Common Sense Advice for Career and Life Success

Today is Friday, so this post is usually on interpersonal competence.  However, I have chosen to focus more broadly today instead of on just one part of my career and life success model as I usually do.

As you recall, my career and life success model holds that successful people have five things in common:

1. They are self confident.
2. They make a positive personal impact.
3. They are outstanding performers.
4. They have good communication skills.
5. They are interpersonally competent.

Self confident people have at least three things in common:

1. Self confident people are optimistic.
2. Self confident people face their fears and deal with them.
3. Self confident people surround themselves with positive people.

People with positive personal impact have at least three things in common:

1. People with positive personal impact develop and constantly promote their personal brand.
2. People with positive personal impact are impeccable in their presentation of self.
3. People with positive personal impact know and practice the basic rules of etiquette.

Outstanding performers have at least three things in common:

1. Outstanding performers are technically competent.  They are lifelong learners.
2. Outstanding performers set and achieve goals.
3. Outstanding performers are organized.  They manage their time, stress and lifestyle.

People with good communication skills have at least three things in common:

1. Good communicators are excellent conversationalists.
2. Good communicators write in a clear, concise easily readable manner.
3. Good communicators are excellent presenters – to groups of two or 100.

Interpersonally competent people have at least three things in common:

1. Interpersonally competent people are self aware.  They understand themselves and their impact on others, and as a result they understand others.
2. Interpersonally competent people build solid, long lasting mutually beneficial relationships with the people in their lives.
3. Interpersonally competent people are able to resolve conflicts with a minimal amount of problems and upset to relationships.

The other day, Chris Widener sent me an e mail describing the Twelve Pillars of Success program he and Jim Rohn have developed.  Since I am thinking and writing about career and life success on this blog, I decided to check out their Twelve Pillars model and see how it matches up with my five factor model.  Not surprisingly, my thoughts and theirs match pretty well.

Below, I’ve listed the Twelve Pillars and pointed out where it fits (or doesn’t) with my five point model of career and life success.  Take a look, and let me know what you think.

   
Personal development is the first of the twelve pillars.  It fits in the outstanding performance part of my model.  Sub point 1 says “Outstanding performers are technically competent.  They are life long learners.”

Health and total well-being is the second of the twelve pillars.  It also fits in the outstanding performance part of my model.  Sub point 3 says, “Outstanding performers are organized.  They manage their time, stress and lifestyle.”

Building strong relationships is the third of the twelve pillars.  It fits in the interpersonal competence part of my model.  Sub point 3 says “Interpersonally competent people build solid, long lasting, mutually beneficial relationships with the people in their lives.

Goal setting is the fourth of the twelve pillars.  It fits in the outstanding performance part of my model.  Sub point 3 says, “Outstanding performers are organized.  They manage their time, stress and lifestyle.”

Time management is the fifth of the twelve pillars.  It also fits in the outstanding performance part of my model.  Sub point 3 says, “Outstanding performers are organized.  They manage their time, stress and lifestyle.”

Finding people to help you succeed is the sixth of the twelve pillars.  It fits in the self confidence part of my model.  Sub point 3 says “Self confident people surround themselves with positive people.
Learning skills is the seventh of the twelve pillars.  It fits in the outstanding performance part of my model.  Sub point 1 says “Outstanding performers are technically competent.  They are life long learners.”

How to influence people is the eighth of the twelve pillars.  It fits in the interpersonal competence part of my model.  Sub point 1 says “Interpersonally competent people are self aware.  They understand themselves and their impact on others, and as a result they understand others.”  Sub point 3 says “Interpersonally competent people are able to resolve conflicts with a minimal amount of problems and upset to relationships.”

Financial planning is the ninth of the twelve pillars.  I have not included this in my model.  However, it is important, because it is difficult to perform at a high level if you are constantly worried about your finances.

Communication skills are the tenth of the twelve pillars.  Communication skills are one of the five points of my model.  I believe that there are three communication skills critical to success: conversation skills, writing skills and presentation skills.

Leadership is the eleventh of the twelve pillars.  It may be a bit of a stretch, but I believe that taken as a whole, my model provides a prescription for leadership, of oneself and of others.

Leaving a legacy is the twelve of the twelve pillars.  It fits in the positive personal impact part of my model.  Sub point 1 says “People with positive personal impact develop and constantly promote their personal brand.”  An effective personal brand is key to leaving a legacy.

I’ve run through this exercise not to prove or validate my model.  I did it because I am always interested in seeing how closely aligned I am with other thought leaders in the career and life success field.  In this case, I’m pretty closely aligned with Chris and Jim.  That’s good; because I think all three of us are espousing common sense ideas about moving your career and life ahead.

I’m interested in your thoughts.  Please post them in the comments section.

That’s it for today.  Thanks for reading.  Log on to my website www.BudBilanich.com to subscribe to my monthly ezine and for more common sense.  Check out my other blog: www.CommonSenseGuy.com for common sense advice on leading people and running a small business.

I’ll see you around the web, and at Alex’s Lemonade Stand.

Bud

PS: Speaking of Alex’s Lemonade Stand – my fundraising page is still open.  Please go to www.FirstGiving.com/TheCommonSenseGuy to read Alex’s inspiring story and to donate if you can.