I can tell you that when it comes to the ingredients of success, I’m a devout skeptic. I think my cynicism comes from two observations: First, we seem to have an insatiable desire for silver bullets that will magically bag the type of success for which we’re looking--"10 tips for this" and "secrets" for that. We want easy paths to victory.
Second, where there's a search for silver bullets, there’s always an ‘expert’ vendor who gladly sells people maps that mark whatever path they want to walk.
Now, I think there are plenty of people out there seeking honest solutions and plenty of companies selling them. But as I read books, articles, blogs and tweets about success – in whatever context the authors discuss it – I find that all too often the commentary bends towards silver bullets and under-emphasizes the good old-fashioned ingredients that have served people since the beginning of time: hard work and skill developed over time.
Here are two examples of the simple things—not overhyped gimmicks or secret solutions—representing the keys to success:
The music thinkers over at hypebot recently published anarticle called "5 Top Characteristics of Full Time Musicians." (It’s worth noting that the author points out that for most artists, success means making a living at music, not becoming the next worldwide superstar.) I can tell you right now that the list isn’t sensational, and it isn’t going to show up on Mashable.com. Check it out:
- They work (very) hard.
- They love what they’re doing.
- It’s not about the money.
- They have support.
- They don’t give up.
Where are the social media tips? Where is the "our agency has a secret that no one else does" statement? Where are the silver bullets?
Our second example comes from an interview with the band Dawes. To make a long story short, Dawes was recently chosen to be the quartet behind rock-n-roll hall-of-famer and renowned guitarist Robbie Robertson (guitarist and songwriter for "The Band"). To put it in perspective, Dawes is an up-and-coming group, and it is a gigantic honor for them to be specifically chosen by someone with such an amazing pedigree.
What’s really interesting, though, is what the front man of Dawes told the interviewer about why he thinks they were chosen. Hint: it’s not because of talent, and it’s not because they used Twitter to begin a conversation with some top-dog in the industry:
- Robbie Robertson’s principles seemed to be about respecting what it meant to be in a band with a capital B. Like, here are four guys that know how to play together.
- I’m aware of the fact-and I’m sure Robbie’s aware of the fact-that he could have gotten 200 guitar players better than me, but he didn’t. He got the guy who knows how to play with [his band mates] because they spent so much time together, and I think he realizes the significance of four guys learning how to follow each other’s dynamics.
From his perspective, Robbie Robertson chose Dawes not because they were the most talented, not because they were the best at networking, and not because they promoted themselves better than any other band. Robbie chose them because he saw teamwork, and that was a non-negotiable quality.
I believe that the fundamentals of hard work, persistence, teamwork, and passion for your craft will win out over the latest tools, the trend-du-jour, or sudden advances in technology every time – even if it takes more time. I believe – and my experience with BrainsOnFire has shown it to be true – that companies who pour their whole heart into things like amazing customer service (especially offline) will generate a larger quantity of sustainable word-of-mouth than companies who choose to pour that same effort into monitoring social media around the clock.
Most times, it seems, the best strategy is much simpler than you’d think.
CustomerManagementIQ contributor Eric Dodds also blogs at BrainsOnFire, for which he serves as community chemist.
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