10 behaviors of the hyper-successful

(from MoneyWatch)

Money and its material manifestations are the most typical measures of a person's professional success, but they're not always telling or even accurate: We all know it's possible to buy nice things without being financially successful (debt is an unfortunately common substitute for net worth). So I rarely make assumptions about a person's business or other financial accomplishments based on clothes, cars, boats or houses.

Knowing and dealing with many highly successful people, I've found that there are behaviors and characteristics that are much less superficial and more telling than just acquiring status symbols. In my observation of ultra-high achievers, the more professionally successful they are:

- The less stuff they carry: The most successful people I know never carry laptops, briefcases or much of anything else, other than (usually two) phones.

- The fewer calls they answer or return: Even with those two phones, top dogs rarely return calls that aren't critical to their own business or personal needs.

- The harder they are to reach by anyone or any means.

- The less time they spend at a computer.

- The shorter their e-mails. You might say that Alphas use less alphabet.

- The less social media they use (except for celebrities).

- The less they know, stay current, or care about pop culture (again, except for celebrities).

- The less TV they watch (except sports, especially anything involving their alma maters).

- The more non-leisure stuff they do that's not directly related to their business (charities, boards, outside investments).

- The more newspapers they take off the flight attendant's cart in First Class (unless they're on their own plane, which makes all the other points moot).

Some of these behaviors are obvious, some may seem ironic, and of course none are meant to suggest that business and money are the only measures of a successful life. Some of the observations are made with a little ribbing intended, and none are scientific, though I'll bet they could be: I don't know a single mega-successful business person who doesn't exhibit at least half of these traits.

Truth be told, much of the list doesn't bode well for me, much less my shot at that sweet Gulfstream 650 I've had my eye on. I carry a laptop (I sort of have to, since I make bags for them), I return more calls and messages than I ignore, I only have one phone, and I'm not well-known for brevity in my e-mails. And for the most part, I don't care -- I don't like some of these characteristics in others, and there are parts of my life, personality and business behavior that I'm not interested in changing. If that keeps me out of the most rarified air, so be it.

But there is an important central theme that's valuable to all of us, regardless of where we are on the ladder, whether we admire these behaviors or are put off by them, or whether the list accurately reflects our own style or aspirations. No matter what combination of these characteristics the Masters of the Universe might possess, the bottom line is the same: Without exception, the people at the very top of the business ladder don't waste time.

10 things great bosses do

(from MoneyWatch)

In the best of all worlds, executive compensation, shareholder value, operating goals, management objectives, and employee needs are all perfectly aligned. If you ever find a company like that, keep it to yourself. Nobody will believe you. It should come as no surprise that perfect companies are about as easy to find as perfect bosses and perfect spouses. It just doesn't happen. Come to think of it, if you look in the mirror and don't see plenty of flaws, you're delusional. And companies are entirely made up of imperfect people, just like you.

Even after 100,000 years of natural selection, the human race has evolved to the point where our organizations are nearly as effective as a colony of ants with defective antennas. That's right, we still have a long way to go. Sobering thought, I know. And yet, for all the Yahoos, HPs, RIMs, Sprints, Sonys, Kodaks, Nokias, Bank of Americas, and all the executives that turned these once-great brands into laughing stocks, there's still the occasional Apple or IBM to give us hope.

It may be an imperfect world, but there are still managers who more or less know what they're doing -- after they've had their morning coffee. Here's my take on what high-performance managers do -- or are at least supposed to do -- to motivate their teams and deliver results:

- Help the company achieve its strategic and operating goals by making smart business decisions and managing their team effectively.

- Entrust their employees with as much responsibility as their capabilities will allow and hold them accountable for the same.

- Behave like a mature adult -- genuine and empathetic -- even when their employees or their management are acting out like spoiled children.

- Provide their employees with the tools, training, and support they need to effectively achieve challenging but reasonably attainable goals.

- Promote a can-do, customer service attitude with customers and stakeholders by walking the talk and leading by example.

- Promote their team's accomplishments and take the heat for their failures.

- Provide genuine feedback, both good and bad, to their employees, peers, and management. Request the same from them.

- Work their tail off and be hands-on when necessary. If they don't, they can't expect anybody else to do it either.

- Don't compromise their ethical principles in the name of "the ends justify the means" or for any other reason.

- Strike a balance between shielding their folks from the ripples of dysfunctional management and openly communicating events that may affect them.

Overall, the best managers create a work environment where people feel challenged, do their best, and are held accountable for meeting their commitments. But most importantly, they're key components in an organization that exists to serve its customers and shareholders. We're all happiest working for a successful company.