Karren Brady - Karren Brady’s 10 Rules for Success

It would be unthinkable to me not to work hard, whatever job I found myself in; it is ingrained in the fibre of my being that what you get out is tied to the effort you put in. And even if you are in a job you don’t particularly enjoy, it is better to work hard. You will get more out of it, and you are more likely to be able to move on. Someone once said that if you worry about the job you’re in, the next job will sort itself out – and I think that’s very true. Remember: to be able to work hard and persistently is a quality that not a lot of people have. You stand out if you’re prepared to do the stuff that’s not much fun.

RULE TWO: HAVE CONFIDENCE

Confidence lies at the root of personality. I meet a lot of professional people who don’t have any personality, and therein lies a problem. Whatever qualifications you have, personality is at least as important, because people do deals with people, not with brains. When it comes to choosing between two people who have the same qualifications, you choose the one who has the personality you want to work with.

Confidence expresses itself as energy, as being able to articulate your thoughts, having an opinion, being able to be a bit charming, and being a good listener. But you can have too much confidence. There is a fine line between enthusiasm and delusion. Success is about ability as well – there are lots of people who are very confident but they can’t deliver. They soon get found out.

To lead a team, you need confidence. Some people who lack confidence are scared to take on a managerial role because they think they need to be able to do every aspect of the work. But what really sets you apart as a leader is not how much you know how to do, but how you behave when you don’t know what to do. If you don’t have the confidence to ask for advice or to gather people together or to listen to people, you will not succeed.

You also need to have the confidence to avoid the my-way-or-no-way mentality. The best leaders are not afraid to work with and listen to people across a broad spectrum, and they get excited when they meet people better than them. That’s because they are confident in their own ability. I have met some leaders who have refused to hire people because they think they may be better than them and therefore might challenge them and put their own position at risk. These are my least favourite type of people. If you care about what you do, you want to employ the best, and that may well mean you employ people better than you. Full stop. And if you do employ someone better than you, you ultimately prove you are better than them, because you have shown that leadership in taking them on.

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