10 HABITS OF A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESSMAN

 

1. Be a man! — this should be the most powerful word one can use to describe successful businessmen. This is also a very simple way of saying, you must not lose sight of yourself in all your businesses. You don’t have to become an angel — although it would be fantastic if you could. Just do what makes you happy and help make those around you happy too! No money is worth losing yourself in something for nothing. Being a man is hard work and there will always be more ways to get it wrong than right. So do as much as possible without sacrificing anything else for it. As a result, you will have people who love you very much for what you are and respect you more for it. It gets worse when you get a bit self-absorbed and start living up to everyone else’s expectations by having high standards and never giving in to others’ good ideas.

So be yourself and let the world see you as the real you.

2. Work smart, work fast but try always to figure out why someone is doing something so slow. The last thing that will annoy you is someone else’s laziness and lack of commitment. When you’re working hard, it is easy to fall back on your incompetence or laziness rather than trying out new things. And you are likely to find people who want to keep you down because they hate it when things go wrong. They want everything in order and they won’t let any problems pass them by until they are ready to face their inner demons. When your job goes wrong you are the first person to blame, but not always. Because of course, you are responsible when everyone starts acting like shit and making excuses. But what you should hate about them is having a boss who constantly takes advantage of you and doesn’t respect you. That type of boss is pretty much like the rest of us lazy, arrogant, useless people in life. There are plenty of other types of bosses around here and they will all keep reminding you, that if you aren’t careful then they will leave you behind. If you want something, get it.

3. Don’t be a jerk to anyone. Being in your own company is a great feeling and it makes you feel like you are a part of something larger. However, being in a team means you can come across many different people from different backgrounds, different opinions,, and different ideas with a common goal — to achieve some success. You have to understand how each person feels about certain decisions because that is how you make decisions. In addition, you need to be able to communicate well because people often prefer working with strong leaders rather than weak ones. Most companies don’t have a lot of communication skills so it’s important you learn them so you can take over tasks when called upon. People prefer a leader who gets results quickly and efficiently. Do this and you will attract people who don’t necessarily like conflict while still keeping clear lines of communication.

4. Stop procrastinating. Procrastination can kill you and if you have no self-control then you have no chance of surviving in a business that wants rapid results from you. Not only does procrastination eat away at your time and energy but it eats away at trust and loyalty too. Without these two attributes and the ability to sit down and get stuff done, people simply will don’t want to be around you and won’t commit their resources to your cause. And that’s very bad for business. Your staff and customers are getting used to seeing you under time constraints. Keep your eyes open and you can catch every excuse that someone gives you or let slip through the cracks of the system. To avoid any more mistakes, set realistic goals and stick to them till the end. At least half of the time, things go off track because you didn’t want them to go wrong. I used to say something along the lines of “I would have never started this project if we hadn’t had to spend several months before beginning our building works.” Now, we are probably going to have to spend another six months rebuilding the site but we have gotten this far and the build itself has already happened. We need to focus on the work ahead of us and get on with it!

5. Never get angry at your superiors. Everyone makes mistakes and sometimes you can see where someone’s shortcomings come from but in the majority of cases, it comes from their inadequacies. A good manager is usually easy to spot but not the same as a true expert. Sometimes the mistakes are obvious and they do the best thing they can to get everything sorted out. Others — however, may not even realize what went wrong until the damage is done. What you see as weaknesses in your superiors can turn out to be just as big a deal for them as your flaws. As such, think of everything your supervisors do as opportunities for growth. Take every opportunity to show who they are in this role. How to improve? How to grow? Where do they need a little extra support? What they can do better? Try to ask questions from them and remember the advice you gave them and apply it in each situation. Instead of allowing yourself to get frustrated by your managers, always remind them of their successes and keep pushing, push, push…

6. Give 100% on every single task given. One mistake and you’ll have to throw back the full range of emotions from frustration, resentment, anger, and a range of negative thoughts. The key is to accept mistakes. Things happen and are expected, but being angry with everyone every time you fail is not going to solve the problem. Always work on your own mistakes and when things went wrong you weren’t trying. Let things go and move on. Also, give 100% on the jobs you complete and no mistakes at all. Even the worst parts of the job are as effective as they ever can be. Make sure everybody knows what the objectives and aims are and never underestimate what the main objective is.

7. Look after others, not only for themselves. One of the most essential things that an excellent manager needs to have is a deep understanding of the employees. Often, employees want to work with amazing people that treat them like family instead of the cold-hearted machine that is often the environment we live in. As long as they are in harmony and not looking after you when you run out of petrol, you’ll eventually run out of good people. To motivate you and create a sense of belonging, focus on them and show them that you care about them. Show them that you are thinking of them and making them proud of you.

8. Know your limits. As a manager,, you need to know exactly what you can and cannot do. Set realistic goals and tell your staff exactly what you want them to achieve. Tell them what you want them to get done and do so, with no exceptions. Nobody likes to hear about their limitations and you have to explain to them for everyone else to see what their potentials are. Then show them the progress and how hard they can get. Don’t forget that there should always be room for improvement if it is possible. When you know your limits, the sky is the limit and nobody is stopping you from achieving greater heights.

9. Put your employees’ interests first. No matter which task you are attempting to delegate, put it all on your employer’s agenda. Ensure your supervisor fully understands your point of view and if they don’t agree with it, let them know. And don’t be afraid to voice your concerns or disappointments, it could lead to much stronger relationships and a better working relationship.

10. Focus on what matters to you. Once you’ve set your sights on something, and worked extremely hard towards its completion, you need to make sure it stays on the top of your list of priorities and you achieve it. If you have to make sacrifices to stay within the timescale and reach deadlines then so be it but stick to the schedule and focus on what matters most. Everything will change once something becomes completed, so make sure you stay focused on getting the best out of yourself so that everyone else can enjoy their vacations too.