Five Traits of Successful Professionals

Successful professionals aren't born. They are made, often over years of experience and trial and error. If you are looking to move up in your field, strengthening these five traits can help get you farther faster.

Collaboration

In every industry and every company, collaboration is key; rarely, if ever, will you find a business that allows you to work completely independently all the time. As such, the ability to work with others is one of the top traits of successful professionals. To succeed in any field, you must know how to cooperate and adapt your own working style to create a harmonious and effective partnership. Whether you're dealing with vendors or working with another department, the ability to collaborate is essential to success.

Diligence

The road to success is rarely short and painless. In many companies and industries, it is long and paved with challenges and pitfalls. To get noticed and get ahead over the course of your career, you must be diligent in your efforts to move up. In many cases, this will mean coming in early, staying late and going the extra mile when other people go home. When a colleague gets the promotion you were going for, or you're forced to take a sabbatical due to illness, diligence will keep you going forward thorough rejection and failure.

Communication

Successful professionals know how to get their points across effectively and quickly. They speak professionally and clearly and adapt their language to the audience's interest area and level of understanding. What's more, they are often equally skilled at communicating in person, on the phone and over email. When you're trying to become a better communicator to get ahead at work, keep the other party in mind; listening is at least 50 percent of the process. In many cases, the ability to communicate well is crucial to career success.

Adaptability

Over the course of their careers, successful professionals learn that adaptability is crucial to survival in a tough business climate. By adapting to changes and adjusting your strategy accordingly, you can better position a business to succeed in any market conditions. Whether you're dealing with tough economic conditions or an unexpected shift in customer demand, this trait can help you minimize losses and move on quickly.

Constant Improvement

The most successful professionals are always looking for ways to improve, both individually and collectively. While they may be satisfied with the result of one project, they automatically find ways to do better on the next. Whether you are managing a team or working as part of the team, you can develop this trait to improve your own work. It can be employed in any situation and in any field and is an excellent way to get noticed by your superiors. By looking for ways to improve, you demonstrate a commitment to excellence and a hunger for career success.

By emulating and developing the traits that are common to successful professionals, you can accelerate your own career growth. Although the path to success is never pre-defined, these traits can help you move ahead.

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