Look up the definition of "high-flyer" online and you'll be faced with a barrage of sentences describing people who are full of ability, often achieving enviable levels of success in a very short space of time.
These are the kinds of people we all aspire to be; they could be your boss, your colleagues, friends or members of your family. No matter whom it is, the chances are these people will have a number of attributes in common which gives them the edge in the working world.
Personality
Personality is irrefutably one major factor that defines a high flyer. People are promoted not only because they show incredible passion and adeptness for the task at hand, but very often because they also happen to be a well-liked individual with personable qualities.
That's not to say that high-fliers are merely the winners of a popularity contest. Characteristics such as charisma, dynamism, resilience, competitiveness, passion and courage are all strengths in the world of work. Focus, particularly is an important one, as many of us possess one or more of these traits for example. It is in channelling these into the working world that the high-flyer stands apart.
Flexibility
In the workplace itself, a high-flyer will show a willingness to succeed in everything they do by dedicating time to tasks even if they fall outside his or her remit.
Being flexible means that you can be relied upon and that you are always open to doing more. Undoubtedly these qualities will attract heavy praise from any employer, who, in turn is more like likely to task a high-flyer with a new and exciting proposition over another worker.
However, the notion of flexibility can be extended to a sense of skill, not just time. High-flyers often demonstrate that they can use the latest technologies, enabling them to achieve any task in an efficient, well-presented and timely manner. They also disseminate the latest reports and explore issues that threaten or challenge the industry, positioning them ahead of the industry curve. Unlike some, they do this for personal gain, not for company endearment.
Teamwork
Even though the picture of a high-flyer is becoming clearer, they cannot succeed alone. Working with others is a huge part in reaching the dizzy heights of executive level recruiter or senior team leader in a group of engineers, for example.
Working with people, rather for themselves, also requires a number of qualities, including humility, understanding, patience and control, among others. Only then when someone is armed with these tools can they become something else; something greater.
American businesswoman and entrepreneur, Mary Kay Ash, once said that the essence of a leader is someone who can "inspire and motivate, not intimidate and manipulate; who live with people to know their problems in order to solve them and who follow a moral compass that points in the right directions regardless of the trends" - an enviable description that no doubt we all wish to aspire to.
Luck
Despite exploring the many qualities of a high-flyer, it would be ignorant to dismiss the possibility that some people are just generally lucky than others - or at least in the right place at the right time.
However, luck only comes to those who welcome it. The person who stays in bed and regularly calls in sick is less likely to be assigned a new task than one who has proven themselves in the past.
Opportunity drives luck, and it is this simple fact that separates high-flyers from the rest. Those who don't embrace opportunity are doomed to fail; left behind in the slow lane, wishing they had made the effort - just as a high-flyer would have.
