Myleik Teele, Curlbox’s Founder and CEO, gave quite an inspirational speech at the 100K Opportunities Initiative Fair & Forum in Chicago. Her talk, titled “Why You Can’t Afford to Be Average” offered amazing advice that can be applied to both business and life, inspiring this very article. Check out the best ways to avoid being average in business below:
Show up on time. In business, punctuality or lack thereof can be a deal-breaker. Time is our most precious commodity because it’s something you can’t get back once lost. Those who are successful in business and in life know this and as such tend to dislike having their time wasted.
Be consistent. It’s important to perform at your highest level in business. But it’s even more important to continuously perform at a high level. In order for colleagues or even potential clients to see you as a “go-to,” they have to know they can depend on you to get the job done, time and time again. As such, excellence must become habit.
Make your accomplishments known. As Myleik said in her speech: “Don’t be afraid to toot your own horn.” Society teaches us that discussing our accomplishments is arrogant. But this is a false statement. It is important to let people know what your expertise is in so that they think of you when they have a need in that area. A great way to do this is to utilize your social media accounts as a way to advertise or brand yourself as an expert in your field.
Eliminate distractions. It’s just as important to stay on-task as it is to manage your time well. The two go hand-in-hand. So, it is important to keep distractions to a minimum when trying to check something off of your to-do list or accomplish a goal. Many of our distractions can be mitigated if we decided to be disciplined. Compartmentalize and schedule things that take you off task such as emails, social media, etc.
Use your resources. Relationships are everything! So, don’t underestimate their power and don’t be afraid to use them when embarking on a new venture or looking for a new opportunity. Sometimes, your relationships can be the deciding factor between getting in the door or not. As such, keep in touch with those you meet and check in every now and then.
Be persistent. One of the most impactful take-aways from Myleik’s speech was “if you hit a road block, pivot.” It’s easy to give up when we hit an obstacle or two. But those who excel in business know that setbacks only serve as alerts to being closer in proximity to success. So, the next time you encounter some difficulty in your path to greatness, don’t return to start, take a detour and continue on the journey.
Make tough decisions. Don’t shy away from decisions that may seem daunting. In fact, those are the ones you should tackle first. Once you conquer the ‘tough stuff’, the rest will seem like a piece of cake. It is often said that “success is a series of swift decisions”. Make the decision and move forward.