The Top 10 Ingredients For Being An “A Player” In Business (And Life)

What is an A player?

An A Player is someone who is amazing at what they do, creates value for others, and always delivers, both in their careers and at home.

The office ninja who never says “ That’s not in my job description.” Is an A player.

The super job candidate who has to sort through dozens of job offers, and nails every interview is an A player.

The Rockstar Entrepreneur who guides his new company through the growing pains is an A player and there are a million more examples.

If we’re being honest with ourselves not only do we respect and admire A players for their success, we’re also a little bit jealous.

We think “ What’s that guy(or girl) got that I don’t?”

In order for you to unlock your potential, and become an A player, you have to know what it is that makes someone an A player.

I’ve been obsessed with A players for years., in fact I’ve spent the last decade befriending A players and trying to explain exactly what it is that makes them so successful.

I’ve made friends with and studied politicians, and internet marketing millionaires, top level management consultants, doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs, managers, ceos, top salesmen, and even 1 A player mail room employee.

From this decade of knowledge I have boiled being an A player down to these 12 ingredients.

1. A players Know Their Strengths. The biggest thing about A players is that they follow their strengths, not their passions. In order to be successful in life, you have to find the one thing you do that produces the most value for other people. A players, know their core strength and how to leverage it for success in their careers and lives.

2. A players practice Self Care. A players take great care of themselves, emotionally, physically and spiritually. A players know that how you feel directly affects what you can achieve and they go to great lengths to make sure they feel their best and operate at their highest capacity.

3. A players take MASSIVE action. A players know that in order to be successful you have to take massive action. Here’s some harsh truth, most things you do will fail. A players know this so they make sure to take so much action that something has to succeed.

4. A Players Course Correct. We’ve all heard the clinical term for insanity right? Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. It’s not enough to take massive action. You must course correct along the way. It’s not enough to just work hard, course correcting is what separates people who work hard from A players.

5. A Players have a bigger purpose. In order to take massive action, deal with failure and endure through the difficult times we all face, A players know they need to have a cause or purpose bigger than themselves. Whether it’s religious faith, family, or simply a burning desire to make the world a better place, A players believe in something bigger than themselves.

6. A players are confident. What is confidence? Simply a belief in yourself or abilities. A players know that no matter what happens they will be ok, and they can handle it (after all they are A players) and they act accordingly.

7. Communicate the right way. A players communicate differently than the average person. They know that they need to move people emotionally, so they describe things in rich sensory details, make sure their communication has a purpose or an outcome, and they know when to talk and when to listen to make people feel totally and completely understood.

8. A players are polarizing. A players cause strong reactions in others. They know that it is better to be LOVED by your audience and rejected by the masses than the other way around. A players don’t blend in, they stand out.

9. A players are authentic. A players know that in order to be successful they have to be authentic to who they truly are. A players don’t “fake it to make it”, they find out what works for them and do that.

10. A Players Delay Gratification. The famous Standford Marshmellow test https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX_oy9614HQ has proven that individuals that can delay satisfaction tended to have better life outcomes across an array of measurements from happiness and career success to body weight. A players delay small rewards now for MASSIVE ones down the line.

11. A players Self Promote, but the right way. Everyone hates self promotion, unless it’s done the right way. One of the benefits of having a cause bigger than yourself is that it allows you to promote the cause rather than yourself, avoiding the bad reputation of being a self promoter.

12. A players use bribes to get things done. One of the big secrets A players know that average guy or gal doesn’t is the power of bribes. And I’m not talking the suitcase full of cash kind. Buying a potential client, JV partner, job reference or employee a meal or sending a small thoughtful gift is how business gets done.

In this post I’ve shared with you the 12 ingredients that make someone an A player in business and in life.

We’ve discussed everything from the mindset of an A player to specific tactics and techniques that you can start using today, right now to become an A player at work and at home.

Now it’s up to you to take this information and apply it to become the A player you were always meant to be.

And who knows… if you do everything right, in a few months people will be asking themselves what it is that makes you so special and what they need to do to be an A player like you.

Jon Lee.