The 5 Secrets of Success: Inside the Mind of a High Performer

0:01As a business leader, it is so important that actually we make decisions based on the information that we have available to us. And let me tell you, you know, when you make a decision, you're going to find out pretty quick whether you made the right decision. Or maybe it wasn't the right decision and then you're able to adjust and adapt accordingly.

0:25Welcome back to Brave Bold Brilliant. Thank you, everyone, for joining us. Now, today, we are going to be talking about what high performers have taught me about success. Now, I am privileged, absolutely privileged, to work with some incredible businesses, global businesses that are doing really cool stuff, entrepreneurs, CEOs, people that are scaling their businesses. And also, of course, I've spent 30 years in business myself, both as a corporate CEO and as a multiple business owner. So I've been very fortunate that I have got to hang out with so many incredible leaders that are doing really, really good stuff.

1:07But, you know, it's always for me about keeping it real. And at Brave Bold Brilliant, you know, we are on an absolute mission to help you, your teams, and your business unlock that next step of success. So the great thing is in Brave Bold Brilliant as a community we get to share each other's stories we get to understand what success looks like and of course we get the chance to also know what it's like when things don't go so well actually and we have to bounce back from failure and that happens a lot as well so you know what I would say is if you're watching this on YouTube hit the subscribe button please but importantly we are going live with a new YouTube channel actually so you're going to get even more amazing content from us on Brave Bold Brilliant but you might be listening to this on Apple Podcasts you might actually be listening to it on Spotify so again hit the subscribe button because when you do that it means you get notified every time that we go live with a new episode and of course you know we're here to add value to support you, support your teams with as much, as much information as possible.

2:25So make sure you also go to www.brave-bold-brilliant.com and join the community. When you head to that learning hub, you're going to see so much rich content, so much valuable resources to really help you on your journey. So that's what we're all about here. And we're so lucky because Brave Bold Brilliant is in the top 1.5 % of all podcasts in the world. So I feel very fortunate to be the founder and the host and also through our business, Brave Bobber, and to be able to work with so many incredible business leaders. So let's get back to the topic, success. What do we learn from high performers about success?

3:05Well, I'm going to share with you five traits, five things that really distinguish a high performing business person from maybe someone that is more mediocre. All right. Now we're all on a journey. So these lessons are very, very real. But, you know, as I say, I am fortunate enough to be able to work with some incredible businesses and some incredible CEOs, MDs and senior leaders. and these are the common traits that I have seen personally over the many years that I've been in business so I'm going to share them with you now you might want to grab a pen and paper you might want to make some notes I encourage you to do that but of course if you've got any questions maybe you're at a certain point in your journey and you just need a bit of advice and guidance then absolutely put a comment in the social media post if you're watching it there drop us an email, you know, send me a DM and we're here to help you and to help guide you.

4:03So, you know, in all honesty, people operating at the highest level, you know, they think very differently from the average. And that's what really defines high performance is what defines success. So what are these secret, secret magic that high performing business leaders put into place well the first one is very importantly high performers take responsibility right they don't blame anyone else they don't blame the external environment the macroeconomic they don't blame their team they don't blame you know the fact that they haven't managed to raise the finance they don't blame other people they take full ownership and responsibility for where they are personally as a business leader but also where the business is and they absolutely take that to heart you know high performers focus on what they can actually control so you have to control the controllables now it doesn't mean to say that you're not fully aware of what's going on in the outside world and some of those challenges but you absolutely focus on what you control you take ownership, you take responsibility.

5:14And of course, on the back of that, you take action in an informed way. Now, you don't always have perfect information, right? Business isn't like that. Life isn't like that. But as a business leader, it is so important that actually we make decisions based on the information that we have available to us. And let me tell you, you know, when you make a decision, you're going to find out pretty quick whether you made the right decision or maybe it wasn't the right decision and then you're able to adjust and adapt accordingly.

5:49So before we continue, I want to speak directly to those of you who are listening and thinking, I know I'm capable of more, but I need structure. I need some help because here's what I've actually learned after, gosh, more than three decades in business. You know, ambition without clarity creates frustration. And motivation without structure, it really does fade very, very fast. So that's exactly why we created Rise Academy. You know, and Rise Academy, it's not theory. It isn't fluffy motivation, although you will be motivated. And it certainly isn't another online course that you never finish.

6:33It's actually a fully structured growth environment for ambitious entrepreneurs, leaders and founders who absolutely are ready to do all of these things, sharpen their strategy, elevate their leadership, increase revenue with intention and build businesses that actually support the life that they want. And inside Rise Academy, we focus on the foundations most people skip. Leading yourself, leading your teams and leading the business. It's about clarity, standards, decision making, commercial intelligence and execution. Because scaling, it really isn't about doing more. It's actually about doing the right things and doing the things right consistently.

7:20So if you're serious about stepping up into your next level of your leadership, your business life, you know, and not just consuming content, but actually implementing it, then Rise Academy was absolutely built for you. So you can find all the details on our website, go to www.brave-bold-brilliant.com. And now let's get back to the show.

7:47so that accountability not freezing particular when things are challenging or maybe there is some external disruption going on we're in turbulent times it is not easy in business right now it really isn't easy whether you're a corporate ceo running a large global club you know global business that has multiple stakeholders shareholders you've got to answer to the city the investors as well as all the other stakeholders or if you're a business owner actually you know building your own business from the bottom up it is difficult but accountability you have to own where you are and you also need to be able to have a very real view of your reality okay and the accountability that comes with that so you know I would ask you I'd encourage you you know So when you think about accountability, you know, is it becoming rarer in business, do you think?

8:43I'd love to hear your opinion. And what's the biggest lesson about accountability that you've actually experienced yourself? Let us know what you think. So that's point number one, high performers take responsibility. Point number two, what behavior? The second behavior that I actually see with high performers that contribute to their success is that they're absolutely obsessed with consistency, right? Consistency. Repetition, repetition, repetition leads to mastery. No matter what business you're in, no matter what field you're in, whether you're an international business, whether you're a UK-based business, whether you're in the US, whatever sex you're in, whatever size of business, consistency.

9:28consistency high performing leaders act in a consistent way and it's not just around you know what they take in terms of the business but also their own personal side of things as well you know so that consistency it might be around fitness diet it might be about growth for the business it might be about networking it might be about personal development but they are consistent and they have good habits that actually are embedded into how they behave, whether it's the business processes, whether it's their personal routines, etc. But consistency is absolutely king. People say cash is king, but also consistency is king as well.

10:13So that's the other thing that I see with high performing leaders. You know, most people quit because they give up too soon. And, you know, this also, this topic about consistency, I find really interesting because it often means doing the boring stuff again and again and again and again. It's like building a muscle. You know, you don't go to the gym and start lifting weights, do it once and expect that you're going to have rock hard biceps. No, it's the repetition, the repetition. You're building the muscle and then it's not an immediate result that you see. But that's what consistency is all about.

10:50absolutely being crystal clear on why you're doing something where you're heading to and what are the consistent actions behaviors that you need to put into place in order to get there so that's the second behavior consistency being obsessed with it the third behavior and trait that i see in absolutely high performing leaders is that they protect their environment so what do i mean by that, protect their environment. Well, you know, your environment shapes your standards. You know, if you are operating in a world of chaos, where maybe, you know, there's, I don't know, clutter around you, maybe your head is absolutely consumed with too many thoughts, maybe your diary is a mess, maybe you haven't got the right environment for quiet time for solitude to be thinking about of things you know so actually when you you know really think about this it's it's such an important part of who we are because our our environment shapes us you know and difference between growth focused people versus people that get drained often is down to their environment and also potentially within that the people they surround themselves with all right so I'd ask you Is your environment conducive for driving success?

12:10Or are there some adaptations that you need to make? So I actually think a lot around my own environment and actually making sure that you have a clear workspace. For me, also having the right space to do quality thinking work. It's hard to do that if you have lots of distractions. It's hard to do that if you're in chaos and clutter. it's hard to do that unless you have consciously created an environment for you to be creative or to have that thinking space so third think about your environment and you know high performers they protect their environment firstly the fourth trait of a high performer is they move quickly they do not get frozen with indecision now this could be a scenario where it's about grabbing an opportunity, maybe an opportunity has arisen that you have to make a decision.

13:05Do you grab that opportunity and take action or do you let it pass by? And actually moving quickly also means making decisions. And that can often be at times of stress as well. As I say, the external environment is very volatile right now. Certainly in my career in the travel industry, where we would be prone to global shocks on a regular basis you know whether it was covid whether it was 9-11 whether it was ash cloud sometimes you have to make decisions in a crisis situation and that can often be to protect human lives and it can be as radical as that or as i say it could be more a business opportunity has come up but indecision is what freezes high performers what free sorry what freezes people that are not high performers they don't take action quick enough and here's the thing.

13:57You won't always get it right, but that is okay. That is absolutely fine, but make a decision and take action. So procrastination can be the absolute, you know, killer of dreams. It really can. How many people say, oh, I wish I'd done that. I could have done that, but they never did. And then they go to their graves with a life full of regrets. So moving quickly is about making the decisions. Now that could be with things like, you know, deciding to hire someone into the business. You know, you've done all your due diligence, you've done your interviewing, make a decision. It could also mean that sometimes you don't get that right, or maybe someone is in the business that you need to move on.

14:39Don't sit on it, you know, because inevitably that will still be there as an issue that needs to be addressed. So, you know, there's a very, very simple rule which actually Mel Robbins who is incredibly inspiring and she introduced the 5-4-3-2-1 rule so she was finding in her personal life that she was in a dark place she was struggled to get out of bed she couldn't move forward even though she knew it was the right thing to do so actually what she started doing was going was counting backwards from five five four three two one, move. And that is something that I have actually introduced into, you know, my daily routine.

15:19If ever I find I'm getting stuck and putting things off, the five, four, three, two, one rule absolutely works. And throughout your entire day, you will have small moments of decisions where you need to make a decision or take some action. And that simple rule really gets you going. And, you know, often procrastination can kick in and our brains start telling us all the things we should be fearful of the risks all of that kind of stuff whereas actually taking action in the moment even if it's just a very simple thing such as sending a quick email or a whatsapp or doing something to start the process so moving quickly with clear decision making absolutely essential for high performers so let's get to the fifth characteristic of high performers here's the thing they never never think that they've made it the best people in business stay curious they're always learning always evolving always growing they never feel like you know that they are arrogant or have their opinion is the only opinion they don't think that they're the oracle to everything quite the opposite but you know this humility plus ambition is such a powerful combination you know and I think that is something that I've learned over the years that every day is a school day constant learning constant evolving surrounding yourself with interesting people putting yourself in the way of opportunity listening to others you know and actually some of the most you know successful people are often the ones which are the most Now, I have actually worked with incredible CEOs, entrepreneurs, one-to-one, where I have mentored them from a business point of view.

17:11And actually, that is a true strength to seek proactively support from someone that has been there before. Maybe they're a few steps ahead. And actually acknowledging that every stage of our journey, we can all learn something. we can learn and grow so you know I ask you you know what's something that you're currently trying to improve in yourself I'd love to hear what development plans you have for you you know and also your opinion do you think that people stop growing when they get comfortable I think I see that quite a lot you know they get to people get to a certain level and then they maybe stop stop being curious so much but I also believe that we're the happiest when we're making progress and that's something that another Robbins Tony Robbins says happiness equals progress no matter what that might be it could be in business it could be in life it could be in relationships it could be with a hobby but when we're making progress that just gives us a real sense of momentum going forward and not looking backwards so you know as I say high performing leaders that are successful have these five characteristics.

18:29So I'm going to recap them for you very, very briefly. So number one, they take responsibility. Number two, they are absolutely obsessed with consistency. Number three, they protect their environment. Number four, they move quickly. are number five. They never think that they've made it and been in an arrogant position. So I would encourage you to really take a good hard look at your leadership. You know, where are you on those five characteristics? Maybe score yourself, you know, out of a score of one to 10, one being low, 10 being high. Where do you feel you are right now and be honest and where do you want to be if we're fast forwarding 12 months from now actually what does that look like what score do you want to be at because that's your goal then and then most importantly what are the actions you need to put in place some of the routines the patterns that's going to help you get there because business is such a joyful thing to be in Not only do we create amazing results financially for our shareholders, for our investors, etc.

19:45We create joyful experiences for our teams, for ourselves and for our customers. So being in business is a real privilege. It's a real joy. But also your leadership is critical. So really work on yourself. Every day is a school day. You can all take action in this space. So I would just say, you know, success isn't luck. Success is driven through conscious choice, conscious action and incredible self-awareness. So if this has resonated with you, please do share this with someone in your network that you might need to hear it right now. If you're not connected on social media, let's get connected.

20:27You'll find me across all the social media platforms in terms of my personal profile, Jeanette Linfoot, with two N's and two T's. And of course, Brave Bold Brilliant. You know, we're there across social media. Subscribe to, you know, the podcast, subscribe to the YouTube channel. And importantly, if you feel that you need help with some of this and you would benefit from working with me as a business mentor, drop me a message. Let's have a chat and see how I can help you on your business journey. so whatever you do remember it is always about being brave and bold that is going to unlock your brilliant so take care and i will absolutely see you next time i really hope you've enjoyed this episode of brave bold brilliant remember check out our new website www.brave-bold-brilliant.com you're going to find loads of resources on there that's going to help you with your leadership journey and with the businesses that you're trying to scale up and grow.

21:29So take care everyone and remember there are no limits to your growth but it is by being brave and bold that you're going to unlock your brilliance.