7 Things Successful People Do

by | Apr 8, 2020 | Leadership, Professional Development | 3 comments

At Service Express, our Core Value is to help our people achieve their personal, professional and financial goalsThat means we’re invested in making sure that our people succeed in every area of their lives 

 Success isn’t a characteristic that people are born with. Successful people are mindful of their habits and intentional about building healthy ones. Throughout the years, I have worked hard on crafting my new habits – today, I’m sharing a few tips that successful people do to flourish 

  1. Write Down Goals

A goal without a plan is nothing more than a wish! 

Countless studies have shown that written goals are an important ingredient for success. There is no “wrong” way to write down your goals – they can be organized or messy on a notecard or your computer. The act of writing down your goals causes you to clarify, organize and prioritize what it is that you want to accomplish. 

At Service Express we’ve created a process in which employees write their short and long term goals down and have Vision talks with their leaders regularly. These meetings help remove roadblocks and guide our people toward success.  

  1. Measure Progress

Successful people define their goals and then measure their progress to completion. Performance measurement helps to ensure that the things we are investing our time and energy on are producing the right results and are moving us in the right direction. At Service Express we use Scorecards and ROIs to measure our progress. It ensures that we’re keeping the first things first. 

  1. Move

The greatest test of leadership often comes when we’re faced with an obstacle that we don’t have a solution to. During these times it can be easy to get into the trap of “analysis paralysis.” 

Service Express founder, Mike McCullough often said, “just do something.” When we step up and begin to act, the answers come. Successful people don’t wait for inspiration! 

  1. Do the Right Things

Too many people focus on doing things the “right” way. Instead, they should make sure they’re doing the right thinginstead. If we aren’t intentional about planning which projects will account for our time, someone else will.   

When that happens, it’s easy to end the workday feeling as if we’ve done so much but have not accomplished anything. We can begin by writing our goals down and then measuring progress. It clarifies that the things we’re working on are having the right impact. 

  1. Fail Forward

Thomas Edison once said, “I never failed once. It just happened to be a 2,000-step process.” 

Success often means taking two steps forward and one step back. The key is to make sure that we take the next 2 steps. In football, success is rarely achieved in 80yard increments. Typically, it’s 10 yards and then some pain and a close-up view of turf. Victory belongs to those who pick themselves up, dust themselves off and prepare for the next play. 

  1. Embrace the Difficulty 

One of the greatest predictors of success is a willingness to push through the difficult times. 

The road to success is not always easy or fun. Whether you’re a Navy Seal pushing through Hell Week or a young leader in business trying to find answers to problems that no one else is willing to touchthe best way out of the suck” is through it. 

  1. Invest in Others

Success can be lonely if we’re the only one standing on the summit, but not if we’ve helped someone else get there. The biggest difference between a leader and a manager is that leaders invest in people by communicating vision and inspiring action. They understand that winning is not an individual sport, it’s intended to be a team effort. 

Now is the time to start creating healthy habits to help us succeed in our personal and professional lives! What habits help you accomplish your goals?   

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About Me

I am the President & CEO of Service Express, a National Best & Brightest Company to Work For. Service Express has averaged double digit growth every year since 2001.

We attribute our success to a unique corporate culture that we call The Service Express Way. I am a member of the Young President Organization and sit on the Board of the Spectrum Health Foundation.