12 Key Characteristics of High Performers

How to Become a High Performer

Being successful is all about how well you perform. It’s about what you can do better than others. When people see that you can get results through superior performance, then they’re much more likely to want you working for them – which, in turn, means faster career progression and a higher salary.

Work hard

When it comes to being a great performer, first and foremost, you have to possess a real work ethic. That’s a prerequisite for success in any business. It means putting in the extra effort to make sure you’re organised, make the most of the time available to you, minimise errors and never miss a deadline.

After that, it’s all about streamlining and prioritising your workflow to maximise productivity. You can do this through the use of to-do lists and other organisational tools. Work in bursts to get more done and understand the 80/20 rule –20% of what you do produces 80% of your results. Identify and focus on what that 20% is and that will put you on the road to optimising your productivity.

Also see our Time management training London courses.

Look after you

You can’t perform if you aren’t in good shape. So it’s vital you get enough rest, exercise and eat well. Take action to reduce stress and avoid over-working. Studies show that once you go over than 40 work hours each week, productivity declines. Those extra hours are the ones you should be using to recharge, so you can be more productive when you are at work. If you can’t get it all done in the hours allocated, ask for help or delegate.

Know when to say no

When you have too much to do, you can’t excel at it all. That’s when failures happen. To avoid that, you have to be assertive and say ‘no’ from time to time. Otherwise, you won’t be seen to be performing at your best. If you need to decline a work request, do so. Be respectful and be calm, explaining the reasons, or providing alternative solutions. Most people will understand.

Keep on learning

Stay up to the date with the latest developments in your field and always keep an eye out for courses or training that can help you do better. Request assignments that you can teach you something new or add a new string to your bow. Watch others who inspire you and learn from them. And always try to get feedback, whether it’s a good job, or a bad one, so you can avoid making the same mistakes in future and use past experience to drive even better results. A soft skills training will always be a good idea to get better at communicating, managing people or projects.

Be a self-starter and a great team player

Every employer is looking for someone who can perform both individually and in a team. Keep your brain active and nourish your problem-solving skills by being creative both inside and outside of work. Demonstrating creativity and innovation shows an employer you have the ability to influence outcomes and to lead your own team someday.