Success comes from knowing yourself, being yourself, and doing things for yourself this comes from a place of authenticity. Authenticity is genuine truthfulness of not only saying you’re going to do something but also then actually doing it. This is what consumers really want in today’s businesses.
How likely are you to follow leaders who say one thing but do another? How likely are you to do business with a company who makes promises but never delivers? How likely are you to buy or recommend a product that promises certain results but delivers others? If you’re like than me than the scenarios I just described probably make you upset and angry.
So, what are the 5 principles of the new experience economy that make businesses, leaders, products, and companies successful?
1. They put themselves first.
The most successful individuals and companies are successful because they have more fear of regret than fear of failure. The question I pose is how do give someone something you don’t have. Let me explain, if you can’t love yourself, take care of yourself, and cherish yourself, how can you give away those qualities to others? You can’t! So I challenge you as you begin a new day to focus on your health, your relationships, your finances, your career, your image, YOURSELF. Your assignment is too important and your destiny too great. Dig your heels in and you will be given the strength to overcome any obstacle. We are met at the level of our expectations when the praise goes up the blessings come down. You are talented, gifted, and qualified enough, you have the strength and the tools you need to make a difference. Someone somewhere needs to hear your message. Their impression will not be of you but the message and love you convey towards them. Take time to put yourself before others, and you will gain more respect, more responsibility, and ultimately more passion and fulfillment in every aspect of your life.
2. They have intense passion.
True leadership comes from good energy. The best companies, products, and leaders worry more about their energy than the firmness of their handshake. You can hear the burning desire in their voice when they speak about what they have to offer, you can see the burning desire in their packaging, and you can feel the burning desire in the results you receive from utilizing their product or service. Let me paint this picture, you walk into the door of a sports store as a first time customer, you’ve been waiting outside in the cold as they didn’t open on time, you’re not greeted or asked if you need help, and when you approach the counter, a line forms behind you with 3 other customers. You ask for a gift card and you’re told we’ve only been open for two weeks and we’ve been through 250, sorry we’re out. Everyone in line leaves, and the business loses profit, customers, and ultimately allows the worst to happen bad word of mouth marketing.
However, you go downtown to a kitchen store also as a first time customer, you walk to the counter ask for a specific hard to find product, the sales person shows you where it is and you purchase the product. And as you think you’re ready to leave, you make the decision to look around. As you do you pick up other products, approach the counter again and are asked if you found everything. You take note it’s highly unusual for a guy to be working a kitchen store so you ask if he cooks, he engages in the conversation and talks about how it’s hard for a single guy to cook but he loves cooking and his job. You can tell he is genuinely passionate about it. He then asks do you want your purchase wrapped, you reply yes and he gets out the wrapping paper options, bows, etc…and asks what you like. As he wraps you converse back and forth and you are incredibly impressed at his service, he cooks, he wraps, and he attends to his customers with amazing attention to every step of the shopping process.
Of these two companies which one will you return to? The sports store who opens late, has no passion or desire to service their customer, or the kitchen store who is knowledgeable, friendly, and goes above and beyond their customer’s expectations? If we all had the passion the sales person at the kitchen store did we would find success in the smallest tasks, we would be less frustrated and more fulfilled. This is the passion, the desire, the success you will find in the best leaders, teams, and organizations have. They increase the level of their customer’s experience, and ultimately the bottom line.
3. They do not judge rather they inspire.
Do you like being judged or condemned for mistakes and failures you’ve made in the past or would you rather work with someone uplifting and inspiring who listens to your story? Someone who then compels you to take action to change your situation and circumstance? The most successful leaders, teams, and organizations use the ladder to change temporary problems into permanent solutions. Inspiration doesn’t always come easy, but it can come from the most unexpected places a neighbor, a colleague, a friend, a parent, a child, or motivational videos, books, CD’s, or live events by changing your mindset you can change your results and your life. Creativity allows inspiration to happen at the deepest levels increasing productivity and profitability.
4. Their product/service solves a problem many people know they have.
They create a demand. They create what people love before they know they want it. Demand is one of the few economic terms almost everyone knows. Demand drives supply. When demand rises, growth happens – jobs are created, the economy flourishes and society thrives. So goes the theory. It sounds simple, yet almost no one really understands demand, including the business owners, company leaders, and policy makers who try to stimulate and satisfy it. The secret to their success is conversation, discovering what people want to buy before it’s available, and then making it available, driving both demand, and results for their consumers, suppliers, and team members.
5. They create their own path.
They don’t worry about failure, they don’t worry about what others are saying, thinking or doing because they’re busy creating and fulfilling their dreams, meeting their expectations, getting their customers results. They increased the level of their game, so instead of watching their competitors they’re beating their competitors. Leaders who choose this lifestyle ask “What if?” NOT “Why not?” They learn to be comfortable being uncomfortable, and it’s not about what they want to do for a living it’s about who they want to be.
Success is unlimited and has many different layers. Remember failure is only part of the journey to success; the most successful people are the ones who put themselves first. No matter who you are, what you do for a living, where you grew up, how old you are, or any other economical/environmental factors we all have the desire to be successful. I want to leave you with this thought: If you can’t do better for yourself who can you do better for?
Melissa Krivachek, president of Briella Arion, is deeply & passionately committed to the growth & effectiveness of leaders, teams, and organizations. Melissa is a High Caliber Leadership, Sales, and Personal Growth Expert, Author, Speaker, Coach, and Life Enthusiast!
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