The more I talk to people about leadership and success, the more I realize: smart people know exactly what it takes to “win.” They know the skills they’ll need, and where to use them.
They–the ones who struggle–just have no sense of why they’re using them or how to use them properly… they haven’t committed to their goals and they haven’t taken 100% personal responsibility for achieving them. They use the skills to explain their struggles and analyze the difference between where they are and where they think they would be if it weren’t for all the fools around them who lack said skills.
Unfortunately for these souls, there is nothing intellectual about success. “Responsibility,” “courage,” “ambition,” “accountability,” “integrity”… these are things we know about through some process that is not remotely intellectual. Discussing them might make for a good book club session, but doesn’t get you one iota closer to your goal. These are the behaviors/competencies/things that, when we engage in them, lead to success… but that when we discuss them lead to… nothing.
A certain amount or type of intelligence may be the ante for success in an organization–as study after study shows that to be the case–but intelligence alone won’t get you there. It’s other factors that are the differentiators.
You cannot think courageous thoughts, or picture yourself acting with integrity, and suddenly wake up being the CEO. You cannot imagine what your life would be like if you were highly ambitious and wake up wealthy. You need to actually act on these thoughts. You need to both imagine them and DO them. It’s the acting part that leads to success. You need the intelligence to think ‘em, but until you act on them, they’re nothing. Good ideas are a dime a dozen, and you cannot bluff the powers of the universe into helping you succeed with yours. You need to act on your idea; that’s what gets the powers of the universe to start conspiring in your favor. It’s hard work that makes the adage, “Luck is when opportunity meets preparation” true. And it’s the person who can execute his good idea who is truly rare indeed.
Maybe you’ve seen The Secret. Great. Imagine yourself a billionaire. Pretend to drive the car of your dreams. See it all in your head. Then remember: the powers of the universe don’t care what you think. They respond to that other part of you–that primordial, reptilian part of your brain that process constructs like “confidence” and “stubbornness,” that operates when you stop spinning your wheels and start doing.
Engage it.
Jason Seiden is Co-founder and CEO of Ajax Social Media, a training company that shows professionals how use social media to work more effectively.
I'm the CEO of Ajax Social Media. We're helping 1 million people shine by making their online stories better. 