Career Success the Olympic way my top 10 tips
– by Sue Courtney
The Olympics
– how was it for you? Did you watch every moment, ignore it completely or dash
out and begin participating in a new sport?
I was
totally captivated and inspired by the achievements of the athletes and Team GB
in particular. As I listened to their stories and watched in awe as they
achieved great results I was struck by the fact that there were lessons to be
learnt here that could be applied to your career success.
So here are
my top 10 tips for Olympic style career success:
1. Run your own race. Many of the most successful
athletes had a plan for their event and they stuck to it. There is a lot to be
said for this confident approach – be yourself, maintain focus and believe in
yourself and your plan for success. (This pre-supposed you actually have a
coherent plan!)
So be sure you have a detailed plan for your career success and stick to
it. Don’t allow others to derail you. Believe in yourself, remain focused and
take action.
2. Set the bar high – aim for
excellence. I think that
the cycling ladies in the Velodrome
demonstrate this particularly well. Every time they got on their bikes
they broke their own world record! Their determination to succeed combined with
the belief that they could win was a powerful combination.
Jessica Ennis also showed that she was aiming for nothing less than
excellence in her event by winning in spectacular style.
Jessica and the ladies cycling team had set their own personal bar very
high and would settle for nothing less than excellence in their performances.
We can learn a lot from them.
Every day you have the opportunity to aim for excellence and raise your
bar very high to demonstrate that you are a world class performer.
3. What you measure you can improve. All the athletes were aware of their
figures – how fast, how long, how strong – they had been measuring their
performances over time and analysing how they could improve.
As Oscar Pistorius put it, "If there is something I can do to be faster, I just do it, it's simple."
At work, ask yourself how well are you doing – and how do you know this?
How can you improve on your current performance if you really have no
clear idea what your current performance is?
What do you need to be measuring?
What do you need to be achieving?
4. Celebrate your achievements. Some bronze medal winners were
ecstatic – others were inconsolable – distraught because they had failed to win
silver or gold. To them, bronze meant failure! Other gold medal winners were
measured in their response. Many of these were comparing themselves to the achievements
of others which is rarely an uplifting experience. Others who had not won a
medal cried tears of joy because they had achieved a personal best time or
distance. Such a huge variety of responses.
What does this have to do with career success? Plenty.
Celebrate like the last category – when you achieve a small victory
celebrate your achievement and then plan how to make the most of the
opportunity it brings.
If your CV gets you an interview – well done. You have won an opportunity
to go further. Celebrate and plan for the next step. Focus on what you have to
be grateful for. If not – it is teaching you something. Learn the lesson,
improve and move on to success.
5. Pay meticulous attention to the
detail. The top
athletes ensured they left nothing to chance. To quote Oscar Pistorius, “Being
a perfectionist is everything. If you skimp, you lose.”
Paying meticulous attention to the fine detail in your work will get you
noticed because so few people do this. Ensure you are always immaculately
turned out – whatever your position in the company. Ensure your work is of an
exemplary standard at all times. Ensure your behaviour is of an exemplary
standard at all times.
6. Who – me? Why me? I listened to an interview with
Duncan Goodhew in which he said that the first reaction of many people, when
told that they can be world class, is disbelief – they can believe it is
possible for someone else, but they feel themselves to be too ordinary. Their
second reaction is to ask “why me?” Well, I would ask – “why NOT you?” Everyone
has potential greatness in them – it just requires a mindset which knows,
without a shadow of a doubt, that you are the capable of world class greatness.
7. Prepare mentally for success. This brings me nicely to the fact
that, as Oscar Pistorius and all the other medal winning athletes know –
success is all in the mind. They will have spent hours visualising winning,
running the perfect race, overcoming obstacles to claim the gold medal until
they have complete belief that the gold medal belongs to them. Failure is not
an option.
The same holds true in your career. You need to believe with absolute
certainty that the job you want is yours. To do this you will need to have
developed a plan, taken all the actions necessary to achieve success – in world
class style – visualised success and taken on a coach to help you through the
tough times. Remember – just like preparing for the Olympics – achieving career
success demands focus, hard work and determination.
8. Make your own decisions. The top athletes always take advice
from their coaches, trainers and mentors – but in the end they have the
ultimate responsibility for their own success. It is essential to have total belief in
yourself and your ability. Only you know your capabilities and so only
you can decide how you will “run your race” and achieve success.
9. Take responsibility for your actions. The top athletes had top coaches,
trainers and mentors who worked tirelessly with them – but they still had to
take responsibility for ensuring they did the work. Ultimately they alone were
responsible for their input and outcome – and so are you in your career. Where
are you abdicating responsibility?
10. Step through the door. When Andy Murray won gold I remember a
commentator saying that they hoped the result would enable him to finally “step
through the door” and accept his status on the world stage.
You need to do the same. Walk through the “door” to your greatness.
Accept your place as a world class performer. Become that person you were meant
to be.
These are my
top 10 tips to produce world class results for your career. How can you begin
to apply them to your situation today so you too will achieve a “gold medal”
and a “world record” in career success?
Here are two
bonus tips to start you off:-
1. Online control. Take control of information that
appears about you online. Develop a strong online presence that demonstrates
your professionalism and strength in the area of work you wish to specialise in
and be promoted for. Remove all items and references to less than professional
conduct and monitor what others post about you.
2. Take time out. It is vital to take time out to
re-group and re-energise. So ensure you take your holiday entitlement and
really relax. Know that taking your full holiday entitlement and not being
available for work interruptions sends a strong and positive message about your
confidence and boundaries. It is a very strong action.
If you are an action taking woman, determined to succeed in your career
then I have the perfect event for you. An exclusive, intensive, luxury focus on
your career or business. For more information email me at sue@successandimagecoach.co.uk
