Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/72467
SALES & MARKETING Seven Qualities That Produce Star Performers BY JOHN GRAHAM Possessing the correct skill sets for a position in today's economy is absolutely essential –– but it's not enough to be a star performer. With so much emphasis on job qualifications, it's easy to give little thought to certain personal quali- ties that, when combined with outstanding competencies, result in extraordinary perform- ance. And it's the star performers that are missing today. In a recent study of 600,000 people In- diana University's Kelley School of business found that individual performance doesn't fall on a bell curve. Rather, the researchers found a "power-law" distribu- tion, with a few elite per- formers contributing the most to the productivity of an organization. Is productivity des- tined to be the domain of a few or is possible that star performance can be achieved by looking beyond the right skill sets? It may take a combination of job competencies and certain personal qualities to drive top per- formance. Here are seven personal qualities that can make a difference in the workplace: 1. A willingness to speak up. To set the record straight, blathering at the after-work watering hole and texting don't count. In other words, complaining doesn't count. Speaking up is about expressing thoughtful ideas, offering suggestions, taking exception to things when appropriate, and coming to your own defense when you believe you've been wronged. More than anything else, speaking up ex- presses a commitment to your work and your JULY 2012 24 THE JOURNAL employer. It sends the signal about something important: you think for yourself, a capability that's lacking in business. In a highly competitive business environ- ment, those who spend their working lives keeping "a low profile" may find that their tenure is shorter than expected. 2. A sense of modesty. At the start of the commencement season, WSJ Global Vision columnist, Brent Stephens, offered advice to this year's graduates. At one point he wrote, "Your prospective employers can smell BS from miles away. And most of you don't even know assumption seems to be that unless such advice is heeded, an agency is headed for failure. In fact, the same agent suggests that failing to join certain sites isn't an option. "I think that not doing something actually is not neutral . . . [it's] a negative branding signal." It's easy for businesses, both small and large, to fall prey to "magic bullet" solutions. They are dangerous because they drown out rational thought and force decisions that take the focus away from reaching sound business objectives. 4. People who are ruthless with them- Is productivity destined to be the domain of a few or is possible that star performance can be achieved by looking beyond the right skill sets? how badly you stink." But self-puffery isn't limited to recent grad- uates; it's pervasive. Just read online self-pro- files and self-serving recommendations. There is the sadly mistaken notion that this is the way to do it because everyone does it. Being the ex- ception by letting your ideas and performance speak for you may be the way to attract the at- tention of those who are looking to align with competent people. 3. People who don't fall for "magic bul- let" answers. It's so easy to be prisoners of our inclinations –– to the point of actually distort- ing reality. In a recent insurance publication, an agent states, "Not being on social media is like starting an insurance agency but not having a website and not showing up atmeetings." The selves. Self-knowledge is perhaps themost crit- ical trait that star performers share. A young, competent event planner alienated a key partner with her aggressive, demanding approach. When she learned of the partner's dissatisfaction, she sought advice on how to change and was so successful that the partner declared she had undergone a meta- morphosis and was a joy to work with. David McCullough, Jr., a teacher at Wellesley High School, was equally ruthless in his 2012 graduation remarks. With utter clar- ity, he stated, "You are not special. You are not exceptional."He went on to say, "You see, if everyone is special, then no one is. If every- one gets a trophy, trophies become meaning- less. ... We have of late, we Americans, to our detriment, come to love accolades more than genuine achievement." Achievement comes frombeing ruthless with ourselves. 5. People who possess a deep under- standing of the customer. While this should be obvious by now, it isn't. Far too many of us