What does being a high performer mean? Does it mean being a highly successful individual? Or a person who sets and achieves every goal they set? While these are basic qualities of a high performer, it doesn’t fully define them. Here we will discuss about 15 Things High Performers Do To Get Ahead. A high performer is a person who identifies and understands their behaviors, skills, and personal traits, and then uses this to achieve their personal, professional, and organizational goals.
A high performer does things their own way, they come up with solutions, improve their lives, that of the people around them, and also the organisation that they work for.
Enough about who a high performer is, would you love to become one? In today’s video, we will take a look at the things high performers do to stay ahead, and how you can emulate these traits! Sounds like fun? Let’s get right to it! Welcome to Alux! If you don’t feel like reading the article here’s the video version:
1
THEY HAVE CLEAR-CUT GOALS
High performers know what they want and are ready to go for it! The first step to becoming successful is to identify your long-term and short-term goals and how you can turn these goals into actionable plans.
But it isn’t just about having goals; it is equally important that your goals are clearly defined! High performers don’t say, “I want to be rich in 5 years.” They understand this is a vague goal that could mean different things under different circumstances.
Rather, they say, “I want to create multiple streams of income in 5 years, get a new home, and be financially independent.” See the difference? The first sounds more like a wish, while the other signifies what a properly defined goal should look like. By having clear-cut goals, high performers can create a defined plan dedicated to achieving these goals.
2
THEY ARE POSITIVE
Positivity is a common trait of high performers; they know that crying over spilt milk is pointless, so they choose to look at the brighter side of things!
In their relationship with other team members, they also radiate positivity, whether it is an interaction with a superior or a junior team member.
High performers understand the importance of attitude in the workplace; a negative attitude will tense the environment, which could hinder creativity and collaboration.
Positive attitude on the other hand enhances creativity, and allows high performers to put all their focus on the task at hand.
Importantly, when high performers are assigned challenging tasks, they do not complain, instead they look at it from a positive angle, making a challenging task look easier.
3
THEY ACCEPT CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM
Constructive criticism isn’t to undermine your abilities, nor is it an opportunity for people to throw a middle finger to your efforts.Constructive criticism is actually an attempt to help you become better at what you do!
To become a top performer, you have to be willing to accept constructive criticism; know that it isn’t to take away the good things you might have done, but to help you become better at it! It is important not to take things personally, as this is not an attack on your personal life; instead, ask questions on how to improve something.
Also, use this as a learning opportunity, and be sure to thank whoever criticized your work, as this constructive criticism will do you more good in future!
4
THEY ARE CONSISTENT
Rome wasn’t built in a day, it’s a result of consistent efforts. While this might sound like a cliché line, it’s a simple philosophy most high performers live by.
Consistency is the key to achieving your goals, it means you are dedicating yourself to these goals, no matter how difficult things might get.
Consistency in the workplace also means that top performers complete their tasks on time, and also are reliable.
Their colleagues at the office can count on them to complete their quota of every task, which in turn will make them stand out!
If you want to become a top performer, you have to put in the work, there’s no other way around it. If you aren’t willing to do the work, you might have to settle for less.
5
THEY ARE WILLING TO MAKE SACRIFICES
High performers are always willing to stay late just to ensure the job gets done. They are the ones that go the extra mile to complete a task. Sometimes, they even put the needs of other people, or an organization before theirs, all in a bid to achieve a desired result. However, making sacrifices can have an astounding effect on these individuals’ mental and physical health.
Some of these individuals might push themselves to work on weekends and holidays, leaving them with barely enough time for themselves.
This then makes it crucial to draw a line between your personal and professional life. While it is important that you must make sacrifices to become a top performer, it is equally important that this doesn’t affect your personal life in adverse ways.
6
THEY KNOW WHEN TO SAY NO
Top performers are known to make sacrifices, but this doesn’t suggest that they say yes to every assignment!
High performers love to take on new tasks, as this will present a learning opportunity and chance for growth, but they also know that there are limits to this!
If they say yes to every request, every assignment, it is only a matter of time before everyone dumps their tasks on them.
Hence, it is critical to know when to say no; in fact this is an important professional skill for every individual.
Saying yes to every request will naturally increase the work you have to do, and this can cause you to lose track of what’s important.
So, moral lesson: set important boundaries and say no with a smile on your face.
7
THEY PAY ATTENTION TO THEIR HEALTH
It is very easy to forget about our health when discussing self-development and professional space.
This is because employers and colleagues are usually interested in your output, and not in the body that produces this output.
Top performers know this and give the right attention to their bodies and health.
Even though we don’t talk about this, your physical and mental health determines your output!
A person suffering on a hospital bed isn’t at their most productive, and they probably won’t be able to complete important tasks.
How do you inculcate healthy habits? For starters, ensure you never substitute your rest and sleep hours for something else!
Night-time is for sleeping; working by 3 a.m. doesn’t make you the most hardworking person out there, it only damages your health!
Exercising regularly is also a common trait of high performers; take billionaires for example, a of them follow strict fitness routines, including Richard Branson, Jack Dorsey, and Mark Zuckerberg.
8
THEY FOCUS ON QUALITY
It can be tempting to want to complete as many tasks as possible in record time; who wouldn’t want to boast about how many tasks they completed on their to-do list?
However, high performers don’t necessarily buy this sentiment. They are more interested in the quality of the task completed, rather than how many tasks they can complete!
Focusing on quality will eventually make it easier to complete tasks in record time, as you would have done these tasks over and over, while still maintaining utmost quality.
9
THEY KNOW WHEN TO ASK FOR COMPENSATION
Being a top performer means you know when to ask for what you deserve.
If you are contributing heavily to the success of an organization, then you have every right to ask for a salary increase! Since high performers are also confident individuals, asking for compensation isn’t so much of a problem for them.
Most times, if these top results aren’t balanced with the right reward, these high performers don’t mind walking away to work elsewhere.
10
THEY LEAVE THEIR COMFORT ZONES
Do you expect things to change if you keep doing the same thing over and over, just because that’s how you know how to do them?
Well, hate to be the bearer of bad news, but things won’t get any different if you fail to leave that comfortable spot! A high performer knows that staying in their comfort zone limits their ability to think outside the box!
So, rather than sit and wallow in an endless cycle of failures, they decide to do things differently, seek new knowledge, and break more boundaries!
11
THEY HAVE OPEN MINDS
“No one is an island of knowledge,” is a phrase no one believes stronger than high-performers.
These guys know that there is always something to learn that would present them with a huge load of opportunities!
Having an open mind also means they are willing to change their stance on a subject when they discover something new.
The world is an ever-changing place, and what you knew as the truth 5 years ago could be different today.
To become a top performer, you must always ask the right questions and listen closely to the answers.
12
THEY READ
Is there anything you want to learn that hasn’t been written down in a book?
I don’t think so! Books contain almost every piece of information humans have gathered over the years on practically every subject.
By just dedicating a few hours of your day to reading, you have not only invested in learning something new, but you have also taken an active step toward finding a life-changing idea!
This is because reading forces us to be imaginative, and a sharp imagination does a lot of good to your creativity.
Why else do you think high performers read a lot of books?
Read More: 15 Books That Are Your Personal MBA
13
THEY DEVELOP THEIR EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
We all can agree that there is more need for technical skills in today’s world, but does this mean that these are the only essential skills to learn? Not!
Learning soft skills, which is in tandem with improving your emotional intelligence, is just as important as having technical skills.
No matter what you do, there will always be the need to interact with others, no matter how minor.
And high-performers understand this emotional intelligence could be the difference between being just that guy and being great!
Treating people and reacting to situations are just as important as the other skills you bring to the table!
If you’ve wondered why high performers are excellent with everyone, it’s because they have developed their emotional intelligence and improved their people skills.
Sounds cool, right? You can also be just like that!
14
THEY NETWORK WITH OTHER PEOPLE
The importance of meeting new people cannot be overemphasized; networking opens you to new experiences, skills, and opportunities, and it all begins with knowing the right people!
High-performers show genuine interest in other people, they ask important questions, and they also listen intently.
This is the way to build genuine relationships, personal or professional, and mastering them could mean much more for your career!
15
THEY LEARN NEW SKILLS
What would qualify a person to be a high performer if he had the same skills as everyone else?
What makes high performers different is how skilful they are and how willing they are to learn new skills!
Learning new skills also shows that you are willing to go far and beyond to improve the quality of your work, which in turn will benefit an organization.
Learning new skills also gives top performers leverage to ask for better and improved remuneration.
Finally, as you would have seen, high performers have no magic gene that makes them different.
It is nothing but a series of conscious efforts to make themselves different, and who says you can’t become a high performer?
With a positive mindset and a willingness to put in the work, you are on your way to becoming a top performer in your field!
Ready to get to work? Alux will be right here to cheer you up! Thanks for spending some time with us today! We are so glad you did!
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