Where you stand is essential to who you are. It’s a central question of creativity and an essential secret of leadership. There are four keys to make you stand out from the crowd and be exceptional.
Originality
If you are seeking to make a mark — to be noticed, recognized, distinguished from others — your first priority should be to cultivate originality. For originality is the one quality that cannot be counterfeited or copied.
originality is the distance between two thoughts. It is the space history leaves for you to fill. It is unexplored territory. Originality happens when you see things differently than other people.
Lead with Excellence
Leading with excellence is a mindset. It begins with a commitment to consistency. The more consistently you provide quality products and services, the more trust you earn from those who come into contact with your work.
You constantly strive to be the best at what you do. This becomes reality when you watch out for the details, fine-tune your skills, take time to get things right, and continually get feedback from clients and colleagues.
Be Distinct in your communication
Out of this originality comes the second essential quality that all successful leaders share — the ability to communicate an exciting vision. This excitement is infectious. It communicates itself.
No matter how original your ideas are, you will need to talk to people in order to execute them. It is impossible for any action to be 100% original. Not only do we need allies, but we also need the practice of talking about our ideas.
Discipline goes a long way
If you want to change the world, it helps to be disciplined, to sit down and do your work even if it’s tedious. It takes training to create something, whether it’s a painting or a successful startup.
Great success will come to those who can exercise self-control. The mind is like a river, flowing toward the future. The accomplished entrepreneur can learn to direct that flow.
