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Winning Attitudes

What does it take to be successful? The 10 Attributes of a Winning Attitude

Dr Amanda PotterGoldie Sayers

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www.zircon-mc.co.uk @ZirconMCW

What makes someone stand out from

others who also have a good fit with

organisational future requirements?

How does a state of mind or attitude

help to unlock someone’s full

potential?

What makes real success?

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Our research sought to answer several questions…

42 Winners in Sport, Entertainment and Business contributed to our research. Our CEOs include…

Laurent Le Moal PayU

Robin BowieDexion Capital

Chris DaviesGlobal Payments

Martin SpurlingHSBC

(Latin America)

Nick WinsorHSBC

(Offshore)

Douglas LamontInnocent Drinks

Mary KennyEversholt Rail

Jacqueline Gold CBE

Ann SummersPeter Aldis

Holland & BarrettProf. Geraint Jones

Dean of Education, Univ. of Buckingham

Dennys Shortt OBEDCS Group, DealTrack

Ltd, Enable ID, Enliven,

Natural Elements

Justin GormanMan Alive

Entertainment

Daniel SachsProventus AB

Sir William GoodenoughDesign Bridge

Jeremy SnapeSporting Edge

Dan GermainInnocent Drinks

Prof. Peter SavilleSHL & Saville

Consulting

Sinclair SellarsSinclair Sellars

Clive JacobsHoliday Autos, Jacobs

Media Group

Rex KurziusAsset Panda, Timberhorn

Nicola MurphyThe River Group

John TimpsonTimpson

Katie PiperKatie Piper Foundation

Russell AmerasekeraPearls & Poison, Former Presenter of Wish You

Were Here

Mike ClareDreams, Clarenco LLP, The Clare Foundation

Our Entrepreneurs include…

Goldie SayersOlympian(Javelin)

Adam Freeman-PaskOlympian(Rowing)

Brian JacksOlympian

(Judo)

John EleyOlympian(Skater)

Mark FosterOlympian

(Swimming)

Lucy MacgregorOlympian(Sailing)

Zoe JamesOlympian

(Synch. Swimming)

Hannah JamesOlympian

(Synch. Swimming)

Leon Taylor Olympian

(Synch. Diving)

Martin HewittParalympian

(Skiing)

Ricky BalshawPara-Equestrian

(Dressage)

Sir Clive WoodwardOBE

2003 Rugby World Cup Manager

Wayne Otto OBE9 times World Karate

Champion

Peter WinterbottomEngland Rugby

Player

Gary ReesEngland Rugby

Player

Ruthie HenshallActress, Singer and

Writer

Harry RillingMayor of Norwalk,

Connecticut

Our Sporting and Media Winners include…

There are 3 elements which make up a Winning Attitude

The Findings

TriggersWinning

AttributesStrengths

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Triggers

Negative Force Positive Force

Bereavement & LossFamily DisruptionFinancial Troubles

Inspirational Figure

Motivational Support

Winning Attributes

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Winning Attributes

What makes a Winning Attitude? What differentiates a true winner from the rest?

Burning Ambition Dogged Determination

Realistic Optimism Unwavering Belief

Intrinsic Generosity Mutual Respect

Maximising Opportunities Disruptive Thought

Constant Curiosity Single Minded Focus

Burning Ambition

Aspiring and aiming for the stars, they have a

strong focus on growing into the future by

creating challenging goals for themselves.

They have the drive, motivation and

dedication to focus and put in discretionary

effort to achieve the edge in their field.

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Winning Attributes

“You need a vivid of view of where you are heading, be ambitious, and have a

clear goal.”

Jeremy Snape, CEO Sporting Edge

“I was very driven; I wanted to be someone. I never took no for an answer. I

knew what I wanted.”

Ruthie Henshaw, Broadway Actress

Dogged Determination

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Winning Attributes

“You have to have the ‘hardwork gene’.”

Sir Clive Woodward, 2003 Rugby World Cup Manager

“I was never content with mediocrity. I’m not about running from failure, even

when I get it wrong.”

Mark Foster, Olympian, Swimming

“The terrain to success is not a motorway, it is a swamp with ups and downs.”

Jeremy Snape, Entrepreneur, Sporting Edge

Having unwavering belief and resilience

through adversity, they thrive under pressure

and persevere whilst balancing pressures,

being willing and comfortable taking an

educated risk to conquer fear.

Realistic Optimism

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Winning Attributes

“You need to be a realist but an optimist.”

Martin Hewitt, Paralympian, Skiing

“We hired radiators who exude positive energy, and we removed the drains,

who suck the life out of you.”

Mike Clare, Entrepreneur, Dreams

Optimistic and positive about the future, they

always turn a negative situation into a positive.

They are realistic about their goals but create

positive energy for those around them,

remaining buoyed whilst conquering their

fears.

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Unwavering Belief

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Winning Attributes

“Failure is practicing for success.”

Katie Piper, Presenter/Entrepreneur, Katie Piper Foundation

“The power is to believe that you are right, even when others tell you are not.”

Dan Germain, Innocent Drinks

“We really wanted it, so put lots of energy into thinking we ARE going to win,

not we WANT to win.”

Hannah James, Olympian, Synchronised Swimming

They have self-belief in their own

achievements and an intrinsic need to prove

themselves, bringing enthusiasm to every task

they undertake. They are self-aware, knowing

their limits and building on their strengths.

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Intrinsic GenerosityWinning

Attributes

“My greatest success is having created 350 jobs and looking after 350 families.”Denys Shortt OBE, CEO, DCS, DealTrack Ltd, EnableID

“You don't make the money, your team does it for you, your role is to give themsupport and clear the obstacles out of their way.”John Timpson, Chairman, Timpsons

Selfless in their approach to success, they care

for others and want to help them achieve.

They want to help others and give back,

trusting others implicitly to work with the

same values. They prefer to let others take

credit for their achievements.

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Mutual RespectWinning

Attributes

“You need to lead by example; people look to you for direction.”Jacqueline Gold, CEO, Ann Summers

“The rocking chair test; when I look back at what I was proud of, it is the emotionsof the team, the pride and warmth.”Douglas Lamont, CEO, Innocent Drinks

“You need everyone on your side and to motivate others to play well. Anything ispossible if you are willing to try together.”Peter Winterbottom, England Rugby Player

Persuasive, empathetic and tolerant, they are

a strong leader and bring people along on the

journey. They respect colleagues and

competitors, building strong relationships as

they understand the value of teamwork.

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Maximising Opportunities

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Winning Attributes

“Luck got me into Eversholt Rail but it was “about tenacity and hard work” thatgot me to my position.”Mary Kenny, CEO, Eversholt Rail

“It is the alignment of the stars, the right product, time, people, good fortune,and the recognition that you have struck on a once in a life time opportunity.”Clive Jacobs, Entrepreneur, Holiday Autos, Travel Weekly (UK) and the Caterer

They see an opportunity and grasp it. They do

not take their situation for granted and seek to

make the most of it, being grateful for the

opportunities they have. They are effective at

identifying a gap in the market and suggesting

subsequent solutions for this.

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Disruptive Thought

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Winning Attributes

“Every time you step outside your comfort zone, you have the opportunity tochange your life.”Jacqueline Gold, CEO, Ann Summers

“It is so easy to play it safe, it is much harder to make the leap when you areunsure about the outcome. It is like making the leap off the titanic when it isgoing down.”Robin Bowie, CEO, Dexion Capital

As change agents, they want to challenge

themselves. They question the status quo and

always think two steps ahead with a holistic

view of the strategy. They balance instinct and

logic to create a proactive approach to an

unsolved problem.

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Constant Curiosity

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Winning Attributes

“An ability to absorb all information and learn. That is it! We are on a continuouslearning journey. Use all opportunities to learn from the market and expert; learnfrom the trends.”Laurent Le Moal, CEO, PayU

“We need to live in a connected world with society and learn from it. Spend timelearning from mistakes in an investment process for your development andgrowth.”Daniel Sachs, CEO, Proventus AB

With the eagerness to learn from past

mistakes and others, they take any

opportunity to develop their skills. They have

an intrinsic need to grow, questioning others

and conducting research to look for new

learning opportunities.

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Single Minded FocusWinning

Attributes

“Medals aren’twon in the arena, they are won when training at home.”Ricky Balshaw, Para-Equestrian, Dressage

“You get leaders that stand on their ship and talk romantically but they don'twant to talk about the boiler room, the hard stuff, to look inward and get theirhands dirty”.Geraint Jones, Dean of Education, University of Buckingham

They have a high attention to detail and take a

methodical approach to focus on the small

daily tasks. They plan for success and failure

and prioritise tasks to ensure the best possible

outcome. They seek simplicity and clarity,

regularly monitoring their performance.

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How can you change your Attitude?

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A Winning Attitude is Goal-Based

Step 1•Define the Goal

Step 2•Get Excited about the Goal

Step 3• Recognise your Winning Attributes

Step 4•Understand your Unique Strengths

Step 5•Make Conscious Decisions

Contact Us

Contact Details

+44 (0)20 8645 0227Twitter: @zirconmc

www.zircon-mc.co.uk