Being Successful in College Entails Setting Goals

Most parents push their children to do better in school, set goals and exceed them. If we promised a C but received a B-, they would be happier than if we promised an A but delivered a B+.

Do you wish to play it safe, or do you wish to get serious and blow people away?

Motivation

Motivation is an exercise in psychology where you must understand where people come from, what makes them tick and what will fire them up. Everyone has something that will arouse their passion - find out what that is and you hold the key to motivate them.

Respect

Respect is an important factor in life and business. Some work to pay the bills, others because they like to work. It comes down to respect: both from others and for oneself. If you want others to respect you, start by respecting others.

Appreciation

Thank everyone even when you do not need to. Showing appreciation will get more out of people in the long term. The waiter and hairdresser may be doing her job, but not saying thank you and leaving a tip will tempt them to spit in your salad and butcher your coiffe.

Not saying thank you gives others the impression that you take them for granted. You lose talent, lose accounts and ultimately lose your business. During the economic boom when firms had to beg to recruit talent, eTrade CEO Christos Cotsakis used to convince candidates about why eTrade was a great place to work. This kept him humble and down to earth. It also showed potential employees that top brass would appreciate them.