Common Traits of Top Performers
It’s always encouraging and inspiring for me to see the elite performers around the world reach their goals. Whether it’s an athlete winning the championship or someone building their dreams as an entrepreneur – it’s fascinating to see the end result of hard work. And I alway love to hear the stories made in the process. If we look closely at these successful people, we can find the lesson they left behind and duplicate their success. After studying elite performers across various disciplines, below are the 5 of traits that all seem to have in common.
They tolerate failure
Elite performers know that the only way to accomplish anything, you have to try. You are bound to fail at some of your endeavors. But after each failure, you get closer and closer to what success looks like. Think about a tennis player here, like Rafael Nadal…at the time I read about him he’s LOST 195 matches. BUT he’s won 81 titles. He knows that after each loss he can learn from his mistakes and work to improve them in his next match.
They are obsessed with attention to detail
Have you ever gone to an amazing restaurant and thought to yourself just "WOW!". Everything hit the spot – from the food to the service to the decor to the vibe. That’s because the owner and designers had an obsession with the details. What goes on behind the scenes is the hard work and caring about every aspect of the restaurant. I’ve even found myself commenting on how clean the bathrooms were after a great night out to dinner. Details matter!
They consistently deliver value
Steve Jobs comes to mind and his unique ability to always deliver value to millions of customers time and time again. He knew that his customers were the most important aspect of his work and made sure that what he launched was always the best. He wasn’t always the first to launch something, but he made sure it was always the best!
They are relentless in their goals
Staying with a mission and not stopping until they reach it is something all elite performers possess. This is particularly obvious with high performing athletes. Most have been playing their sports since they were little kids and continue to pursue perfection to this day. Imagine Michael Jordan or Lebron James as a 10 year old shooting free throw after free throw into the late hours of the night.
They are passionate
Passion is what inspires others to support you and your mission. Elite performers know that it takes a team of people around them to do big things. Whether it’s the support of their loved ones, or their employees, passion for a mission is something that sets elite performers apart from the crowd.