Top 10 Traits for Success
- leonardo mendelev
- Sep 29
- 5 min read
Updated: Oct 3
After working in the company for so long, I have observed many many executives. Some executives constantly climb higher faster than others, and I have spent many hours thinking about what makes them progress fast while other executives don’t progress much or at all. What makes a great executive here in Harita? What can you do to be like them? I have compiled the top things that you need to do to succeed in Harita:
(1) Open-Minded
Being open-minded is the first step to learning. If you are not open minded, you can’t learn. And if you can’t learn, you can’t improve. And if you can’t improve, you will always be where you are and never progress in life. Being open minded means first listening without being defensive or thinking you are right. Learning to listen intently is a very important skill to have in life. You have to listen with an open mind first before deciding which information you agree with and which one you don’t. When being open minded, always remember Ray Dalio’s concept of believability. Some people are more believable than others.
(2) Truth Seeking
Truth seeking is about being curious in finding out how the world works. It’s about seeking the truths of the world, whether or not it’s in line with what you previously believe in. It’s about trying to figure out REALITY, whether you like it or not.
(3) Self Doubt
A lot of people say it’s important to be confident. And yes, that is true to a certain extent. But it is also important to be right. How do you make sure you are right? You have to have self doubt. You have to keep asking yourself, “How do I know that I am right?” You have to keep going through the facts and keep reiterating and rechecking the thought process on how you came to that solution. To me, self doubt is important because it helps you to keep an open mind to what is the truth. If you don’t have any self doubt, you will be more often wrong than you are right.
(4) First Principles Thinking
First principles thinking is about getting to the root cause of a problem. It’s about understanding why things are or are not, and how they came to be. It’s about figuring out what are the first principles of ANY situation, and if there is anything can be done about it. If not, then why? First principles thinking is tied in with open mindedness, truth seeking, and self doubt.
(5) Extreme Commitment
Everyone is born with the brains that God gave them. That is something you cannot control. However, what you can control is how hardworking you are, how determined you are, and how committed you are. There is a HUGE difference between someone who is committed and someone who is extremely committed. Most people who work in Harita are committed, but not many are extremely committed. But those who are extremely committed tend to produce a lot more results than just those who are committed. What does extremely committed mean? Do you think about your problems first thing in the morning when you wake up? Do you think about your problems when you go to sleep at night? When you are out with your friends, do you feel Iike it’s a waste of time because it’s unproductive and you are not learning anything? When you are extremely committed, you will have all of this. You will not have any hobbies because hobbies take up too much time. You will not watch tv at night because you rather go to bed early so that your mind can be fresh for the next days problems. You will take your work seriously and PERSONALLY. This becomes your company. And whatever happens to your company good or bad feels like it’s happening to you personally. That’s extremely committed. Not many people can do that. It’s also why not many people are meant for greatness.
(6) Kiasu
Kiasu in Hokkien means “scared to lose or scared to lose out.” It means that you want to be the first to get something. You are worried that somebody gets it before you. It also means covering all your bases, trying to be the best at everything you do. This personality trait is actually very good for business.
(7) Interpersonal Skills
In order to get things done in Harita, you will need the help of other senior members of the team. The work here is very interrelated. For example, if you want to open a new mine, you will need to work with the permits department to make sure that you have the permits. You will need to work with the ESG department to make sure there are no issues. You will need to work with CSR to make sure the masyarakat are supportive. Because of this, you need a lot of good interpersonal skills to make sure that your other colleagues like you and want to support you.
(8) Parno
Simply put, people who are parno will most likely do a better job than people who are not parno. Why? Parno people always worry, check, self doubt, recheck because parno people think about all the possibilities of things going wrong. Because of that, they do everything they can to cover all the angles and the different ways things can go wrong. They create backup plans, and they think about work all the time. The opposite of Parno is Happy Go Lucky and Overconfident. These are NOT things that I want in my executives.
(9) Integrity
Integrity is everything. It’s expected. I have had bad experiences with executives before who have bad integrity. In the end, I just can’t trust what they say. If I can’t trust what they say, I can’t put them in any position any more because I can’t trust them. How do I know that they are making the best decision for the company or for themselves? Integrity is number 1, there is no compromise.
(10) Good Heart
Having a good heart is important for me. There are a million ways for bad hearted executives to screw us over. I don’t want to have to keep watching over my back. We spend more of our waking time in the office than at home. I want to build a company where people are happy to come to work. A big part of that is how the colleagues in the company are.
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