Nine things successful people do differently

NINE THINGS SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE DO DIFFERENTLY

► PLAN “IF THEN” MOMENTS FOR ACTIONS & DISTRACTIONS

► ACTIONS► PLAN► OBSTACLES

► HONEST & REGULAR FEEDBACK

► FOCUS ON JOB COMPLETION

► BE POSITIVE, BUT REALISTIC

► REALIZE IT WILL NOT BE EASY

► EMBRACE THE NEW AND UNFAMILIAR

► ALLOW YOURSELF TO SCREW UP

￭ Avoid distraction and grab opportunities before they slip through your fingers.

￭ Decide in advance when and where you will take each action to reach your goal.

￭ Make a list of “if this happens, then I will do this” related to your goals, being as specific as possible.

￭ Include if-then related to scheduling a self-monitoring of your progress towards goal.

￭ Know exactly what you want to achieve.

￭ Think about the specific actions you need to take to reach your goal.

￭ Remove the possibility of settling for “good enough”.

￭ Get specific about the obstacles in your way.

￭ Picture yourself and imagine the feeling of achieving your goal.

￭ Go back and forth between targets and obstacles.

￭ Honestly and regularly monitor progress made or not made – daily, weekly, etc. depending on goal duration.

￭ Keep self-monitoring to a minimum if you are learning something totally new.

￭ Focus on what’s left, not what has been done.

￭ Avoid premature sense of accomplishment. Avoid confusion and slack from seeking “progress balance” among “other” important goals.

￭ Success does not happen to you. You make it happen.

￭ Don’t visualize success; visualize the steps you will take to make success happen.

￭ Engage in lots of positive thinking about how likely you are to achieve your goal, without underestimating difficulties.

￭ Do no believe you will succeed easily. Effort, careful planning, persistence and the right strategies will take you there.

￭ Don’t focus on goals that prove to you and others that you are already good somewhere.

￭ Develop and acquire new skills. It will reduce your anxiety when facing challenges and improve your overall ability to reach goals.

￭ Think in terms of progress, not in terms of perfection. There is a learning curve and it takes some time.

www.straligence.com Inspired by the works of Heidi Grant Halvorson, 9 things successful people do differently, Harvard Business School Publishing, 2011⎥

► COMMIT TO LT GOALS AND PERSIST

► CHANGE IS POSSIBLE

► CHALLENGE YOURSELF, A BIT MORE EACH TIME

► AVOID TEMPTATIONS

► DON’T KID YOURSELF

► PLAN FOR BEHAVIOR REPLACEMENT

￭ Your ability is malleable. It changes with effort and experience. All you need is courage and resolve.

￭ Don’t give up in the face of difficulty. Try harder.

￭ Believe you can succeed. It is critical to examine your beliefs, and when necessary, challenge them.

￭ If you think you are not good at something, tell yourself you are not good at it… YET!

￭ Take on a challenge that requires you to do something you’d honestly rather not do.

￭ Start with one activity that fits with your life and your goals. Something that requires to override an impulse or desire. Make a plan for how you will deal with troubles and temptations when they occur.

￭ When under temptation, think about people you know who have a lot of self-control.

￭ Don’t put yourself in harm’s way, exposing yourself to temptations that you assume you will be able to handle.

￭ Avoid pursuing two goals that require a lot of self-control.

￭ Think about when you are most likely to feel vulnerable and make a plan to keep yourself at harm’s way.

￭ Think about the behaviors that sabotage your success. Do not focus on them in terms “I will not do this”. Rather, replace them with other behaviors.

￭ Plan how you will replace counter-productive behaviors with more constructive, profitable ones.

Seize the moment to act on your

goals

Know exactly how far you have left to

go

Be a realistic optimist

Focus on getting

better, rather than being

good

Getspecific

Havegrit

Build your willpower muscle

Don’ttempt fate

Focus on what you will do, not what you won’t do

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

http://www.straligence.com/


goals


go


Focus on getting


good

Getspecific

Havegrit


Don’ttempt fate


1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9


What is my goal? <my goal is to…>

How will I know when I have succeeded? <describe the moment when you will know that you have reached your goal>

Rewrite goals using this info <my goal is to …>

Two positive aspects of reaching my goal:

1.

2.

Two obstacles that lie ahead:

1.

2.

<Positive aspect 1> <write a few sentences about what it will be like to experience it>

<Obstacle 1> <write a few sentences about why this is a problem>

<Positive aspect 2> <write a few sentences about what it will be like to experience it>

<Obstacle 2> <write a few sentences about why this is a problem>

What are my next steps?

1. <Step 1>

2. <Step 2>

3. <Step 3>


goals


go


Focus on getting


good

Getspecific

Havegrit


Don’ttempt fate


1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9


Which are the CRITICAL ACTIONS I need to take to reach my goal? When and where should I take them? What are the critical situations?

Critical actions When and where it should be taken

1. <critical action 1> <when and where>



If-then statements on critical actions:

1. If <when and where>, then I will <critical action 1>



OBSTACLES – temptations, distractions, events – and reactions

Temptation, distraction, event How I will react

1. <temptation, distraction, event, …> <my reaction>



If-then statements on obstacles:

1. If <this obstacle comes along the way>, then I will <react in this way>




goals

Know exactly how far

you have left to go


Focus on getting


good

Getspecific

Havegrit


Don’ttempt fate


1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9


How often will I assess my progress towards my goal?

I will check on my progress every <…>

Where will the information on progress come from?

To know where I stand, I need information on <>

How will I get this info? I will get this information from/by <…>

What kind of support/tool/material will I use as a reminder to perform a self-assessment?

I will use <calendar alarm, post-its, memo, etc.> to remind me to perform a progress assessment.

What will I do after the self-assessment?

At the end of my assessment, I will stop to think about what still needs to be done in order to reach my goal. I will focus on how far I have left to go, not on how far I’ve gone.


goals


go


Focus on getting


good

Getspecific

Havegrit


Don’ttempt fate


1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9


If am doubting myself, then I will remember this

Remember the time I <achieved a goal> by carefully addressing and working on <problems, constraints, issues>.

What are the obstacles, difficulties, and setbacks I am likely to face?

I know that on the road to success, I will be confronted with:1. <problems, issues, setbacks, etc.>2. <problems, issues, setbacks, etc.>3. <problems, issues, setbacks, etc.>

I am confident because I know that if problems arise, I know who I will tackle them – also with my “plan B”.

Problem, obstacles, difficulty How I will react and tackle them

1.

2.

3.


goals


go


Focus on getting better,

rather than being good

Getspecific

Havegrit


Don’ttempt fate


1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9


Am I proving I’m already good or am improving?

What is this initiative I have taken? Am I doing something just to prove my self and others that I am already good at something? What for?Or am I taking on a new challenge to add a new skill to my talents and learn something new? Something that will stretch myself?

Remember that something new is a challenging journey

If I am facing a difficult project, if it is unfamiliar, that’s great. I know I will need some time and that I will make some mistakes. But it’s ok. I know I’ll succeed in the end.

Who can help me? Remember there is no shame in asking others’ help. They will probably enjoy giving you a hand.

Who are you comparing yourself to?

Don’t compare yourself and your current performance to others. Compare yourself to your past performance? Are you improving. That’s the only thing that matters.


goals


go


Focus on getting


good

Getspecific

Havegrit


Don’ttempt fate


1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9


Which are the aspects of your job that you feel you are not good at?

I am not good enough at1. …2. …3. …

Remember: Improvement is always possible. It is a matter of courage and resolve. It is about determination and exercise, exercise, exercise.

How can you improve your abilities in this areas?

I am not good enough at this, yet: How I can improve

1.

2.

3.


goals


go


Focus on getting


good

Getspecific

Havegrit


Don’ttempt fate


1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9


Choose an activity that fits your life and goals, something you want to improve and requires to override impulse or desire

..

What will I do if I fall under the temptation to go against my goal?

If I think I am going to fall under the temptation of doing something that is against my goals…

… I will think about <a person who has a lot of will power>

…and/or I will <do something that will take me away from the temptation>

I am going to tackle one willpower challenge at a time

1. First of all, I want to resist the temptation to <temptation/goal>

2. Once I feel confident that my willpower will be strong enough, I will take on my second big challenge: <challenge>

…and/or I will <do something that will take me away from the temptation>

Which are the times and situations in which I am most vulnerable to temptation? How can avoid them?

I am most vulnerable to go against my goals and fall into temptation when…

As soon as I realize that I could be falling into temptation, I will…

1.

2.

2.


goals


go


Focus on getting


good

Getspecific

Havegrit


Don’ttempt fate


1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9



goals


go


Focus on getting


good

Getspecific

Havegrit


Don’ttempt fate

Focus on what you

will do, not what you won’t do

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9


Reframe a stopping goal in terms of starting, deciding what you will do instead

Instead of doing this, and if I feel the urge of doing this, I will do this instead:

1.

2.

2.

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Nine things successful people do differently