The one trait shared by extremely successful people — and it’s a ‘muscle’ you can build
Stay flex for success.
A Harvard Business School expert has divulged the trait he believes equips a person to go above and beyond in lifelong career achievement.
No, it’s not waking up at 5 a.m. for a workout, or making your bed, confidently throwing on the sharpest suit sold in stores or being a psychopath.
Professor Joseph Fuller says it’s the ability to adapt and be flexible throughout your work-life — something at least one biz whiz called a “muscle” that anyone can develop.
“They’re not wedded to some predetermined career path that they set when they were a student or starting their first job,” he told CNBC Make It.
“They’re open to unexpected opportunities and embrace change instead of fearing it.”
While there’s lots of benefits that come from mapping our career goals and timelines, Fuller warns that these can make a person too myopic and miss bigger-picture opportunities.
An example is impulsively looking for a new job because you aren’t being promoted at the rate you feel is earned.
Individual preferences, like passing up more money at a startup to stay in a large corporate structure, can also be a hindrance.
“You’re ignoring what motivates or interests you, and instead letting rigid expectations guide your career,” said Fuller.
“That type of stubborn mentality won’t take you far.”
Staying fixated on a devout career path without evaluating emerging options is also opposite to a recipe for success, he added.
“It’s a skill that can be rare to find,” Fuller said.
“People are afraid to try new things and fail. But you can’t grow without moving beyond your comfort zone.”
Research backs up Fuller’s theory.
Now more than ever, companies need employees who exhibit resiliency and flexibility amid staffing woes from the pandemic and the rise of artificial intelligence, a LinkedIn study showed.
“Adaptability is the best way to have agency right now,” LinkedIn vice president Aneesh Raman noted in the report.
“At the core of managing change is building that muscle of adaptability.”
