And what about those who didn’t get what they wanted. They will be going through plenty of post rationalisation right now – it was the school, the subjects, parents and maybe even themselves.

I’ve met many adults who didn’t do well at school, yet were really successful in life. At some point, they took a long hard look at themselves and worked out why they weren’t getting what they wanted. Then they took responsibility for their actions and set out to make the life they wanted. They were courageous people, not in what they did, but in that moment of real honesty about their failure.

So if you have failed or know someone who has failed, take heart – it could be the best thing to happen. As long as you focus on that moment of real honesty – why did you fail really? Did you work hard enough? Were you doing something you really wanted to do? Could you put your heart into it knowing it was the right thing for you? Work it out, take responsibility and the next step will soon open up for you.

And I bet in time, you will look back and appreciate the challenge this moment gave you.

Aren’t human beings extraordinary creatures! All that talent, understanding and expertise – some of which we use and some that we keep tucked away in the deepest recesses of the mind/body.

Just imagine what life would be like if we all took hold of our talent and were determined to make the most of it? If we were doing what we love and do well, alongside other people who were also working to their core talent? We would achieve so much more and have a great time doing it. Fantastic!

This is what The Psychology of Success is all about – being the best we can be and making a real impact in the world.

So let’s go for it – let me know how you’re using your core talent; share your questions so we can all increase our understanding and join me on Twitter with your new ideas and thoughts. See you soon

Gal went to work at Asda because he couldn’t think of anything better at the time. That was fifteen years ago and he is now a highly successful senior manager. The trick was that his own managers never allowed him to get bored. They spotted he had talent, so gave him interesting and demanding work to do plus all the support he needed.

The talent pool is reducing all the time, so attracting and holding the best people is a must. The key is to ensure they maximise their strengths and develop a strong career. Stars want to perform well for themselves and the company. Meet them half way, demonstrating an equal commitment to their well-being and they’ll be loyal and give you their best work.

Great companies go out of their way to give responsibility to those who’ll take it. They expect that each person wants to do a great job and that given support and encouragement they’ll achieve that. Constantly tell people what to do and how to do it and they’ll always look for instruction. However challenge them to take on a new task, coach them to clarify their own understanding, then support them to complete the work and they’ll rise to the occasion.

The best companies recruit primarily at entry level and grow their own ‘in house’. Taking the risk to stretch a person who demonstrates potential is par for the course, although it won’t always work. For people to be willing to take on the extra responsibility, the company needs to consider how they’ll react if/when the call was wrong. Everyone reaches their limit at some point – you have to make it OK to say ‘I’m out of my depth’ and return them to a job they can do really well.

This is true at any level. Expecting people to take responsibility works throughout an organisation. It isn’t just the big new job. It can just as easily mean trying out a new idea or challenging the status quo. A young employee at Hiscox Speciality Insurer suggested selling direct to customers on the web – a big departure from the normal company style. Bronek, the Group CEO, was willing to back him, so gave him a team and a budget, whilst dealing personally with concerns from the board. The outcome was a great success and now you can buy on line.

But what if it hadn’t worked? It could have been a spectacular failure – there is always a risk when you encourage new ideas. Bronek sees his role as ‘protecting the weak’ i.e. to champion the cause of an experimenter. How you react to mistakes or failures will determine how willing people are to take responsibility. Jump on them too soon and they’ll settle back into the quiet life or look for a new job.

Wise managers treasure mistakes and failure for the learning they bring and the opportunity to demonstrate you value new thinking. At Corgi they don’t talk about a mistake but an ‘unexpected outcome’. New ideas produce different results – that’s why you do them. When they don’t work, learn and move on. If you repeat, producing the same outcome it’s no longer unexpected and that is unacceptable.

Each day people walk through your door with ideas about how to do things better. Encourage them to take responsibility and your business will thrive!

But it happens all the time. That’s why you hear so much about email overload – it’s people covering their backs. Copying in all and sundry is an insurance policy against blame. Hence the syndrome of emailing your neighbour – it’s evidence for a rainy day. And all rather than get the work done in the best way for the business.

Low trust persistently defeats productive work. Jacky has a boss who only speaks to her when things go wrong. She’s tried to have conversations to plan in advance, but George isn’t interested unless it impacts on his work. The only alternative is to read his mind, looking for any loophole she might have missed. Of course, she’s doomed to failure – not least because she seesaws between trying too hard and losing the will to live!
So what is the impact on the business? Jacky is certainly working under par. Stressed and isolated by the need to cover her back, she emails profusely and keeps her head down. She concentrates on managing George, saying what she thinks he wants to hear, rather than what actually needs to be said. She misses clues of forthcoming issues through the lack of strong relationships with her peers. So attuned is she to the voice and needs of the boss, she rarely listens fully to anyone else.

Which quickly becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy – whilst trying so hard to please, Jacky makes mistakes. Her only relationship with colleagues is of the ‘ain’t it awful’ variety, which at least means she doesn’t feel alone in her slough of despond. On the other hand, she has precious few proactive business conversations. End result? The boss is on the warpath again and she gets closer to handing in her notice.

And the sad thing is that George feels much the same. He has to placate an equally demanding and uncommunicative boss and is constantly concerned any mistake will be a black mark on his career. No wonder he jumps on Jacky so hard – if she doesn’t deliver, he’s really in trouble. He fears that any disagreement or contradiction is career suicide, so he pleases, regardless of the facts that sit before him. This real time risk is enormous.

Sound familiar? Then start building trust. Your people are your competitive edge, so why back them into a corner? Build their confidence and they’ll tend the business as if it’s their own. Give them space and understanding and they’ll blossom, rather than shrink to fit low-level expectations.

Trust builds slowly over time, so don’t expect fast change. When people are worn down, they won’t immediately rally to the call. You need to demonstrate that you’re trustworthy and consistent and gradually they’ll believe you really mean it.

Pay attention to what people say, notice how they react and ask questions if you don’t understand. Nurture relationships with your subordinates as well as you do with your leaders and the atmosphere will gradually begin to change.

Above all, make trust important. It’s the base of every relationship and the most significant issue in making the most of your people.

You can have fearful employees who watch their backs more than their work or confident, excited colleagues, who delight in success – the choice is yours.