The 2 Things That Will Determine Your Career Success

Recently I watched a great leadership talk by Larry Osbourne, pastor of North Coast Church in southern California, on the topic of “Why Some Teams Win and Most Don’t.” In that talk he shared insights from a 30-year study on success and derailments in the business world. Basically, they studied those who had been “fast-tracked,” those who showed incredible aptitude and potential for leadership. They followed these leaders for 30-years and studied what factors led to their ultimate success (for some) or failure (for others).

The results were astounding and give incredible insights for anyone wanting to be successful in their field. According to this 30-year study, the top two derailment factors for leaders were:

1). Poor relationship skills.

2). Inability to adapt.

If you can’t get along with people and you can’t adapt to a changing world, you’re going to struggle to be successful in whatever field you’re in. This study also listed common characteristics of those who succeeded long-term in their field. Unsurprisingly, the top two characteristics of those who succeeded:

1). Ability to adapt.

2). Strong relationship skills.

More than brains, more than natural ability, more than years of experience, the top two things that will determine your success or derailment in your chosen career are how well you play in the sandbox with others and how well you adapt to changing environments. Great words of wisdom! Listen to them!