If you have chosen the career path of the manager the only way to truly stand out is to become an extraordinary leader. Here are 10 traits that you will need to embrace to move from mediocrity to mastery.

1. Great leaders are committed to becoming better leaders.

Leaders are committed to their personal growth and expect their teams to follow suit. They are aware of their own strengths and weaknesses. They work on improving themselves both emotionally and mentally. They are proactive, not reactive. They work on expanding their circle of influence and building their confidence by stepping up, taking ownership and delivering results.

2. Great leaders have a transparent agenda.

Leaders know where they are going. They have a clear vision for what they want and what they (and their team) needs to do to achieve it. They focus on creating a transparent agenda that has it’s foundation on integrity and is aligned with ‘doing the right thing’. They do this by creating measurable and time-bounded goals for each of their 3 to 5 key areas of responsibility and they stay away from hidden agendas, office politics and/or building silos.

3. Great leaders are outstanding communicators.

Leaders know that the path to success lies with their ability to express and influence their agenda. They focus on sending a clear and consistent message to everyone. They believe that there is no such thing as over communication and they know that you have to say things 7 times for people to say there heard it once. They are always looking for ways to enhance their verbal, written and presentation skills.

4. Great leaders know their people.

Leaders know that the best way to get the most out of their team is to inspire greatness, not fear. They know that they must learn the strengths, weakness, goals and desires of everyone on their team. They discover what motivates their people and places them in roles that brings out their unique genius. They know that the most important meeting in their calendar that they MUST attend is the weekly one-on-one with each of their direct reports.

5. Great leaders are obsessed with performance.

Leaders focus on results. They deliver when the say they will deliver – no excuses. They set high standards for themselves and expect their team to follow suit. They implement key measures to monitor results. They look for ways to improve the processes that are required to get the work done and remove roadblocks so the team can deliver more effectively.

6. Great leaders grow and develop their team.

Leaders expect each member of their team to become masters of their particular craft. They equally provide positive feedback along with suggestions for improvement on a daily basis. They insist that each member of their team has a learning plan, helps each member of the team get better through coaching and gives them opportunities to grow through delegation.

7. Great leaders anticipate.

Leaders are proactive not reactive. They spend at least 1 hour per day planning. They take the time to step back and observe the bigger picture. They become experts at anticipating the behaviors of everyone around them. Once they identify a potential problem, they take immediate action and do whatever they can to influence a favourable outcome.

8. Great leaders lead by example.

Leaders are passionate about the work that they do and they expect everyone on their team to enjoy it as well. Everything they ask of others they must be willing to do themselves. They pitch in when they need to, not to do the work, but to give the team an example to follow. Once done they step back and coach the team on what needs to be done differently moving forward.

9. Great leaders hire exceptional talent.

Leaders know that they are only as good as their team. They are constantly on the look out for people that are also on the path to mastery. They are not afraid of hiring people that are different or smarter than they are. They know that the best way to achieve the goals of the company is to bring together a diverse and talented team.

10. Great leaders lead without title.

Leaders know they must go beyond the traditional positional power that is granted by a title or their role in a formal organizational structure. They know that they must stand for something bigger then themselves and regardless of their limited area of responsibility they must look to move this higher agenda forward. They know that they are becoming a better leader when people follow them because they want to, not because the have too.

Exceptional leaders are hard to find. If you are willing to develop and hone these rare skills, companies will reward you.

If you have chosen the career path of the technician the only way to truly stand out is become a master craftsman. Here are 7 traits that you will need to embrace to move from mediocrity to mastery.

1) The master craftsman is an expert in a specific discipline.

They have done (and continue to do) their homework. They have invested the hours to master a specific craft. Once they have reached an appropriate level within their industry they look for another discipline to master. The true masters look for ways to evolve their industry and move it forward.

2) The master craftsman works on improving their emotional intelligence.

True masters know that the key to a successful career is not just being technically brilliant. They spend an equal amount of time improving themselves and their emotional intelligence. Their are many technically competent people out there. They ones that focus on the soft stuff will find their earning potential greatly enhanced.

3) The master craftsman is an agent of change.

Master craftsmen are leaders not followers. They are self-motivated and step up without being asked and they are always looking for ways to improve the status quo. They are committed to making a difference in the world. They provide support to the community through coaching, mentoring and most importantly leadership.

4) The master craftsman is an expert storyteller.

The master craftsman knows that the path to success lies with their ability to express and influence their agenda. They are able to express their thoughts and opinions clearly and concisely using real life examples and through metaphor. They are always looking for ways to improve and refine their verbal, written and presentation skills.

5) The master craftsman focuses on people.

The master craftsman knows they must build quality relationships with their clients, peers, bosses, community and other experts. They are focused on building an outstanding network filled with people from inside and outside their company. They do their part to help others knowing that they can tap into their network when required.

6) The master craftsman is passionate about their work.

The master craftsman enjoys the work that they do. Because of this they work harder than anyone else. They are willing to put in the hours to get the work done. What seems like hard work to others is actually easy work for the master. This make the master craftsman 100 times more productive and thus much more valuable then average employees.

7) The master craftsman delivers on time.

The master craftsmen knows that their reputation is based on shipping a quality product on-time. They plan in advance and set clear milestones throughout their project. They know that quality is important however the don’t spin their wheels attempting to make everything perfect. They focus on making that right things right and delivering on time. In essence, master craftsman ship.

Only by committing to the 7 traits of the master craftsman can you hope to survive as a technician. When you commit to learn, understand and apply each of these 7 traits you will take your career from mediocrity to mastery. You will sling-shot past the competition to firmly establish yourself as an expert in your field. I guarantee your work will be ten times more satisfying and with your well rounded skills you will easily double, and possibly triple, your earning potential.

I always enjoyed reading comics. One of my favourites was the justice league of america. This was like a club house for superheroes.

In each comic the story line was usually they same. A number of superheroes would work together to stop some great evil. Only by combining their superpowers would they be able to succeed.

There was usually a part in the beginning where we would be introduced to a new superhero. Someone would walk into the justice league and everyone would have to describe their superpower. Of course superheroes like Superman and Batman would need no introduction. But there would be some new superhero that we would see for the first time.

I’m The Wasp and I have the ability to reduce my size to less than an inch in height. I am also able to fly using my insectoid wings and I have a stinger that stuns my enemies.

In this short and concise message we would learn all about the superpower from this new superhero.

I’m here to tell you that everyone has a superpower. It is the unique combination of strengths, purpose and passion residing within each of us. Even you have a superpower. It is your genius. Just waiting for you within.

Where’s The Super?

When I first ask people do this they will describe a power or skill. However it won’t be super. They will describe some strength that they have. Something like how creative, generous or caring they are. This is good however it is hardly motivating and inspiring.

To make a power ‘super’ you need to combine your strength and skills with your passion and purpose.

For example, when I combined the following strengths, passion and purpose …

1) My Strengths – input, focus, significance, leaner, intellection

2) My Passion – banish mediocrity from myself and pursue mastery

3) My Purpose – to help other banish mediocrity and pursue mastery

I drafted the following superpower for myself …

What’s My Superpower?

My superpower is helping people achieve a six-figure income using their superpower.

My strengths are learner, focus, input, intellection and significance.

I have the ability to see the bigger picture, ask powerful questions, to be objective, to give critical feedback and to hold people accountable. I have the power to facilitate ah-ha moments as my Clients discover their genius.

My passion is mastery.

I have dedicated my life to studying the difference that makes a difference. I have a thirst for knowledge. I devour books, seminars and workshops. I work to maintain a state of curiosity. I constantly seek and I’m open to feedback.

I am always on the look out for the strategies that the best of the best have used to achieve success. I model and implement these strategies to see what works and throw out what doesn’t.

My purpose is to help others banish mediocrity and pursue mastery.

I am able to see the superpower that is within others. Together we are able to unlock their genius. I challenge my Clients to get out of their box when they are stuck, motivate them when they are down and give them a kick in the pants when they are lagging behind.

When I use my superpower I am able to show my Clients how to unleash their superpower, lead their elephant and build their lighthouse.

With my experience, knowledge and wisdom not only do I help my Clients discover their superpower, I show them how to apply it in such a way that they are able to double, even triple their income.

My enemy is mediocrity and my superpower is mastery.

This is my genius and through it I express my art.

—

This post was inspired by Seth Godin from his outstanding book Linchpin. This is a must read for anyone that is tired of being mediocre and/or is on the path to mastery.

Seth … thank you for the gift!

In the chart below I’ve laid out the possible career paths (blue boxes). Each career path has been divided into two sub-paths: the path of mediocrity (yellow boxes) and the path of mastery (green boxes).

Operator

To be blunt, I don’t recommend being an operator. These are low paying, repetitive, commodity type jobs that are neither challenging nor fulfilling. They are the most susceptible to offshoring, outsourcing, downsizing and layoffs. I recommend developing your skills in one off the other roles in increase your income potential.

Technician

The first of the recommended career paths is technician. These are the highly specialized skills that companies need to be successful. These include accountants, analysts, developers, architects and other similar roles. I recommend this path to those that wish to become an expert within a particular field.

Manager

Exceptional managers and leaders are hard to find. If you are willing to develop and hone these rare skills, organizations will reward you. I recommend this path to those that like to lead (you know who you are).

Profit Generator

The key success to any business is marketing and sales. Companies are hungry for great sales people and will handsomely reward those who bring in the business. I recommend this path to those that enjoy connecting with people.

Free Agent

Solo-preneurship is a path for brave individuals whose personalities include craftsman, leader and advisor all rolled into one. This path includes consultants, agents, brokers, freelancers, service providers, tradesman and other guns for hire. This path includes the hobbyist who would like to transform a passion into a business. It also includes the dreamer who would like to turn an idea into a micro-business. I recommend this path to the craftsman, leaders and advisors who want to greatly increase their earning potential.

Owner

Business ownership is the path for those who are transforming their solo-enterprises into thriving companies. This path is not for everyone. I only recommend this path for individuals that want to achieve world domination.

To learn more about each of the possible career paths, and to identify the right path for you, you can get a sneak peak at this section of The Rapid Success Blueprint.

So Login or become a member to sample the entire chapter for FREE.

The Next Level is the single most important goal that if accomplished would have the greatest impact on your life. Notice how I said ‘single’ most important goal. This is critical. I’ve seen many people, myself included, create a number of ‘next level’s’ and then slowly work at each of them. This is fine if you are looking for slow progress … NOT!

What we are looking for is the most efficient way to achieve our goals. In my experience the only way this happens is by focusing all of your energy on a specific goal. This is the same concept that make the laser beam so powerful. All that energy is focused into a specific area. It’s that focused energy that gives the laser that ability to cut through anything.

If you divide that energy by focusing on more than one goal the laser becomes less powerful. You will be much more effective by focusing all of your energy to achieve the single most important goal that would have the greatest impact on your life. When that goal is achieved, you review your list of goals again and select the next most important goal … and repeat.

Just posted the Rapid Success Manifesto on the site. Check it out!

Imagine that your entire world is inside a small box. All your beliefs, skills, strengths, knowledge and abilities are placed inside this small box. Now place this small box inside a large box. This larger box represents what you are capable of. It contains the revised beliefs, the new skills, the new strategies, the new abilities and the different perspectives. It represents the next level of your capabilities.

For example, many years ago I was making about $33K / year. This was my inner box. My belief was that it was not possible to earn more. As I was growing up we never had much money so even this amount seemed like a lot.

I was stuck at at this salary until I set to expand my limits beyond the small box. I set a goal to achieve six-figures. To go outside of my comfort zone.

When I did this I started to notice how I was behaving and what I was doing.

I started to think in different ways.

I started to do things differently.

I started to make progress.

And in a short time I was making my six-figures.

And I promise that the same thing will happen to you.

You just need to look outside of your box.

There’s an old saying that practice makes perfect. I prefer PERFECT practice makes perfect. When you are learning a new skill or process it’s important that you learn it from someone that has already mastered the skill or process at a level of proficiency far greater than your own. When you are looking to enhance your skills, look for mentors or coaches that are performing at the level that you want to achieve.

Our LinkedIn group has been transformed into an open group. We will be posting exclusive career related content for this group only. Join the group now if you are interested in fast tracking your career.

I’m pleased to announce that the 9 Rapid Success Strategies have been ported over to the new website!

Would you like to discover the secret to building at least a six-figure income (and beyond) doing what you love?

When you get your hands on the 9 Rapid Success Strategies you’ll quickly realize just how powerful this stuff really is.

I’ve been studying successful leaders, entrepreneurs and career professionals since 1992 and I’ve looked at what they have been doing differently to achieve their outstanding results.

I’ve summarized what I’ve learned into the 9 Rapid Success Strategies which I now use as the foundation for all our coaching, mentoring and training programs at Rapid Success Coaching Inc.

And the cool thing is that I want to give you the 9 Rapid Success Strategies for FREE as a special gift.

To receive this gift simply sign-up as a member of this site (basic membership is FREE).

Enjoy!

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