Common Success Attributes
I recently was asked by a candidate what are the common attributes that make people successful at cleverbridge. The question was prompted by the number of interviewers who have been with the company for 10 years or more.
Although I gave the candidate some initial answers, I thought that this was a great question so I committed to thinking about it more and sharing a list. I believe that these are the attributes that have resulted in success among a group of employees I have hired, managed, and/or mentored.
- Natural Curiosity — The concept that you see something and want to understand it. Being interested to learn about things is not universal. I learned how to restore vintage electronics components and now this is how I decompress.
- Independent Learner — Once there’s something to learn, don’t wait for someone to teach you. Go find any way you prefer to learn, but don’t wait for someone else to teach you. That creates an unnecessary dependency.
- Team Oriented — I love to only rely upon my own skills and abilities, but to be successful in life almost always takes a village. Your unique, superb skills can be used to make others better. Just ask Michael Jordan.
- Be Self-Aware — Mirrors are for looking at your physical appearance. Being self-aware is objectively recognizing how your actions, interactions, and words impact others. It’s difficult to improve yourself if you aren’t able to recognize and evaluate outcomes, especially ones that you influence.
- Positive Attitude — Victim-hood is a popular political tool resulting in complaints about why other people are preventing me from being successful. When people have a positive attitude, they take any situation, look for alternate solutions and do the best that they can. A wise person once told me that attitude and effort are the only two things that you can control.
- Bias for Action — Too often, perfection is the enemy of progress. You can’t score aiming over and over and never shooting. Obviously acting with very little thought or information is dangerous, but when in doubt, I advocate to act.
Just exhibiting these attributes is not a guarantee of success at cleverbridge. The right opportunities have to exist to survive 10 years at any company nowadays. Opportunities appear in different organic and inorganic ways and in a non-linear timeline. All of the people who achieved this significant milestone are a success in my book.
