On this final Take Flight Weekly episode of 2025, Episode #306, I want to bring you to a topic that has been brewing for months. When you coach, lead, and observe high performers for a living, certain patterns show up repeatedly. Success leaves clues. The gap between the 97% and the 3% is real. The gap inside the 3% is even more fascinating. This week, I want to break down the ten characteristics that consistently show up in the top 10% of ELPs (Top 3%). These are the attributes I have seen across different markets, ages, backgrounds, and personality types.
Before we dive in, let me remind you of my purpose. My purpose is to help you, the full-service, full-fee advisor and entrepreneur, become more productive and more fulfilled. Happy advisors produce more. Listen as if we are sitting together one-on-one. This is your coaching session.
In my most recent Episode #305, I discussed the Top 10 Things I Learned in 2025. During the time period that I was writing that episode, I was asked the question by a listener: "Jim, tell me all about what separates that top, top group of advisors from everyone else. I'm so curious?" I responded with an off the cuff response but thought to myself, "That sounds like a Take Flight Weekly episode". So, once I finished up #305, I kept writing. The goal was to take a few days of thinking time to answer that very specific question. I thought about the private conversations I have had with top advisors this year. I studied the wins and the failures. I connected dots from coaching calls, team meetings, top producer panels, and quiet one-on-one conversations where people tell you who they really are.
What showed up in that notes app when I was finished was not complicated. It was honest. It was consistent. When you do this long enough, you stop chasing secrets and start seeing the truth.
Success Leaves Clues.
The super achievers are not lucky. They are not superhuman. They are not riding trends. Super achievers are operating from high performance characteristics that compound naturally. They lean into certain instincts and discipline that others avoid. They build their lives differently. They think differently. They qualify opportunities differently. They navigate pressure differently. Patterns emerge.
Success Leaves Clues.
For the sake of clarity, 97% of brokers, agents and advisors within the world of real estate brokerage are trying to find ideas and options that can help them grow their business. In many cases, they go from running a hobby to building a business. I created Take Flight to help as many people go from the 97% to the top 3%. I call that Top 3% ELPs (Elite Level Producers). Within ELPs, there is the top 10% of ELPs. Let's call them "super achievers". That is the group I was asked the question about.
If you've noticed in my writing, I always create lists of 3, 5, 7, 10 and 15. In this episode, I came up with a list of 10 characteristics of the Super Achievers. This list is not meant to impress you. It is meant to educate you. If you hear yourself in one or two of these characteristics, you are on the path. If you hear yourself in most of them, you are probably already producing at a very high level. If you hear yourself in all of them, then you are operating in rarefied air. You are a Super Achiever.
Let me walk you through each one of the 10 characteristics.
The 10 Characteristics of the Top 10% of the Elite Level Producers
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Something drives them. They often cannot pinpoint the origin of their drive. Many are fueled by recognition or the desire to prove something to themselves or others. It is not always money. It is deeper. It is common for them to operate with unconscious competence. This is the fourth and highest stage of mastery in skill development. It describes the point where a person performs a task at an elite level without having to think about each step. The skill becomes automatic. Their execution feels effortless to others, yet it is built on years of repetition, refinement, and lived experience. This is where many of this group operate.
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They are borderline obsessed with winning. They have learned the fine line between healthy obsession and destructive obsession. They possess a gear that most people do not have.
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They built a powerful network. Ninety percent or more of their business is driven by referrals and repeat business inside their Top 100 and private client lists.
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They care deeply about their clients yet struggle with boundaries. Their empathy is a strength but it becomes a liability without structure and boundaries. Finding that boundary line is one of final steps before 30,000 feet. [30,000 feet is for the final stage of mastery].
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They are risk takers who consistently invest in themselves. Not every investment pays off but they fail forward. They keep placing bets.
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They are High D, High I, or a combination of both on DISC. They naturally default to action, influence, and competitive drive. Most super achievers do not love the details. They have to hire the S's and C's (personality types) to manage the details.
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They know their strengths and own their weaknesses. They hire to their blind spots. They delegate without guilt.
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Their growth often outpaced their structure in many cases. Success arrived before they had the systems to support it. They had to build structure while flying at full speed.
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They often peak later in life. This is an under-discussed pattern in the top one percent. When you hit the 7th inning of your career, for some, urgency kicks in.
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The bigger their brand, the more they must qualify leads. High brand equity attracts unqualified opportunities. They learn to separate true opportunities from consumers who misunderstand the pricing realities in hyper-local markets.
Bonus: In the end, they realize that the basics work every time. As their business grew, they realized the basics just take a little more thought, design and a support system.
Wherever you might be on your journey, remember, it is exactly that: A Journey. If you want something badly enough, "The How" will appear. You need to bring the faith and patience. Which leads me to my next topic I want to discuss with you today. I was told by a listener of this podcast that when they introduce people to Take Flight Weekly they immediately suggest that they start on the January 23, 2023 episode #179, "We've Got a Flight to Catch" which was the first episode of a string of episodes where I taught Take Flight through its different stages using this podcast. It took me the entire year of 2023 to teach it. I've heard others suggest that same strategy as well. With that feedback I’ve decided to go back to that idea and bring all of you an enhanced and elevated version of Take Flight. The goal is to simplify it but elevate it. Take Flight is "The How". It is the operating system you can plug all your courses and self-development into to reach your goals. It's made up of 28 years of my experience in real estate brokerage, 15,000+ hours of personal self-development and 1000's of hours of coaching and training. I've spent those years looking for clues to success. In 2026, you will get my evolved thoughts on how one must build a scalable, enjoyable, and profitable business. If you are an entrepreneur in another industry, the concepts will still apply.
Team, as I mentioned earlier, this is my final episode of 2025. It's time for me to take a brief sabbatical from writing. I will be back with you on January 5th with an Introduction to Take Flight. My suggestion is to take the remainder of this year and really think about your VISION, your goals and if 2026 is that year you go from the 97% to an ELP (Elite Level Producer) or from an ELP to a Super Achiever. Your goals are yours. Winning is meeting your goals, not someone else's goals. Whichever path you choose, it's all hard work. When you see your Vision and meet your goals, you will find the personal reward that goes with the hard work. It is so satisfying.
Thank you. I'm grateful for you and I'll be back with you in 2026.
