You know those people.  Those people that always perform at a higher level and that are always on top.  We call those the TOP PERFORMERS or the STAR PERFORMERS!

How can you be a star performer?  You need to do what the start performers do!

1.  Be Kind!  I lead with this one because I think it’s the most important.  Star performers are kind.  They understand and empathize with other people and truly want to do the best by them.  You should be kind to people.  This doesn’t mean you are not firm or you do not hold people accountable.  When you truly want to see people do well and you want to be kind, you hold people to high standards to help them develop.

2.  Be Consistent!  Top performers work hard and are consistent!  They provide value and do their job EVERY DAY!  You have to choose to be consistent every day.  You have to do the things you need to do every day.

3.  Take Initiative!  Star performers do their job consistently and always look for ways to improve or add value.  You have to make sure to be consistent first with your current work to really be good at taking the initiative.

4.  Be Positive!  No one likes to be around the negative Nancy.  Top performers are the people that create positive environments.  They are motivated, upbeat and are always positive about finding the next solution.  So make sure to emphasize the positive.  And if you are not that type of person, make yourself.  Watch any negative talk, stop complaining, and start answering all questions with a ‘yes and’ instead of ‘no.’

5.  Say NO!  It sounds opposite of #4.  But it’s really important to be able to say NO when necessary.  Star performers know how to prioritize and that involves saying no to some people and some events.  You need to be able to determine the best use of your time to be the most effective.

6.  Adapt and Overcome!  Star performers adapt to situations.  They increase their skills by learning new things and challenging themselves.  They learn to adapt to situations by improving themselves.  What skills can you learn or practice to help you be better at adding value?

7.  Network!  Top people realize that networking is an all the time thing.  They do it because they know relationships are so important.  And they always take the opportunity to reach out to people sometimes just to say HI.  Top performers GIVE and GIVE which makes them invaluable to others.  When was the last time you called or emailed someone in your group to HELP them or just let them know you were thinking about them.  It may sound kind of cheesy, but it goes a long way to building the type of relationship that lasts.

8.  Know Yourself!  This goes hand and hand with adaptability.  Top performers know their strengths and weaknesses and they address them. You need to really know yourself.  You need to know what areas to improve, what areas to bring in other resources, and what areas to emphasize.

9.  Be a Good Follower!  This seems contrary.  Star performers know that in order to be a good leader, you need to learn how to be a good follower.  When you know yourself (see above), you know when you have to pull in other people.  And sometimes you need to let that person lead the team.

10.  Be a Good Leader!  Star performers are good leaders!  Being a good leader is very different than being a good manager.  You need to lead your team.  And in order to do that you need to TRULY care about your team, care about the results your team creates, and do whatever is necessary.  Good leaders are the star performers (so make sure you do really well with #1-#8 so you can be a good leader too!).