10 Behaviors of High Achievers

High achievers are present in every organization and certain behaviors distinguish them from others. While there are no “preset” tendencies that point to the leaders who exhibit these behaviors, you can examine those behaviors if you know what to look for. 

This list could be extensive but for brevity’s sake we will stick to 10 Behaviors of High Achievers.

1. High Achievers Never Say Die

It’s an old idiom but it applies in today’s world just the same. The free dictionary.com defines it as never giving up among other definitions, but the one I like the most is to refuse to stop trying to do something. High achievers will most certainly never give up.

2. High Achievers Have Competitive Drive

Competitive drive can be an asset or a detriment to an organization if not channeled properly, but the high achiever can’t let that get in their way. The relentless pursuit to win will propel them to individual victories, whether the department is flailing or not. High achievers need structure in this area to help channel this strength.

3. High Achievers Will Not Simply Do What Has Been Done Before

If you are looking for the status quo here, you will not find it. High achievers have a knack for finding solutions, whether someone has been down the road before or not. Often finding new solutions within old problems and uncovering new ideas from outdated avenues.

4. High Achievers are Never Satisfied

They will achieve more in a little amount of time and come back for more, they will not stop, they are driven by results. The tiring pursuit of the next big achievement will push them at a fevered pace and can tire out your other works. Keep this in mind, and make sure they don’t wear out your work force.

5. High Achievers See the Big Picture

This can be as much of a negative as it is a positive, but rest assured, they will follow the vision of the company if they buy into it. They tend to never get lost in the weeds and are always redirecting you to the “30,000 foot view”. Be careful here because the end will justify the means in their minds at times.

6. High Achievers Apply New Knowledge Quickly

Allow the high achiever to collaborate with other departments and he will take any newfound knowledge to the next level. The ability to take that new knowledge and apply to the current department need or the overall company need is an essential behavior that propels this type of personality to greatness.

7. High Achievers Have Persuasion Skills

If you find yourself in a debate with a person of this behavioral type you will probably lose, and may even concede more than you had to begin with. The reason for that is the high achiever has a need to remove obstacles and will convince anyone in their way that this is what is needed to achieve the common goal or the greater goal. This ability allows them to remove the road blocks necessary to complete the task.

8. High Achievers Look for the Unanswered Problem

The high achiever is not worried by problems that have never been solved or tasks that have never been completed. They see these as opportunities to stand out above the rest. These are the chances to set yourself apart and stand out among the rest of the department or company.

9. High Achievers Believe Success Relies on Them

They not only get satisfaction from the work they achieve, but they feel it is necessary for their personal success. In their minds, it is also necessary for them to succeed in order for their respective department or company to succeed. They are typically not satisfied with the  normal 8-5 routine and will search for the tasks that lead to overall success.

10. High Achievers Find Achievement Enjoyable

Whether they are working hard, playing hard or vacationing hard, high achievers enjoy the achievement so much that they strive that much harder to accomplish tasks just for the sake of accomplishment. This can be a pitfall if there is no oversight to review the completions for accuracy, but you can rest assured, tasks and goals were never achieved so effortlessly. 

When trying to inspire the high achiever, don’t waste too much time looking for work for them to do, just give it time and allow them the freedom to look. They will certainly uncover the work that there and start accomplishing them before someone asks.

Your best efforts would be to give them a collaborative work environment with the tools necessary to complete the tasks and stand back and watch.