9 key habits of the world’s most successful professionals

Successful people are not successful by accident. It comes from hard work, intelligence, stamina and positive work habits. If you’re seeking a fruitful career path, pay attention to these 9 things successful people do.

1. They take responsibility for their successes and failures

Successful people understand that their actions have consequences and don’t shy away from responsibility. They will be the first to admit if they have failed and work to understand why and how to prevent future failure. They also aren’t afraid to take credit for a job well done.

2. They’re not just working for themselves

Successful people know how to build positive relationships. They build a team of qualified people who can grow and learn together. They understand that they are serving the people that they work with – leadership is a responsibility to all involved in an organization.

3. They’re productive and avoid distractions

Successful people know when something is a waste of their time. They don’t take unnecessary meetings or phone calls. When they work, they put in all their energy to make it a productive and fruitful workday.

4. They always have plans for the future

Having an eye on what’s next is an important part of what keeps prosperous professionals successful over the course of their careers. They have in mind what next year and the next five years look like, which is one of the most important things successful people do. Although they’ve spent time learning from successes and failures of the past, they are always thinking ahead about how their organization can grow and adapt.

5. They believe in concrete actions

Although successful professionals may like to ponder big ideas, they also understand that hard work, to-do lists and project execution is what actually produces results. Behind every big idea are thousands of to-do’s and meetings and trials.

6. They use to-do lists and meet deadlines

Successful leaders understand how to get stuff done. They hold themselves and the people they work with accountable for their actions. They set deadlines with concrete goals and timelines and then actively work to achieve those goals.

7. They’re persistent

Giving up is not an option for successful people. They may adjust their goals or expectations. They may fail. But they never give up. They’re always working towards something, dedicating their time and efforts to a project and goal.

8. They manage their short, medium and long-term goals

Having different goals and expectations over many different timelines is important for successful professionals. They may change their goals, but there is always something that they’re reaching towards on many different levels.

9. They invest in their continuous growth

Reading, self-education and staying informed are all very important to successful professionals. No matter what, they’re always looking for ways to grow – ways that may not be directly related to their profession. They see how everything is interconnected and learning something new only adds to overall wisdom and knowledge of the complexity that is life.