The Right Stuff

What is the right stuff?

How do they do it, those wizards of biz? That's a question that millions all over the world want an answer to. What is it that makes a business-person more or less likely to be successful? Is it luck? Talent? Funding? Education?
Predictably, the answer is " bit of everything". Fortunately, one of the benefits of the popularisation of psychology has been the investigation of business success from a psychological point of view. Carnegie, Peters, Robbins, Covey, Tracy, Gerber, have all looked at what makes the great business-person tick. These authors, and many others, have produced books of distilled wisdom, which can be of tremendous value.

The List

• Vision, the seed from which the whole business grows
• Innovation which provides a competitive edge
• Certainty, or faith in the viability of the enterprise
• Managing the stress, fatigue and worry that may occur
• Persistence; the ability to continue in the face of many setbacks
• Support ensuring that fresh perspectives, and assistance are available
• The ability to communicate which keeps information flowing
• Management of tasks, and the available time to do them in
• Frequent evaluation of progress, and the flexibility to change the game plan when required
• Goals and the planning required to achieve them
• Making the most of every opportunity to build the business

Context

Of course, you can have too much of a good thing. Over-commitment to any one factor may be detrimental to the health of the business. Likewise, context is crucial. Some situations call for more or less of one factor. For example, In the start-up phase, some personal skills are more in demand than at other more mature stages of a business. If you are significantly lacking in any of these factors, you will have experienced recurrent problems or criticisms from others. This is useful information. Heed these signals, don't ignore them.

How to get it?

Fortunately, these qualities can be learned. Pinpoint the shortcoming by noting the setting where the problems keep happening, and identify processes or themes that recur, and work on your performance. The solution depends on the exact nature of the problem. The list above can be divided roughly into three basic areas. The first three items fall into the area of creativity, the next four into self-development, the last four into organisational skills. Help is available on all of these topics in the form of books, courses and tapes. Or for a more tailored, interactive experience, engage a coach or mentor. In this venture, awareness of the need for change, and a commitment to make it, are the fundamentals of success.