The Mark of Success: 50 Common Traits of Prosperous People (part 2)

What can we learn from the most successful people in the world? In fact, just about every individual that’s become a leader or icon in their chosen vocation have the same traits in common.

Some of the most successful people in recent history include Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson, Mark Zuckerberg, Oprah, and Elon Musk, establishing important legacies that benefit society. But apart from being ultra-rich and powerful, they have far more in common than you might think.

In part one of this series, we covered 25 traits of the world’s most prosperous people, which was warmly received with your questions, comments, and observations. So, we’ve worked hard to isolate the next 25 common traits of the rich, successful, and powerful here:

26.      Incredible communication skills.

High achievers are almost always great communicators, interacting with others efficiently using simple, clear, and concise messages, whether in person or in writing.  This also includes the ability to actively listen – a vastly undervalued skill.

27.      Masters at conflict resolution.

Industry leaders and icons don’t shy from conflict. Known as straight-shooters, they understand that it’s a healthy and necessary function of growth. That doesn’t mean they’re necessarily aggressive or combative, but let others speak their minds, vent, and advocate for their own opinion, just like they do. By facing conflict head-on, they’re able to work through it, solving problems instead of letting them fester.

28.      They keep their egos in check.

Successful people want to learn from others so that they can constantly grow and improve.  Instead of taking things personally and quickly becoming defensive, maintain perspective and seize the opportunity.

29.      Adopting others’ viewpoints.

The mark of a great mind is that it can consider two opposing viewpoints at the same time.  Leaders and succeed-ers can do the same with people, having empathy for others by adopting their viewpoints. They are always looking to add information to their existing opinion, which remains open and flexible.

30.      They outsource. 

We may think that top producers are control freaks and do everything themselves but, in fact, they actually maximize time, energy, skills, and income by outsourcing whenever possible. They do the math and figure out when it makes sense for them to handle certain tasks, or when to assign it to someone else. 

31.      Teamwork.

Achievers work with the best financial planners, tax professionals, attorneys, and other skilled professional they can find.  They build epic teams, and outsource as much of their systems as possible, understanding their role and focusing on their own strengths.

32.      Focus on interpersonal relationships.

Genuine, personal relationships are invaluable. Prosperous people don’t rely on technology to establish and fosters relationships for them.  They call and talk, set up meetings and take the time to interact – face-to-face whenever possible. They also give you their undivided attention and interest when speaking with you.

33.      Eating right.

Hi-power thinkers, achievers, and do-ers take great care of themselves, and that starts with eating right. The brain won't run optimally without the right fuel, and a healthy routine is essential for the heights they are climbing every day.

34.      They heed their creative/energy time.

It’s fascinating when you look at the creative cycles of geniuses; not only do they understand their optimal thinking and working times, they block that time and protect it fiercely.

35.      Stay active.

Just like with food, exercise is a big piece of staying on top of success. No matter how busy they get, successful people have a very regular exercise routine as well as making their health a priority.

36.      Relaxation.

Successful people are able to breathe, stay calm, and think clearly because they regularly decompress to shed the extreme stress of their day.  Their relaxation ritual can be simple meditation, yoga, getting a massage or going for a walk. 

37.      Stamina.

This trait is usually overlooked, but successful people work long hours and expend incredible amounts of energy day after day. They understand that special achievements take special perseverance over the long haul. 

38.      Quality time.

No matter how busy they are, successful people schedule time off to spend time with their families, see friends, and enjoy their lives. 

39.      Fun!

Likewise, winners embrace the journey, not the destination and have fun as they work, play, or whatever they’re doing. That positive outlook rounds out their lives.

40.      Financial discipline.

The billionaire not-quite-next-door is extremely careful and structured with his or her money.  Even before they achieve wealth, they track all of the income and expenses, whether it’s by inputting them into a spreadsheet, saving receipts, or using tracking software. 

41.      Lack of conspicuous consumption.

Research shows that when people have earned large amounts of money, they still rarely show off their wealth.  In fact, owning things is not really the point of their existence. Instead, they save and reinvest for the long term, using their wealth to pay for experiences, rather than things.

42.      Quality of life.

The wealthy do go on adventures, occasionally treat themselves to luxury items, and will go all-out for their families, but they do these things within a larger framework of smart planning and understanding value.

43.      Big picture thinking.

People who live meaningful and comfortable lives don’t buy assets with the exception of quick riches or short-term gains. Instead, they make quality investments and hold them, with the eye toward creating something that will pay them back many times over the decades.

44.      Invest young.

Even in their 20’s, these folks understand the power of compounding.  By putting money into 401k’s, Roth IRA’s and the like early, they benefit from high returns as they get closer to retirement.

45.      Automated savings.

Whatever they earn, successful people break off a tiny piece and stash it, deducting it directly from each paycheck. This is what they mean by “pay yourself first,” as it gives them a solid foundation to invest and grow before they ever touch the rest of the funds for basics or play.

46.      Plan for rainy days.

Successful people may take risks, but they definitely are pragmatic as well, planning and preparing for the unforeseen. They keep a good amount of savings, make sure they are well insured and protected, and generally minimize liability in every aspect of their lives.

47.      They pay off bad debt.

Interest from credit cards, car loans, and other credit is a silent killer for many family budgets. In fact, successful people universally pay off credit cards, car loans, small installment loans, and don’t carry personal debt on a month-to-month basis. While they often pay off their mortgages as well, they distinguish between “good debt” that helps with investment, taxes, and credit, and “bad” debt that just depletes their bank account.

48.      They can be great because they can serve.

These people reach a certain height of success where happiness is measured by how much they can positively impact the world, not just themselves. To do so, they serve on Boards, advise, mentor, attend community meetings, vote, and even support politicians that serve in their civic interests.

49.      A core of altruism.

From Bill Gates to Warren Buffet to the Oprah, just about every notable accomplished person donates significant sums to those in need. But they create the convenient excuse that they’ll become rich first, and then start giving; they make it a part of their life from early on.

50.      They love to work, and never want to quit.  

People who lead truly exceptional lives rarely look forward to a time they can retire and stop working Instead, they are extremely passionate about what they do for a living. Their work brings them joy, so they want to keep being productive as long as they can!

Research shows attractive people do better in business except in two professions. The first is bank robbers…and the second one will shock you!

Are better looking people more successful at business? Research by Daniel Hamermesh, professor of economics at the University of Texas, shows that good-looking people have many advantages in life, and it seems we can add success in business to that list. And you’ll probably be shocked how prevalent the difference is between earnings and workplace success between people who are deemed attractive versus their plain Jane counterparts.

In fact, numerous studies reveal that attractive people earn on average three to four percent more than their coworkers and peers who are less than attractive. That can add up to big money – about $230,000 over the lifetime of a working adult – just because a person was born with natural good looks. Even average looking people make on average $140,000 more than someone who is considered ugly. Data also suggests that attractive people make more money but get more raises, get hired more, and generally have more job opportunities. But they also are bigger earners, more productive, and sell and close more business when in sales.

While it’s certainly not fair that the pretty people get paid more (unless they’re models, actors, or spokespeople on The Price is Right), there’s no denying the correlation. But what does it actually mean?

But are good-looking people more successful because of their inherent traits and characteristics, or are people more successful just because they are easy on the eyes? Do their good looks breed naturally breed better confidence and force of personality that further perpetuate their perception as good looking?

Researchers at Rice University sought that answer when they engaged a study on beauty’s effect on success using clinical means. They looked at only facial appearances and their effect on success. The study concluded that people with birthmarks, scars, and other blemishes were more likely to be rated poorly by their interviewers. The interviewers tended to remember much less about these candidates – both in personal information and interview content - than candidates with unblemished and more attractive faces. Of course that resulted in lower interview ratings and less jobs awarded.

Other studies show that people with good looks are perceived as happier, have higher self esteem, more skilled, personable, capable, and more intelligent than cohorts with average looks. This is often described as the “Halo Effect,” where people automatically make positive assumptions based on someone’s good looks.

Another interesting study isolated perceptions by letting participants talk to a person on the phone, but then showed them two different photos of the person. When they thought they were talking to a more attractive person, they described them as being more warm, personable, and even smart.

Interestingly enough, good looks have been found to be even more important for a man in the workplace than they are for women. An attractive woman gets an 8% wage bonus if her looks are rated above average, or a 4% penalty for below average looks, or a 12% total swing. Men only receive a 4% wage bonus for good looks but get dinged a 13% penalty if they are homely, for a 17% swing.

Why is that? Like many things with human beings, the reasons we do things funnel down toward primal urges the longer we scrutinize them. Along with the Halo Effect, we tend to just be attracted to good looking people because they are perceived as healthier, stronger, and better perpetuators of the human race. We want to know them, be associated with them, and naturally insert them into our society’s leadership positions. Even today, we haven’t evolved out of our primal nature and that desire to be around people who are more attractive results in higher wages and a faster track to success at the office.

While this behavior may be socially reinforced, it is nature, not nurture, as the culprit in this case. New studies by the Society for Research on Child Development show that even children and adolescents who are rated as more attractive get higher grades and go on to college more.

Are there any exceptions to this rule that attractive people thrive in business? Why yes, there are – and this is where it gets fun. According to a study published in Applied Financial Economics, there are at least two professions where there is a negative correlation between attractiveness and success.

The first is armed robbery. That’s right, if you chose the vocation of robbing banks at gunpoint, your ugliness will be an asset, probably because looking mean, violent, and scary is beneficial in that line of work. Interestingly enough, this only applied to low-rent smash-and-grab robbers – white-collar criminals did far better when they were better looking.

The second line of work where bad looks help may shock you – real estate. Yes, research proves that real estate agents who have above average looks are less successful. This goes against everything we assume in the business, where suave male agents with business card photos like James Bond and elegant female realtors with the air of super models spread their likeness on door-to-door flyers, social media sites, and even bus stop benches. But the study by Applied Financial Economics found quite the opposite to be true.

The study downloaded thousands of photos of real estate agents at random from an online database. They then asked neutral observers to rate the person’s attractiveness on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the most attractive.

They then looked up the agents’ listing and sales statistics from their respective companies and averaged earnings for everyone who was a 10, a 9, etc. all the way to the 1’s. 

What they found shocked them – the realtors who were average or slightly below average looking far outperformed the better-looking agents. Further research concluded that the more beautiful agents took longer to sell houses, closed fewer deals, and brought less money into their companies. There are several theories to this, but the general conclusion is that the most attractive agents use their beauty as a crutch – not as an asset to complement their business.

Fascinating! Do you have any other thoughts or theories about this?