They aren't distracted by details that don't connect to the critical path. Star performers don't necessarily have higher IQs, better social skills or more drive than average workers do. They do possess a common set of work habits including the ability to take the initiative, manage themselves and are highly organized. A top skill that Information Technology superstars possess is the ability to stay focused, but not to the point of having tunnel vision. They have very broad perspectives acquired through listening to others viewpoints and staying aware of trends in their industry.
Stars are excellent at using past experiences to time-manage projects.
They have a keen ability to recognize patterns during the project life cycle and predict the next steps in the process to help save time and work efficiently. Other star work habits include teamwork, leadership and the ability to present information to an audience in a way that brings them along on the project. Keep in mind that they may be phrased slightly different than presented below. The National Safety Council estimates that one million employees are absent on an average workday because of stress-related problems and job burnout. Seventy eight percent of Americans describe their job as stressful and the vast majority also state that this has worsened over the past ten years.