The World's Most Influential People Share THESE 3 Habits
I am a strong believer that to accelerate your success in business, it’s wise to learn from those who have already achieved greatness before you.
When I first entered the world of direct sales, I immersed myself in the materials of business luminaries with proven track records and valuable strategies to share. I listened to their tapes and read their books again and again until their messages became familiar, practical tools I could use to succeed.
To this day, I am constantly reading books and listening to CDs to broaden my skill sets, and I encourage my clients at Celeste Giordano Coaching to do the same. There is no better investment than an investment in your own education and growth.
One of my go-to books is the classic, “How to Win Friends and Influence People.” Written by the late Dale Carnegie, it is one of the first best-selling “self help” books ever published and has sold upward of 30 million copies globally.
It should come as no surprise that Carnegie, one of the business world’s greatest influencers, developed his teachings by studying the psychology and lives of great achievers before him, such as Abraham Lincoln and Thomas Edison.
Carnegie published his novel many decades ago in 1936 but the habits he identifies as critical to success are just as relevant and true today.
Here are 3 habits Carnegie identified that the most influential and successful people in the world practice each and every day (and you should too!):
1. Avoid the 3 Cs
According to Carnegie, successful people avoid the 3 Cs – criticizing, condemning and complaining.
“Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain — and most fools do… But it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving,” he asserts.
People respect leaders who know how to acknowledge when an employee isn’t meeting their expectations or responsibilities, but are able to do so in a way that acknowledges what they are doing right. Leaders that do so are able to give their teams the motivation, appreciation and tools to do better, rather than beating them down with criticisms and complaints then expecting them to flourish.
When you care about each individual you interact with, lead with understanding and appeal to people’s emotions and self-interest, you are much more likely to achieve success in your own career and build a stronger team.
Why? Because that is how you earn people’s trust. To be an effective leader in business, people need to trust and respect you. Rather than generating trust, resorting to demands and threats will breed nothing more than resentment.
2. Show your appreciation
What drives people to perform to the best of their abilities? People thrive when their superiors acknowledge and appreciate all that they do.
Think about it: Imagine going to work for someone each and every day who never acknowledges your commitment and – most importantly – your successes. Would you feel motivated to work harder and reach higher?
When you genuinely appreciate the people on your team and articulate your appreciation on a regular basis, you create an atmosphere where people are motivated to do their best for you.
To illustrate this point, Carnegie interviewed Charles M. Schwab who, in the late 19th century, rose from a day laborer to a top executive under Andrew Carnegie, one of the wealthiest people in history.
Andrew Carnegie paid Schwab a $75,000 salary, but regularly rewarded him with $1 million bonuses. What was Andrew Carnegie’s rationale for these astronomical bonuses (especially in comparison to his salary)?
“The yearly salary was for the work Schwab performed, but the bonus was for what Schwab, with his pleasing personality, could get others to do.”
Andrew Carnegie identified Schwab’s greatest strength and demonstrated his appreciation for it.
While monetary compensation is certainly one way to show your appreciation and encourage strong performance, there are many others. Verbal recognition, written thank you cards, public praise and token gifts of gratitude are all effective means of showing your appreciation.
3. Empathize
The third habit of influential people that Carnegie identifies is the ability to feel what it is like to walk in other people’s shoes. Regularly empathizing with your customers, clients and employees is critical to helping you understand another person’s point of view as well as your own.
When you empathize, you give yourself a vantage point from which you can understand people’s needs, challenges and mentalities, better enabling you to serve them.
According to Carnegie, “the only way on earth to influence other people is to talk about what they want and show them how to get it.” By empathizing with your clients or employees, you are better able to identify their wants and needs. Only then can you show them how to achieve those needs in a way that benefits you both.
Developing Habits of Success
At Celeste Giordano Coaching, I empower my clients to develop successful habits and utilize proven strategies that enable them to build stronger teams and “Double Plus” their income.
Ask yourself, are my daily habits bringing me closer to building a Legacy Business?
You’ll be amazed by how shifting simple daily habits can transform your results.
Celeste Giordano’s mission is to help business owners develop the skills, knowledge and attitude necessary to “double-plus” their income and become effective and inspirational leaders in their fields. Whether it’s taking your successful business to the next level or starting a new venture, she will teach you the exact skills and strategies you need to enroll more quality prospects, build a rock-solid team, and break through obstacles to achieve real profit and lasting success. Celeste is a professional business growth specialist, a master sales strategist, and dynamic speaker with almost 40 years experience in direct sales and managing high-performing teams.
To learn more about Celeste, click here.
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