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IOL Jobs :: Advice & News: "The seven attributes of success
Adriaan Groenewald
05 August 2009 at 06h00
I attended the Discovery Invest Leadership Summit on July 22. There were some prominent speakers, including Adrian Gore, Wendy Luhabe, Malcolm Gladwell, Richard Branson, Mathews Phosa and others.

Overall the day was very interesting. In this column, however, I want to focus on the contribution of Adrian Gore, Discovery's CEO.

He discussed seven simple attributes, which, according to him, successful individuals or leaders possess and often support with actuarial argument or thinking, in a way that even I could understand.

I will never be able to convey the seven attributes as he did but, in brief, I will do my best.

He believes that successful people/leaders:

1. Are positive and optimistic: This does not mean they walk around with a smile and never see the obstacles or challenges. They have an innate belief that they can find a way. They have a positive disposition and, therefore, invariably make better decisions.

2. Set dreams and goals: Common sense, which we all understand intellectually, unfortunately is not always common practice. They make time to dream, think big and then set goals to get there.

3. Have a sense of urgency: An innate understanding that time is limited and therefore act accordingly. It is so true that some people live as though they will be on this earth forever.

Gore used the example that when one turns 40 one tends to believe that there is still 50 percent of life left over. But this is not true. Think of it this way. As a young child the third year in your life felt exceptionally long.

Why? Because when you looked at it in context it was in fact one third of your life.

When you turned 10, a year was one tenth of your life, which means a year felt shorter than when you were three, but it still felt long. The, when you turn 40 - as I did over a year ago - a year goes much faster because it is one fortieth of your life, and so on.

Actuarially, at the age of 40 when one analyses this philosophy, more than 80 percent of one's life is actually past and this does not even take into account the fact that one's health and often energy starts deteriorating. The moral of the story is that you have less time than you think you have, so make the best of it!

4. Never stop learning: Successful people keep learning new things. An interesting principle to consider here is that the more you learn the more your capacity to learn even more increases.

An example is that one's first semester of year three at university often has as much work as one's entire first year had. So, the more we learn, the more we are able to learn. This principle counterbalances the age challenge in a way. In other words, while time and health may deteriorate quickly, we can make up for this by acquiring more knowledge and wisdom.

5. Persistent: Successful leaders always feel they can squeeze out more time, productivity, profit or whatever. Gore played a video in which Tim Noakes addressed the audience on research which proved that getting tired during exercise is 'all in the head'.

This means that athletes can almost always do more. Successful leaders always persist in trying to do more themselves and in getting others to achieve more.

6. The power of innovation: In essence, successful people are almost always different to the norm. So, to be successful one must be different, which means by implication that innovation plays a critical role in being successful.

7. Integrity and honesty: I have written a lot about this and the link between integrity, honesty and being authentic. To be successful one sacrifices a great deal, and to make all this worthwhile one had better be proud of what one does and how one gets there.

If not, how does one look at oneself in the mirror?

Perhaps we can somehow arrange another event where Adrian Gore can speak of these attributes. It really is worthwhile hearing him speak."