44-year-old CEO: This No. 1 trait separates the best employees from most other people—'I didn't get here' without it

CNBC

2 days ago

A certain type of employee stands out from their peers, says Klutch Sports founder and CEO Rich Paul: someone who believes there's no limit to what they can do.
Employees who are open to trying new projects at work — or who always raise their hand for opportunities, even if they've never done them before — are more likely to be noticed and rewarded by bosses, says Paul, who gained public recognition as NBA superstar LeBron James' agent and founded his sports agency in 2012.
That's especially true for early career professionals and recent grads, Paul tells CNBC Make It.
"Try to learn as much as you possibly can and have as much range as you possibly can," says Paul, who also hosts a class on MasterClass called "The Dealmaker's Mindset" that released on June 9th. "There's so much to do. You should never be [bored at] work."Paul learned this lesson firsthand, he added. Before becoming a sports agent, the Cleveland-native hustled to make ends meet. As a kid, he made money playing dice in the neighborhood. He worked at his dad's convenience store, where he learned about entrepreneurship, and built a local clothes-ironing business, he told "The Tim Ferriss Show" in October 2023.
At age 21, Paul was running a jersey resale business — sometimes selling out of the trunk of his car — when he met James at an airport and struck up a friendship, he told The New York Times in October 2023. He worked as James' unofficial assistant for about five years before landing a role at Creative Artists Agency, one of the world's most well-known talent agency businesses, working under James' then-agent Leon Rose.
After about four years at Creative Artists Agency, Paul founded Klutch Sports Group in 2012. His company now represents athletes including James, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson.
"I didn't get here because I wanted to be a sports agent. Actually, that was the furthest thing from my mind," says Paul. "But I got here [by] not being complacent and understanding that I have no limitations in terms of my capabilities, and I can start in any role that I'm being asked to play."
You can show your ambition at work by simply telling your boss that you're interested taking on new, challenging or exciting projects, says Jenny Wood, a bestselling author and former Google executive.
"Agreeing to take notes for every team meeting or showing up early to help decorate for an office party," may not get you the promotion or raise you're looking for, Wood said in December. But "raising your hand to increase a given metric by 20% or volunteering to help drive a reorg and present it to leadership" can make you more successful, she said.
If want to do a job you've never done before, you can tell your boss about your curiosity and eagerness to learn. Executives from Bill Gates to Mark Cuban say inquisitiveness is crucial to success, especially in the age of AI.
"I can pretend that I'm gonna be able to predict where AI's going and the exact impact on the job market, but I'd be lying, I have no idea," Cuban said in October. "But I do know that I am gonna pay attention, and be agile, and be curious, and be able to adapt."