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Do you have what it takes? That question is so broad, an accurate answer is hard to come by. However, no matter what your industry of choice, having what it takes to be successful is crucial to career progression. Six Sigma core qualities for success encompass the basics of business and leadership, but also include levels of accreditation. So, if your target is achieving the coveted black belt, let’s look at just what it takes to reach that goal!

Some of the basic core qualities you need to master are as follows:

Business Acumen: You need a solid understanding of basic business concepts, along with technical understand for your industry. The skills are commonly acquired through formal education or years of business industry experience.

Leadership & Communications: These are important to master across any industry. Being able to comfortably lead and effectively communicate with others are skill sets that cannot be ignored or overlooked. These skills are acquired through formal training and experience in an environment where practice occurs.

Discipline & Mindset: These crucial skills cannot be ignored. If you look across any industry, you will find that the best business leaders are laser focused, extremely disciplined and possess exceptional mental toughness. Discipline and mental toughness are like muscles, they must be exercised and tested to build.

Now that you have confidence in the basic skills for success, let’s look at progressing through a Six Sigma career:

White Belt: The first step in your professional development. You will acquire a basic understanding of Six Sigma and Lean. This includes fully understanding the processes of DMAIC. You will gain the skills to be able to reduce resources and waste, while augmenting satisfaction among customers.

Yellow Belt: You will build on your skills as a White Belt. The first step is comprehending and understanding the SIPOC diagram. Then you will learn skills such as Process Mapping, C&E Matrix, effect analysis along Failure Modes, fundamental statistics, introduction to Minitab and developing graphs.

Green Belt: Building off your skills as a White and Yellow Belt, you will then progress through a detailed and comprehensive training that teaches and sharpens your analytical and technical acumen.

Black Belt: The program works off the technical skills of the White, Yellow and Green Belt certifications. These skills and technical tools will then be expanded and developed. This certification will enable you to fully and comfortably practice the Six Sigma methodology. Of course, your next step is to become a Master Black Belt and achieve the pinnacle of your professional development.

Now that we have outlined a basic map to success in Six Sigma and Lean, you have to ask yourself “Do I have what it takes?” To get those answers, go to 6Sigma.us and learn more about the development of a Six Sigma professional.