What most successful people in the world have in common

I had given much thought and time to get a closer look at some of the most successful people of all time from various fields and walks of life.  And if you watch closely, you will find all of them had a self centered desire. Successful people, though, may have a number of appetizing motives, but they are also extremely selfish. 

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Selfishness trickles down to their decision making process

They are unwavering and heartless in executing their business decisions, it doesn’t matter if it hurts or destroys someone else. Why do they need to be selfish? Could there not have been a better way to achieve their goals.

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Some would argue, just because successful people don’t compromise so easily, it makes them appear selfish.  It’s the single minded approach, which could hardly be missed, probably because they believe they know the road to success. Napoleon Bonaparte, the remarkably successful French ruler who harboured ambitions to unite and conquer the whole of Europe met stiff resistance from Britain. His twenty years of leadership saw at least 7 million perished, which also includes around 2 million soldiers from his own French army, only to pursue his own selfish motive of conquering the whole of Europe.  

Ability to gain support sometimes from unwilling backers 

What makes them different is their ability to get people behind them. Look at some of the most successful people, whether historically, or in the field of sports and politics. Sir Alex Ferguson, former coach of Manchester United, would sign little known players, and the club authorities would never dare question his decision because he had his own reasons, and was able to get the support, at times even though, others were not quite convinced. 

The records, Sir Alex has in the soccer world, stands testimony to how successful he was. Every person has his own way to pursue dreams, but his strategy might not make sense to others. The knack of splitting goals and dreams into minute details, and then convincingly help others to understand it, is a successful person’s strength. 

Able to visualize goals and believe in it

Steve Jobs always had a dream, and that was to keep coming up with something new in the technological front. What began as a trial version of personal computers in the 1970s eventually grew, and he created Apple II computer, again. 

The real breakthrough came, when he produced a commercial computer in 1983, called Lisa, and finally, the most compatible computer till then was ‘Apple’s Mackintosh’ in the mid 80’s, because not only was it better than the earlier ones, but also cheaper, which made Steve Jobs popular and successful. He believed in his dreams, and had his goals clearly laid out. The foray into creating personal computers in the 70’s came full cycle after he created ‘Mackintosh’. He persistently went after his goals because he believed in what he was doing. 

The same could be said about Thomas Elva Edison, the man who is said to have invented ‘The light Bulb’. There were few earlier who were able to create ‘The light Bulb’ but, unfortunately, those were not practically usable. It had functional problems, and, therefore, those bulbs perished, even before others could know of it.

But Thomas Elva Edison came out with a light bulb that was a commercial success because it was perfect. People could use it at homes. Edison believed in what he was doing, and that was the reason, he founded the famous company “General Electric”, and started manufacturing and selling bulbs like hot cakes. 

Political expertise 

Every successful person has this uncanny knack of understanding the power centres in the organization they work with. It doesn’t matter, which field they belong to, sports, politics, or successfully own a large company, they have the political expertise to build their path to success. The term ‘political expertise’ doesn’t imply that a person has to be the member of a political party. It means that they are politically savvy. The world’s most popular dictators have this trait. They are able to smell power, and its source, and know how to make their way to the top.

Napoleon Bonaparte initially was a general and a self made emperor, and while the rulers of France, which was a Senate, were not too happy with him due to his habit of picking wars with every other nation, yet, they could do nothing. Napoleon was canny enough to understand the fact that the power hub of France lies with the military, and not with the Senate, who are sitting at Paris. He took the army generals and other army officers into confidence and waged wars at will. It eventually helped him become the emperor of France. 

Withstand crisis 

If you cannot withstand crisis, you will fall like nine pins. The ability to handle crisis, and overcome it, will determine how high you will rise in your career. Tough times are bound to happen, no one could stop it, but those who eventually become successful in life, know how to endure crisis, and then turn it into their strengths. Failures and success are sides of the same coin, and successful people have learnt to deal with it the hard way. 

After being embroiled in the sex scandal, Tiger Woods had to face divorce, drop in rankings and loss in sponsorship earnings. But he stood his ground, faced it with all his might, and now he is again back to his world no 1ranking in Golf. 

Nelson Mandela became the first black President of South Africa, after 27 years in Jail. The African National Congress leader and anti Apartheid revolutionary fought for the rights and equality of blacks and won the hearts and minds of the people. His fighting spirit in times of adversity led him to a huge success.

Conclusion

And finally, successful people don’t have the fear of losing, that’s the reason they remain successful.

By Rajiv Sighamony.