ue bot icon

Daily Leadership Thought #165 – That Little Something Extra…

June 30, 2011

Daily Leadership Thought #165 – That Little Something Extra…

Table of Contents

Have you ever noticed how successful people and organizations always have that little something extra? Instead of simply following the crowd or doing what is expected, they strive to be different and better. They always work just a bit harder and smarter than their competition. I’ve long believed that success is incremental rather than something that happens all at once. It’s the little things that take place every day that make the difference. It’s the habits/attitudes formed through a lifetime of regular practice that “move the needle” forward.

After years of working with many leaders from multiple disciplines and fields, I’ve come to the following conclusions about high performers:

One might think that all the effort required to live up to the above-listed points would seem daunting, but it isn’t. These individuals, paradoxically, make success appear almost effortless. It’s not rocket science. Just like the dancer who works hard every day to perfect their craft and then performs flawlessly on stage or the golfer who regularly practices all the tough shots and then makes them under competitive pressure, they’ve trained themselves to excel.

Of course, there are examples of people who get lucky and seem to stumble into success. Some individuals do win the lottery. However, the odds of being one of the lucky few are very slim, almost infinitesimal. Hope is not a strategy. Small daily actions cultivate the habits that lead to true success and accomplishment.

All the winners bring something extra to their games. They stand apart because that is what they expect of themselves.

Follow our business development newsletter

We have a weekly newsletter packed full of weekly updates of latest content posted here.

‘Ask Ed’ AI Chatbot: Ed has developed this chatbot to allow you to easily access the content he has complied over the last 30 years as a business and leadership coach. Click ‘Ask Ed’ below to get your questions answered.