Monday, February 15, 2010

How to Model the Success Strategies of the Successful - by Hyacinth Fraser


If you want to be successful it makes sense to model the strategies of the successful. The concept of modelling is as old as the hills, this is not a new concept and yet completely underused and sometimes misunderstood.

When I talk about modelling the success strategies of the successful I am really talking about modelling those strategies that you feel you want to integrate into who you are and make entirely your own. To that it extent it is a matter of personal choice what strategies you choose to master. A cautionary tale here; step outside of the confines of what you already believe you know to be success strategies and step into a world of possibilities that may not have been open to you before.

Take the risk to model something that might be even slightly outside of your comfort zone. Be prepared to do something you have not done before in order to get a result you have not had before. To paraphrase Einstein: a definition of insanity is to do something in the same way you have always done it in order to get a different result - the truth is that quite simply is not going to happen.

In using the six simple strategies of success modelling do work with your own definition of success. Success means different things to different people. I might decide some great models of success might include: Les Brown, Zig Ziglar, Jay Abraham, Iyanla Vanzant, Bill Gates, Reginald Lewis, Anthony Robbins, Oprah Winfrey, Claude Bristol and Bob Johnson. For you though these might not come anywhere close to how you define success. The point is, choose who you wish to model and do it.

Success leaves clues.

Choose someone whom you admire and respect. Take a look at what it is you admire and respect about them. Is it the way they treat people respectfully? Perhaps the way they have built a highly profitable business from scratch? Is it their approach to philanthropy?

You can model anyone you wish - living or dead. It's worth getting more specific details about the person you wish to model. Check if they have an autobiography or biography. Speak to people that know or knew them. Read and if possible listen to their speeches. Undertake an internet search. If the person is alive, find out if you can meet the person you want to model. You could ask them to be your coach or mentor.


Modelling can take many forms; analyse the person's speech patterns this leaves many clues as to their mindset. You'll see instantly that individual very much has a ‘can do’ attitude. They will state a ‘problem’ - if they hold that concept in their head at all and REHEARSE REHEARSE REHEARSE the solutions .Take a look at their body language. It will be upright, self-assured and definite. They will usually surround themselves by people of a similar like.

They will likely have a pleasing personality, one where they understand that it's important to know people at every level within the organisation. It's equally likely that they get to know people's names very quickly recognising that names are important to people.

Six simple strategies for effective success modelling

It is a matter of personal choice what strategies you choose to master... so choose someone whom you admire and respect.

Below is a simple strategy to help you model success. In getting answers to these questions and using the responses you'll tap into the success strategies of the person you are modelling. The important thing here is to take action on what you learn - in a sense to do as they do and integrate those aspects of success into who you are.

1. Environmentally, what type of people does the individual surround themselves with, what type of mindset do these individuals have? How do they view and respond to the world around them?

2. How does this person you wish to model behave? How do they manage their emotional wellbeing? What is their skill set? How do they use that skill set to take them to the next level? How do they manage gaps in their skill set? Is their behaviour reactive to other people's moods and behaviours or do they stand in their own power and choose how they wish to behave in any given situation and the world more generally?

3. Is this person a forward thinker, a strategist? To what extent are they focused on continuous improvement? Is this person a keen listener and able to assess a range of views and be decisive?

4. Find out what the individuals belief and value system is. What is important to them and why? How and why do they do what they do?

5. Delving deeper into understanding the individual - what is this individual's purpose? What is this person's reason for being? What have they come here to be and do?

6. What is the ultimate for this person, however they define this for themselves?

Many successful people live a life of no limits. Their focus being the world is theirs to have and to hold as they wish.

"Some men (women) see things as they are, and say, Why? I dream of things that never were, and say Why not?" George Bernard Shaw.

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