Super Achievers: 4 Secrets For Career Success

By Perminus Wainaina

Last year, I was interviewed by The Business Daily on why some top executives seem to get it easy moving from one company to another.

Take, for example, the recent appointment of Allan Kilavuka as the CEO of Kenya Airways. He is moving from Jambojet, where he held a similar position – that of CEO.

Julius Kipng’etich, who exited Kenya Wildlife Service as director and joined Equity Bank  in 2012 as chief operating officer before moving to Uchumi Supermarkets  as CEO. He left Uchumi to join Jubilee Insurance, as group CEO.

Eddie Ndichu, was appointed Opera vice president for Fintech Africa from KCB Group. The appointment came only a few years after he moved to KCB from Chase Bank. He was previously based at StanChart Bank, before moving to Chase Bank.

This got me thinking…

What does it take to be at the top level of one’s career? What does it take to be a highly sought after individual? What does it take to be a top achiever and even be remembered as great?

Here is what I have observed top achievers do:

They take action and leave the crowd

The migration of the same managers and CEOs from one company to another goes to show that these experienced professionals are highly sought after, hence their ability to move. This trend offers insights into the fact that while there are plenty of managers and chief executives working for varied companies in Kenya, only a few have a sustained track record of success.

When they join an organization and it performs well regardless of their input, the success is attributed to them making them highly sought out individuals.

Wherever they go, they take action and over time, their results are visible to outsiders!

Truth is, taking action can be the most daunting aspect of goal-setting.

Fear of failure, procrastination, and fear of embarrassment, among many others, can stop you from taking action. Keep in mind that those who have made it and continue to make it big, know the value of taking action.

Take action! Think of a goal you have been putting off, write your next action. Don’t continue until you’ve written it down. Don’t just think about it.

They have goals that impact

What drives you? What motivates you?

“Start with why.”

High achievers think about impact.

The current Safaricom HR Director Paul Kasimu, who was at Kenya Airways, and later EABL, has talked about how he endured loss right from a young age. During his time at Kenya Airways, one of their airplanes crashed in Cameroon killing all 147 individuals on board. This was the toughest time for him. During this time, he would easily have given up his position and wallowed in sadness. However, through it all, he learned that it is not a matter of what one has gone through, rather how you live a life of purpose through it all.

You need to connect with why your goal truly matters and what’s at stake if you quit.

They are persistent

When you face a setback, a failure, when you see no way out, when giving up is easier. This is when you need to be persistent the most.

It is always easy to give up, but the consequences are not worth the ease. By choosing to give up now, you will be setting yourself up for a bigger failure in the future.

To achieve anything, it is important to trust yourself. When hardships come, when you hit a roadblock, when you face a setback – keep going. Remember, your future self will thank you for it.

Top achievers also have strong personal branding in the sense that they are not afraid to maximize every opportunity to ‘sell’ themselves.

This makes them highly sought after to bring new and fresh ideas on board.

Equity Bank, for instance, poached Mr. Kipng’etich from KWS based on his track record while there and his ability as a strategist, factors that catapulted KWS into a corporate-like agency, despite being a State corporation.

They don’t use their weaknesses as excuses

Everyone has areas of strength and areas of weakness. Your weaknesses won’t disappear overnight, or maybe ever. You only get one life. Imperfect people accomplish amazing things every single day.

Do you become nervous at the thought of you speaking in front of a group?

Do you always have great ideas that you’d love to share in meetings but fear and nervousness hold you back?

Do you strongly desire to speak with confidence whether in office meetings, business presentations or networking events so that you can convince or persuade your audience?

Take up a Public Speaking class to work on your weakness and make it your strength.

High achievers don’t waste their lives worrying about their weaknesses. They accept and work around them, until they get what they want.

In the end,

High achievers are normal people just like you.

Do they have advantages you don’t have? Yes, they have a winning mindset.

You too can have that same advantage if you do the work.

Get focused. Don’t make excuses. Ask for help. Connect with your “why.” Pick yourself.

The ball is now in your court.

Perminus Wainaina is the C.E.O and Managing Partner at Corporate Staffing Services, a leading HR consultancy firm based in Westlands. Through personalized career coaching he assists mid-level and senior professionals get solutions to complex and challenging career issues that they are facing. Click here for more on career coaching.