Do you have a constant need for achievement? Do you feel as if every day starts at zero? At the end of every day, if you don’t achieve something tangible, you likely feel unfulfilled? And by “every day” you mean every single day — workdays, weekends, vacations. If you answered yes to these questions, then you are an Achiever®.
Achievers like you are driven by the thrill of achievement. When you wake up in the morning, and typically early risers, you start at zero and try to accrue as many points throughout the day as you can. You have an inherent restlessness that pushes you to complete anything you put your hands on.
Mark Cuban is an American businessman and investor with a net worth in 2019 of 4.1 billion. He is the owner of the National Basketball Association (NBA)’s Dallas Mavericks, co-owner of 2929 Entertainment and chairman of AXS TV. He is also one of the main “shark” investors on the ABC reality television series, Shark Tank. Mark Cuban is a good example of an Achiever. Now before you start telling me you can’t be a Mark Cuban, let’s look at what he has done and how. Then you can use some of that information to create your action plan to live richer your way.
Nowadays, On Shark Tank, Cuban meets countless aspiring entrepreneurs who think they have the next great idea. Most don’t. So what separates the good entrepreneurs from the bad? According to Cuban, it’s hard work — that and being better than everyone else in your industry.
Cuban puts it another way. “Busting your ass. It’s not about money or connections. It’s the willingness to outwork and out learn everyone when it comes to your business. And if it fails, you learn from what happened and do a better job next time. It doesn’t matter how many times you fail. You only have to be right once, and everyone will describe you as an overnight success.”
Cuban’s Achiever strength allows him to outwork his competition, and in many ways, this simple, natural talent is enough to create and sustain one business after another.
Shortly after college, Cuban lived in a three-bedroom apartment with five other guys, slept on the floor, and ate cheap chicken dinners as he worked on launching a hardware and software integration company called MicroSolutions. “It allowed me to stay focused on turning MicroSolutions into a $30 million business,” said Cuban.
If you’re an Achiever, you like to be busy. You like to have projects. Every day is about climbing a mountain and getting to the next great peak. The key then is to use your stamina in ways that produce tangible financial gains.
As for Cuban, what’s the key to success? Applying his Achiever to learning.
“I was relentless in learning new tech as it came out. If it had anything to do with the PC or networking industry, I was on top of it. I bought the manuals. I read every book and magazine. Then I got involved with industry conferences and put myself out there.”
Not surprisingly, Achievers love certifications. You love to know that you have finished something or achieved something, and as soon as you finish one thing, you are on to the next. You love new initiatives, new projects. Achievers want to finish what they start. You are fueled by success.
Creating Your Own Action plan!
o Find a job that honors your desire to work hard and encourages you to do so. One where you measure your own productivity. This is the place that you will feel alive and thrive in your Achiever strength.
o Take advantage of your self-motivation by setting challenging goals. Every time you finish a project, set a more ambitious goal for the next project.
o Even if your boss doesn’t focus on metrics, get clear on timelines and goals so that you can measure and celebrate your progress toward success.
o Since you enjoy completion, break the milestones and activities into smaller steps so that you can relish the feeling of accomplishment more often.
o Use your energy as efficiently as possible. To do this, partner with someone with strong Discipline or Focus talents.
o Partner up with other hard workers. Create accountability agreements that feed your desire to push yourself. Share your goals with them so they can help you get more done.
o Give yourself “credit” in your personal tally system for using your Achiever talent with friends and family. That will keep you from over-indexing on the workaholic scale.
o When it comes to financial outcomes, limit your commitments to tasks aligned with your highest priorities. For example, focus on one outcome at a time: Profitability, gaining new customers, or disrupting an existing market.
How effectively are you monetizing your Achiever strength? Are you ready to brainstorm on how you could monetize your Achiever strength? Are you ready to design your action plan ? Let’s have a conversation in the comment section below.
Not sure where your money making possibilities are and need some conversation around that. Remember you can schedule your Ask Brent Anything call. Let’s talk strengths.
