6 Qualities of Successful People in the Workplace

I have 44 years of experience as a teacher, coach, and educational administrator. I spent ten years as a high school teacher and 34 years as a college teacher. In addition, I organized and managed basketball camps across the United States and in four European countries.

Note: This article is from blogger Pat Sullivan, who shares the traits of successful people that anyone who wants to succeed in their career should have.

Throughout this journey, I was honored to work with many successful people who excelled in their careers. In this article, I'll share with you the qualities and strategies that will help you succeed in your career. Over the years, I have noticed six common qualities among successful people, which I have identified as the reasons for excellence in the workplace.

Six common qualities among successful people

1. Humility

The most successful people I have worked with have been humble from day one until the end. Those who have excelled in business, education, law, or medicine have all been humbled. Conversely, those who have tried and failed to achieve the highest success have been arrogant and conceited.

Fortune Magazine dedicated its entire 75th-anniversary publication to the concept of decision-making. They interviewed business, military, education, and political leaders.

However, the most impactful interview for me was with Jim Collins, the author of Good to Great. He stated that the most important decisions made in the past 25 years in American boardrooms began with a common phrase among leaders, "I don't know."

I have worked with leaders who possess unlimited knowledge and also with leaders who seek advice from others who fearlessly admit when they don't know how to solve a particular issue and instead seek advice from others before making important decisions. They consult others and collaborate with their superiors to find the best solutions. These humble leaders have been the wisest and most powerful individuals I have worked with.

John Wooden, the famous basketball coach at the University of California, summarized humility when he wrote: "Talent is God-given, be humble. Fame is man-given; be thankful. But conceit is self-given; be careful."

2. Caring for Others

Successful people in their work are considerate of their coworkers and their emotions. For example, the University of St. Francis basketball team used to play in front of coaches. A young group of players once performed before Bob Knight, the Indiana team's coach. They were very nervous because, besides the attendance of 800 other coaches, Coach Knight had a reputation for being tough on players.

They performed poorly due to this tension, which made the coaches laugh. Coach Knight called those coaches and said: "These young men left campus at 6 AM to help me teach you. So, if I hear laughter again, I will pick 10 of you to perform, and they will sit and laugh at you."

It is the fastest 800 coaches have ever calmed down that quickly. Knight showed he cared about the players, so they enthusiastically worked with him.

I enjoyed working with the wonderful coach Bob McAlpin at Providence High School. When Bob passed away, I met Dr. Jack Orr, president of Saint Francis University, at his funeral. It surprised me that he was there because I knew he had never met Bob. Nonetheless, I discovered Dr. Jack cared about Bob's daughter, who was attending Saint Francis University.

3. Extra Effort

Successful people consistently go above and beyond expectations. For example, when an issue comes up, those who excel in the workplace do everything necessary to find a solution—even when they are not asked to.

Coach Jack Hermanski, a friend and fellow, worked with students from ten different schools within his district. Like many educational districts, he had a tight budget, but he remained steadfast in his commitment to teaching his students and did not allow it to restrict his ability to serve them.

Jack kept all of his educational tools in his truck for the daily trips he had to make between schools. Additionally, he bought all of these tools himself because he wanted to make an extra effort to provide his students with the best possible educational experience. This is how successful people work.

4. Listening

Listening skills are extremely important. However, many university classes and courses focus on teaching "speaking" skills. In contrast, teaching "listening" skills should be a general education requirement since it would be more advantageous for the students.

Rather than sharing my own perspective, let me share with you some quotes about listening from thought leaders:

• “One of the most sincere forms of respect is actually listening to what another has to say.” – Bryant H. McGill.
• “Listening is one of the highest forms of kindness.” – Unknown.
• “Most of the successful people I’ve known are the ones who do more listening than talking.” – Bernard Baruch.
• “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” – Winston Churchill.
• “God gave us a mouth that closes and ears that don’t. That must tell us something.” – Unknown.
• “Most people don’t listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.” – Stephen Covey.
• “I remind myself every morning: Nothing I say this day will teach me anything. So, if I am going to learn, I must do it by listening.” – Larry King.
• “You cannot truly listen to anyone and do something else at the same time.” – Scott Peck.
• Have you ever thought that “The word listen has the same letters as silent.” – Alfred Brendel.
• Effective listeners excel in their work. Maybe this is because they followed Will Rogers' advice, "Never miss a good chance to shut up."

5. Continuous Learning

"The mind is like a parachute. It works best when open" - Frank Zappa

Just as listening does, knowledge also breeds respect. Therefore, you have to put in a lot of effort to learn everything there is to know about your profession. Additionally, it's important to maintain an open mind like a parachute, which means you should never stop learning throughout your life.

Throughout my coaching career, I have seen many other coaches teach a skill or strategy better than I do. Since the 1960s, I have believed in the importance of basketball players practicing weightlifting exercises, and this made me stand out. During the season, we used to weightlift twice a week to strengthen our players and get them physically ready for the games.

We were fortunate to meet the Chicago Bulls’ strength training coaches, and they taught us some exercises that enhance both strength and speed. As a result, we kept an open mind and changed some of our weightlifting exercises.

Furthermore, we made the changes that Coach Bob Gillespie of Ripon College taught us, emphasizing the value of one-minute drills. The adage "Repetition is the mother of learning" is well known, and it's true—we learned from Coach Bob that repeatedly practicing a physical skill is the only way to master it and is a key component of the fundamentals we teach. Then, for each of the primary exercises, we created one-minute drills (short workouts that can be completed quickly). This allowed us to practice the fundamentals again, improving the players' muscle memory. We continued to make changes because we continuously picked up tips from our fellow coaches.

6. Consistency

I used to believe that effort was the key to athletic success, but I no longer believe this applies to sports and any profession. I now believe that the consistency of effort makes a difference between average and exceptional performance in any field.

While no one can always give their best, the truly exceptional develop the ability and mindset to do so. Also, good athletes can consistently put in their best effort. Great athletes possess the mental toughness that enables them to reach their maximum effort instantly.

During my college summer breaks, I worked in hot tar roofing and ironworking. I observed that the men I worked with would put in their best effort as soon as they arrived at the job site and would keep up this effort all day. Also, the finest teachers I worked with would do the same, as they would start the semester fully prepared for teaching because of all the efforts they put into preparation.

"Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made an effort to become the best of which you are capable," according to John Wooden's definition of success in his well-known book Pyramid of Success. Consequently, it's critical to avoid taking shortcuts to success. By giving your best every day, you can succeed in your career and achieve professional success.

In Conclusion

If you seek excellence in your work, be humble, care for others, make extra effort, listen to others, continue learning throughout life, and always put in consistent efforts.