Success 101: How To Stay Ahead Of The Competition
If you want to stay ahead of the competition, earn a promotion at work, or just want to keep yourself ahead of the field then you need to come up with a plan to help you achieve your success and Leila Dorari is here to help you on your way with some great tips.
Being successful doesn’t end when you reach your desired success level. To stay on top and never falter requires constant effort and focus on being better and competent in facing upcoming challenges and obstacles. Even if it’s not explicitly stated, it is expected that you continually invest in yourself not only regarding your job but also as a person, friend, family member and inhabitant of this planet. A great opportunity provided by the modern technological age is that you can learn and improve yourself constantly and anywhere, anytime. That doesn’t mean you can go on blindly without a plan, therefore try some of these recommendations how to stay ahead of your competition by creating a “101 improvement strategy”.
Be A Consistent Learner
Try doing new things every day, no matter how small you may think they are. Constantly improving means being a persistent learner and studious in your intention. If you are busy or short on time, try learning on the go. You can listen to audio books on your phone or in the car, watch podcasts and subscribe to YT channels or social network profiles regarding your field of interest. Developing your skills further and following the newest theories, discoveries or solutions will help you stay on top of your game and able to parry the competition.
Look Up To People Better Than You
Role models are people whom you admire and consider better than you in your field of expertise or as a person. There’s a lot you can learn if you consider your role models as your teachers and healthy competition at the same time. You will start studying their strategies and changing them to become better and more effective. Remember, the idea is to improve the methods in order to improve yourself, not to be focused on winning. In that way, the only goal is improvement and not surrendering to jealousy or bitterness.
Attend E-learning Seminars And Courses
There are many online courses and seminars, some even from prestigious institutions from all over the world. The best thing about them is that you can be at home and attend a seminar at Harvard, for example. Another benefit is that some of them are free, and for a small fee you can get a degree at your home address. Some companies even organise e-learning lectures in their offices via Internet link and using video conferencing solutions for better audio visual experience and uninterrupted communication with the employees in all their branches. If you want to continue your schooling for a master’s degree or Ph.D. studies, you can also do that online, and it’s regarded as though you attended the lectures in person.
Ask For Performance Evaluation
Some companies will give you feedback on your performance, but the trickiest part is when you need to grade yourself. The best way to do that is to measure how many tasks you’ve done and ask your co-workers for their honest opinion on the manner in which you handled your work assignments. Also, you can always go personally to your boss, and ask him to evaluate your work so far and advise you on what to change or improve. And, if you work with clients or customers, and only if appropriate, ask them to write about their experience and whether they are satisfied with the service you provided. Written feedback is excellent not only for you but for your superior to have the overall picture of how you have performed your duties so far.
Networking Your Way To Improvement
Don’t shy away from making new contacts and meeting people who have similar or the same interests as you. You can gain valuable advice only if you ask or pay attention to other people’s stories. Learning from other people’s experience is irreplaceable and can bring you a lot of practical and personalised lessons. Gaining knowledge through human contact is much different than learning things from the literature or indirectly. Many strategies and enhancements have actually come from implementing passive knowledge in live interactions. And no matter what, don’t be afraid to contact or reach out to people you respect, because their reputation is the product of their engagement and self-improvement, something you aspire to achieve.
Don’t Underestimate Yourself
Never put yourself down. Not in front other people, colleagues or your loved ones. Lack of belief in yourself is only a manifestation of your fear in the face of the challenges and expectations ahead of you. When you know your value, and don’t hide it, the people around you will also accept that and build their opinion of you based on your presentation. It’s easy to believe you are worthless if you’re in the presence of someone more successful than you. But instead of wallowing, start improving and doing your best to learn as much as possible. Never sell yourself short and always be realistic when evaluating your abilities. Some of the effective but simple exercises for improving your confidence include exposing yourself to new situations such as traveling alone, taking acting classes, hotel hopping, acquiring unusual new skills…
Finally
Always be willing to learn and listen otherwise improvement may come slowly or not at all. The best students are those who ask questions, show interest and look for different approaches to already established practices. Being innovative is not presumptuous if you’re doing it for self-improvement rather than in spite of others. Having competition is healthy and required for anyone who wants to achieve more and advance not only in business but as a human being as well.
