differently (and more successfully) next time.

Celebrate Along the Way

Don't forget to celebrate achievements as you progress toward your goal. Celebrating our wins motivates us toward more wins. British author Jay Shetty says this, "Proud moments are not just for big accomplishments but also for small victories along the way.”?Zoe Talent Solutions explores the benefits of celebrating employee accomplishments in their article,?20 Reasons to Celebrate Employee Achievement. They find that celebrating employee success creates a positive culture, boosts morale, motivates, improves engagement, builds loyalty, and helps create a sense of happiness and wellbeing.?

Author and coach, Kirsty Manor, in her article, Why It's Important to Celebrate Success, shares this? wisdom about celebrating wins, both big and small:? "Celebrating our successes in life helps us to feel more energized, and provides us with the drive and motivation we need to keep working towards bigger goals. But why not also give ourselves a pat on the back for the smaller wins along the way? After all, every significant milestone that we reach, every goal that we attain, every dream that we fulfill is the result of a thousand steps in the right direction."

So set a goal for the coming year, and go for it. With the application of the above practices, you can develop your achievement drive into an irreplaceable skill set.