#HR #RRHH Making love and making personal #branding #leadership

There are a ton of qualities that can help you succeed, and the more carefully a quality has been studied, the more you know it's worth your time and energy.

Angela Lee Duckworth was teaching seventh grade when she noticed that the material wasn't too advanced for any of her students. They all had the ability to grasp the material if they put in the time and effort. Her highest-performing students weren't those who had the most natural talent; they were the students who had that extra something that motivated them to work harder than everyone else.

Angela grew fascinated by this "extra something" in her students and, since she had a fair amount of it herself, she quit her teaching job so that she could study the concept while obtaining a graduate degree in psychology at the University of Pennsylvania.

Her study, which is ongoing, has already yielded some interesting findings. She's analyzed a bevy of people to whom success is important: students, military personnel, salespeople, and spelling bee contestants, to name a few. Over time, she has come to the conclusion that the majority of successful people all share one critical thing--grit.

Grit is that "extra something" that separates the most successful people from the rest. It's the passion, perseverance, and stamina that we must channel to stick with our dreams until they become a reality.

Everyone wants to be recognized for doing a good job, to be able to earn promotions and raises and to move up the organization. However, the path isn't always clear, and sometimes we are our own worst enemies--standing in the way of our own success.

Everyone needs someone in their lives that they can count on, someone to call when there’s no one else to call. And, these days, with radical change and ongoing disruption a constant part of every business, the most valuable people in any company are the ones you can count on in a crisis or a crunch--the "go-to" guys and girls. The people who are there in a pinch and who you naturally tend to run to, not from, when the feces hits the fan.

This isn't part of anyone's job description, and it's not something you can create on the fly. That's why there's no better investment you could possibly make in your career or your future than being the first stop when someone's looking for help, versus the last resort.

The good news is that this is a trait you can develop over time, like any other part of your reputation. If you're truly committed and your efforts are sincere and authentic, you can make it happen. Here's how.

You not only have an up-to-date profile, but you also have a stellar headline, plenty of endorsements and a photo that manages to make you look both professional and approachable. So you’re all set on that front, right?

Nope! Think again. The company recently rolled out a few new features that you should know about if you want to take full advantage of the platform. Especially if one of your goals this year involves getting a new job, improving your personal brand, or just maximizing the usefulness of LinkedIn in general.

I attribute much of our success to three pieces of advice that have become our guiding principles:

1. Ask, "How much do I really want it?"

My high school crew coach told me that success only depends on one thing: how much you really want it. The difference between winning and losing, he would say, is nothing more than deciding that you want to win.

This advice has had a huge impact on my life and career. Every time I've dreamt up a new idea or venture, my coach's words have come to mind: How much do you really want this?

Asking yourself this question forces you to pause and evaluate the situation honestly. Do you have a true passion for it? Are you ready to do whatever it takes to make it work? Taking a genuine look at how much something matters to you will help you weed out certain projects and make time for the ones that truly captivate you.