Leading for Innovation: And Organizing for Results

4.1. Four Key Beliefs of Successful People: Their Implications for Behavioral Change

There are a variety of reasons why successful people succeed; some factors can be changed and some cannot. Every person does not have the potential to succeed in every activity. For example, a poor athlete may become better through practice, but physical limitations may prevent this person from ever becoming a professional. As Howard Gardner points out, different individuals have different intelligences that can dramatically affect their potential in different fields.

My review of research focused on the beliefs that tend to differentiate more successful people from their peers (who may have similar potential to achieve). Successful people tend to have four ...