Things going well for you? Keep up that winning streak!

Number 162

Why is it that some people can go from success to success, while others stumble fairly quickly, then seem to spend more time down than up? Of course luck can help, but the people who keep landing on their feet tend to have something in common. The perennial winners don’t take success for granted -- they keep hustling, even in the good times.

If you are looking for ways to perpetuate success, in your own career or within your organization, consider these strategies:

• Pinpoint the brightest spots. Sometimes when people are winning kudos or making money, they just enjoy the results and don’t ask questions. A smarter approach is to gather data that will more precisely describe the basis of your success. Let’s say that you are making good money selling three products, each for $100. But what if a closer look at your costs shows that one product is more expensive to produce than the others because of the extra time you have to spend on it. With more detailed information you may find that you can make even more profit by phasing out or redesigning the time-consuming item. In other words, good information may help you to improve performance even when you’re doing well.
• Build on strengths. Doing well at work requires certain disciplines, processes and standards. Sometimes people stumble because they get busy and cut corners, or get arrogant and act lazy. To stay on top it is important to keep refining the methods and approaches, and polishing the expertise, that brought you success in the first place. For example, Jane’s company creates hand-knitted items. She built up her business by quickly creating fine products in response to her customers’ requests. At the moment business is booming, but she and her team are still working to reduce the time it takes to deliver each garment to an eager customer.
• Listen to your customers. Even when your customers (and bosses) already love you, pump up your game by listening carefully to what they have to say. If you understand their goals and problems you may spot new ways to add value.
• Look around. When you are on a winning streak you may feel so busy that you don’t have time to think about the bigger picture. If so, you are facing a big risk: tunnel vision. Just because you are successful today, doesn’t mean you can ignore the broader environment. It is not enough to simply benchmark your competitors. Change can come from any direction. Strong players are well informed about the wider world. And being engaged in any kind of learning experience can help you to keep an open mind, spot emerging trends and see things in new ways.
• Stay confident. Management guru Rosabeth Moss Kanter has written that confidence is what makes the difference in any competition, whether in baseball or high-stakes business. In her book, “Confidence,” Kanter says that in every realm in which individuals perform to high standards leaders can foster confident, winning behavior by focusing relentlessly on three values:
  • Accountability. Gather and share information, seek feedback and self-improvement, set high aspirations, avoid excuses and celebrate achievements.
  • Collaboration. Stress collective goals, avoid bickering, encourage people to get to know and support others, and build networks.
  • Initiative. Seek and reward improvements, empower team members by sharing resources and investing in small wins, and respect people and approaches that seem “different.”