8 traits of successful people - Richard St. John | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

Discover the 8 traits that successful people have in common, including hard work, focus, creativity, and service to others.

Key Insights

• 🏃 Success isn't just about financial wealth but personal achievements and overcoming challenges like marathons and mountain climbing.
• 🥺 A chance encounter on a plane led to interviews with over 500 successful individuals for insights on success.
• 💦 The speaker discovered 8 common traits shared by successful individuals, including hard work, focus, creativity, and service to others.

Transcript

Now, my subject is success, so people sometimes call me a "motivational speaker." But I want you to know right up front I'm not a motivational speaker. I couldn't pass the height requirement. (Laughter) And I couldn't motivate anybody. My employees actually call me a de-motivational speaker. (Laughter) What I try to be is an informational speaker. ... Read More

Questions & Answers

Q: What inspired the speaker to start his quest for understanding success?

The speaker's encounter with a teenage girl on a plane who questioned him about success ignited his curiosity and led him to interview over 500 successful individuals to find common factors.

Q: How did the speaker manage to get insights from successful people from various fields?

The speaker overcame self-doubt and hesitation to approach successful individuals, like Ben Cohen, for coffee and ice cream chats, resulting in valuable insights for his success research project.

Q: What are the 8 common traits shared by successful people according to the speaker's interviews?

The 8 traits of success identified by the speaker include loving what you do, hard work, focus, continuous self-improvement, coming up with good ideas, serving others, and persistence.

Q: How did the speaker analyze and categorize the interviews with successful individuals?

The speaker meticulously sorted and analyzed millions of words from interviews with successful people, identifying patterns and common factors that led to success across various fields.

Summary

The speaker shares his experiences and the lessons he has learned about success. He explains that he is not a motivational speaker, but rather an informational speaker who wants to pass on knowledge about success. He talks about his own achievements, such as winning awards in marketing and completing marathons and mountain climbs. He then recounts a conversation with a young girl who asked him about success, prompting him to seek answers from successful people in various fields. After interviewing over 500 successful individuals, he identified eight common traits that contribute to success: loving what you do, working hard, focusing on one thing, pushing yourself, generating good ideas, continuously improving, serving others, and persisting in the face of challenges.

Questions & Answers

Q: How does the speaker describe himself?

The speaker describes himself as someone who is not a motivational speaker, but rather an informational speaker. He clarifies that he cannot motivate others and jokingly mentions that his employees consider him a de-motivational speaker.

Q: What inspired the speaker to seek answers about success?

The speaker was on a plane sitting next to a teenage girl from a poor family who wanted to achieve success. When she asked him if he was successful, he initially said no and mentioned other individuals who he considered successful. However, he later realized that he had achieved some level of success and was intrigued by the girl's question about what leads to success.

Q: How did the speaker gather information about success?

The speaker attended the TED conference and decided to ask successful people in various fields about their experiences and what helped them succeed. Initially, he doubted his ability to approach these individuals, but his encounter with Ben Cohen, the co-founder of Ben and Jerry's ice cream, gave him the confidence to pursue his project.

Q: How many successful people did the speaker interview?

The speaker interviewed over 500 successful people face-to-face and collected thousands of success stories. He aimed to find common factors for success across different fields.

Q: What were some of the careers represented in the speaker's interviews?

The speaker interviewed people from a wide range of careers, and he provides examples of careers starting with the letter A, such as accountants, astronauts, actors, astrophysicists, architects, and even Nobel Prize winners.

Q: What was the process the speaker undertook to analyze the interviews?

The speaker meticulously analyzed and sorted through millions of words from the interviews. He examined each word and line to identify the factors that people mentioned as contributing to their success.

Q: How did the speaker narrow down the traits that contribute to success?

By analyzing the interviews, the speaker discovered that eight traits were repeatedly mentioned by successful individuals as contributing to their success. He named these traits the "8 to be great." These traits include loving what you do, working hard, focusing on one thing, pushing yourself, generating good ideas, continuously improving, serving others, and persisting in the face of challenges.

Q: What does the speaker say about skills in relation to success?

The speaker explains that while specific skills may be necessary for different professions, the eight traits he identified are fundamental to success in any field. Skills such as technical expertise, analytical abilities, people skills, and creativity can be built upon the foundation of these eight traits.

Q: How does the speaker view success?

The speaker believes success is not solely about personal achievements but also about serving others and providing something of value. He emphasizes that success is a journey that requires persistence, as overnight success is rare.

Q: What is the speaker's overall message about success?

The speaker's message is that success is attainable by anyone who possesses the eight common traits that he has identified. He encourages individuals to love what they do, work hard, focus, push themselves, generate good ideas, constantly improve, serve others, and persist in their endeavors.

Takeaways

Success is not solely determined by fame or monetary wealth. The speaker highlights the importance of the eight traits that successful people have in common: loving what you do, working hard, focusing on one thing, pushing yourself, generating good ideas, continuously improving, serving others, and persisting in the face of challenges. These traits form the foundations of success, regardless of the specific skills required in different fields. Success is a journey that requires dedication, perseverance, and a willingness to learn and grow.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The speaker shares his journey and encounters, from marathons to climbing mountains, and how success isn't just about money but personal achievements.

• A chance encounter with a teen on a plane sparks a quest to find out the secrets of success from 500+ interviews with successful individuals.

• After sorting millions of words from interviews, the speaker identifies 8 common traits shared by successful people, providing a blueprint for success.