Most of the people like to read and hear about other people’s success stories and how they managed to reach those high levels of success. When geniuses like Bill Gates or Richard Branson are talking, we usually listen, because we feel that there is a lot to learn from people like them. We hope to take away something that could help us to succeed and reach our goals a bit easier.

However, all of the success to people like Bill Gates or Richard Bronson did not came overnight. Fortunately, once they reached great success they are willing to share what qualities and traits made them successful.

Don’t blame others
When faced with errors or mistakes, successful people never start to point fingers or blame others. In fact, they tend to take the blame and responsibility on themselves. Once the mistake happened, a true leader will work towards preventing that mistake from happening again. Steve Jobs once said: “People who are crazy enough to change the world, are the ones who do.” In other words, in order to become great, you must fail and fail many times, because only then you will be able to learn from those failures and you will make sure they never happen again.

Be open minded
In order to be a good leader you need to be open minded towards new and innovative ideas. Only then, you will be able to create something new, undiscovered or unheard of, something that might bring you huge success in the future. If you are close minded, then it means you are not willing to experiment with the new ideas and solutions, which results in lack of flexibility faced with changes.

Risk, risk, risk
Most of the most successful leaders can unanimously tell that with risk comes reward. Every successful business is a product of a lot of risks and failures. Do not be afraid to step out of your comfort zone, because only then you will be able to achieve the best possible results. However, every risk should be calculated, before making a risky decision, make sure you analyse the pros and cons, as well as the possible outcome of that decision. You should never invest into something that you have no faith in.

Set realistic goals
In order to create a successful business, you must set certain goals to aim for. Only then, you will be able to look for ways to achieve the desired goals and success. Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon.com said: “We've had three big ideas at Amazon that we've stuck with for 18 years, and they're the reason we're successful: Put the customer first. Invent. And be patient.” Make sure you do everything with your whole heart, because if you are doing something with care and honesty, then it is just a matter of time when the success will come knocking on your door.

Know how to solve problems
Great leaders are also great problem solvers. This particular trait is the one that helped them to become successful, because they knew that nothing is impossible. Even once you have reached the top of your success, do not start slacking, in fact, keep looking for new ways to solve different problems. As an example, we look at Mark Zuckerberg. He is the founder of the biggest social media website “Facebook” and even though he has achieved a lot, he still is constantly solving various problems. One of the most recent ones, was related to the user’s privacy, so M. Zuckerberg decided to solve this problem by creating privacy settings that allow consumers to take full control of their own privacy.

Inspire others
Most of the top leaders inspire us not because they are wealthy, but because they know how to take care of their business, employees and customers. They believe in what they do and by doing that great leaders inspire others to act in the similar manner. Real leaders encourage others to strive for success. Once, Bill Gates said: “As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.”

Show initiative
Larry Ellis, 3rd wealthiest man in America and the creator of second highest selling software in the world, “Oracle”, once said: “You have to act and act now.” True leaders never sit with their arms crossed and wait for success to come from the clear blue skies. All the success was reached because these people showed initiative, used their creativity and passion to their advantage.

Never stop learning
"The day you stop learning, is the day you stop living.” - R. Branson. If you want to become a leader, you need to be learning something every single day. Just because you have finished college or university and received the diploma, does not mean that you have achieved anything. In fact, successful people are constantly looking for something new to learn, whether it is different skills or methods, they are always eager to improve on daily basis.

Recognise your strengths and weaknesses
Did you know that Richard Branson, who is one of the most successful people in the world, has dyslexia? Or did you know that he considered his illness to be one of the most contributing factors to his overall success? Once R. Branson was diagnosed with dyslexia, he realised that he needed a strong team that could complete the tasks that he was not able to complete. This is exactly how he was able to create a strong team of specialists that helped him to achieve such a high level of success.