The Eight Secrets of Success, According to TED Attendees [Video]

The Eight Secrets of Success, According to TED Attendees [Video]:

What really leads to success? Analyst Richard St. John spent seven years interviewing 500 successful TED speakers and conference goers to find the traits successful people all have in common. He ended up narrowing their responses to these eight traits, condensed to a short 3-minute video. More »

The Way to Success: Know What It Looks Like

The Way to Success: Know What It Looks Like:




I’m waiting for a meeting. It’s a biggie: depending on the report I give, someone either keeps or loses their job, in the next 20 minutes. I’ve already had two big meetings today (on of them resulting in a contact for my company which on its own takes us 20% of the way to our annual targets!). I’ve got a huge meeting to come with a very influential man in my field.
I really can’t afford to screw up at any point at all today, so I need to stay calm.
The killer question is “How?”
I’ve written in a lot of other places about tools and tricks. Here I want to concentrate on just one more – and it’s so simple I feel embarrassed typing it.
But here goes…
Ready?

Know what success looks like.

See! Told you it was embarrassingly simple!
Here’s the deal.
Everyone knows what it feels like to screw up, right? We all know exactly what it feels like to fail – or at least we can imagine it. It’s not hard… the laughter, the mockery, the sense of having let everyone down; the letter saying you didn’t get the job…
But what does success look like?
Okay, for getting a job the result is (usually) getting the job, fair enough (although there are jobs you’re better of not getting, trust me on this as I speak from experience!) but for much of the rest of what we do success is harder to describe.
Let’s take my big meeting last thing this afternoon. It’s with arguably the biggest name in my field (presentation skills training) in the UK and obviously I want him to think well of me.
I can imagine a million bad scenarios in my head, but how will I know if the meeting has gone well?
Well, the trick is to figure out what ‘good enough’ looks like. That, of course, is easier said than done but the important thing is always (seriously, always) do that before you get involved. Once you’re up to your neck in something it’s impossible to be objective about things, least of all when to call it a day.

A tool we use…

One technique I’ve found to be remarkably useful is to jot down the project on a sheet of paper… make sure you write it down clearly…. and create three columns. (The image is a grab from my iPhone of a whiteboard in our office about a training day we’re planning.)
The first is the one you’ll find easiest to fill in, so do it first: it’s examples of how you know you’ve screwed up.
Fill in the right hand column next – this one is the same items but now itemized as complete success. Instead of the report being late, the report is now (as an example) written a week early, giving time for reflections and reviews.
With the right hand column filed in it’s much easier to get to the point of the exercise – filling in the middle column… the column of “Good Enough”.
This middle column matches the others, item for item, but now things are only ‘good enough’. For example, if the first column might include the report being late and the middle column would include it being on time – just.
Once you’ve done that, you’re finished. It really is as simple as it sounds. Like all good ideas, the main problem is remembering to use it in the first place! The ‘magic’ of it lies in forcing you to be objective.
Featured photo credit: Sunset via Shutterstock

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Simon runs a soft skills training company called Aware Plus in the UK, but is probably best known for his work as a presentation skills trainer. He's also becoming known as a speaker on emotional robustness and personal resilience... he's also a fairly proficient fire-eater!
Related posts:

1. 11 Essential Habits for Success
2. There Are No Shortcuts To Real Success
3. The Key to All Success: Action

Need a Knowledge Boost? Increase Your Brain Power with These 6 Websites

Need a Knowledge Boost? Increase Your Brain Power with These 6 Websites:

Building knowledge: For some people it is a passing interest, for others it is a hobby, while for some it is an obsession. Regardless of where you stand on the spectrum, chances are that from time-to-time you look to learn something new. Luckily, for all of us there are a series of websites that can help us learn a thing or two about… well, anything. You are likely find an answer at one of these websites no matter what your interest or need is.

TED

If you are not just looking for information, but also inspiration, then TED.com is the website that will fulfill your needs. The Technology, Education, and Design oratory forums that take place in California are a collecting of inspiring and innovative minds. In fields ranging from architecture, dance, science, history, sociology, to philosophy and beyond, TED invites all great minds to present their concepts in 20-minute presentations.

It is hard to find a single TED oration that is not filled with inspiring concepts, motivating ideas, and worthwhile tidbits of information. As a whole, TED is a great way to both learn and be inspired to learn more. That is more, with TED gaining popularity, there is only more and more information being presented to feed the curious mind.

If you’re keen to learn more Finance-related information, do check out post on “16 Great Personal Finance Resources & Blogs”.

Answerbag.com

While a rather informal website, Answerbag.com provides a great service to anyone who “just can’t remember how buoyancy works,” or “Am not sure who was the best baseball player of the 1970s.” Answerbag has a very simple concept and the right answer will be found sooner or later.

It is a committee source website, which allows anyone to answer any question. Think of it as a worldwide way of just shouting out a random question to a group of friends. The best part is that when a proper answer comes across, it is likely multiple people will verify that it is the case.

One of the best parts of Answerbag.com is that since it is informal, you do not have to be embarrassed if your question is rather random or silly. The thousands of individuals who frequent Answerbag likely have either an answer, or some useful insight.

How Stuff Works

For those who are scientifically or design-oriented minds, HowSTuffWorks.com is a great site to answer the fundamental questions. You can simply type in your inquiry on the search page, and more than likely there will be a like, or similar, question that has already been answered. You can also browse through a great range of topics and areas of study. For the inquisitive mind, this site is a treasure-trove of interesting and practical facts.

Kahn Academy

For those with a thirst for learning, who just found the lectures and dedication to be too much work, KahnAcademy.org has found the answer. Fit into small YouTube-sized videos are now information that is ever-growing, presented by the founder Mr. Kahn. You can learn about astronomy, how RNA turns to DNA, or learn about art history.

The library of the Kahn Academy is growing each week. With the growing of the site, so to can your knowledge grow.  Of course, these “classes” should not take the place of actual education, but they are great for studying for tests. There are also fantastic brainteasers, which test the mind and general knowledge.

Project Gutenberg

For those who have a love of reading, Gutenberg.org is a true Godsend. With over 38,000 books on tap, each is fully free and available for anyone to read at any time. With the advent of Kindles and IPads, which allow for comfortable digital reading, there has never been a better time to have the literary bug.

There truly is a book for any genre and style of writing one could hope for. Not only can one read great classics, but there are thousands upon thousands of lesser-known books spanning across literary time. This adds an element of true excitement for the bibliophile.

Brain Pickings

If you are feeling like rolling the dice on what it is you might learn, then brainpickings.com is the site for you. Made by an MIT fellow, BrainPickings is a hodgepodge of art, history, science, anthropology, and so on. While the site itself may be a bit off-putting due to its rather highbrow nature, the site truly carries quite a punch when it comes to knowledge.

Articles like “7 Must-Read Books on Emotions and the Brain” and “Mapping European Stereotypes” will entertain as well as inform. Soon, one will forget all about the “highbrowness” of the site and be thankful such well-informed individuals are also capable of quality writing.

Photo credit: Idea via Shutterstock

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