Guest post by Sarah Brooks

Successful business leaders emerge from a variety of circumstances, each finding a unique path to the top. But the cream of the crop shows some similarities across its members. Certain habits lead to success in business. Whether you work for yourself or an employer, these five tips will help you succeed in business:

1.     Know Your Limits

Most people are better at some jobs, than others. You can become successful in business by finding the best ways to use your skills. On the other hand, you will fail by tackling tasks outside your frame of reference. To succeed in business, know your limits and be prepared to delegate responsibilities to others.

People sometimes take on too many distinct responsibilities. In the end, work suffers when business leaders try to do things they don’t know how to do. To succeed, you should delegate outside your skill-set, passing those jobs to people who are better qualified. That way, you can concentrate on the tasks you do well.

2.     The Big Picture

Regardless of your business, details take up a lot of your time. To succeed in business, you should also adopt a broader viewpoint.

Success requires long-range planning, to make budgets and grow your business. How can you plan marketing strategies and capital spending without a wide-angle view?  Attention to detail is a desirable quality in most trades, but to succeed in business you’ll need to take in the whole picture.

3.     Power of Positive

You will face challenges in business, prompting negative reactions, which will slow your success. You’ll be more successful using the power of a positive outlook to motivate others and keep your own perspective clear.

Leaders turn negative outcomes into positive moments, finding value in setbacks. Lose a client?  It is just an opportunity to expand your business base into new areas. Sales tanking on that new product?  There is nowhere to go but up. Even with dire writing on the wall, successful business leaders focus on positive takeaways for customers and staff.

4.     Accept Feedback

Successful businesses leaders have good ideas, helping them rise to the top within their fields. But smart business thinkers also know the value of feedback, provided by customers and employees.

To become successful in business, foster feedback within your organization, furnishing ways for staff to contribute. And don’t just table their input; use it to make changes to your approach.

5.     Get it Done

Obstacles cause some workers to shut-down, rather than reaching forward to get things done. You will become more successful in business by excelling in the face of adversity. Whether it means working late or launching proactive efforts to solve problems, successful business leaders get the job done, at all costs.

Business leaders share common traits, like positive attitudes and flexibility. You’ll become successful in business by using the same approaches, as long as you know your limits and accept feedback.

Sarah Brooks, from Freepeoplesearch.org, is a Houston based freelance writer and blogger. Questions and comments can be sent to brooks.sarah23 [at] gmail [dot] com

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The Product Management Perspective: As a product manager you play a key role in the success of your company’s business. Practicing the five tips described above will help you realize the greatest potential for your products. Tip 3 (the power of the positive), is illusive for many PMs. They don’t realize that power comes from optimism. Staying focused and positive will cause perceptible changes in the people you work with and in your customers. Focus on staying positive for a full week (no mater the circumstances); you will see a major difference in yourself and those around you.