Oh, that office superstar -- so perfect, so smart, so in the right place at the right time. And, chances are, so nice you can't even hate him. Or her.

But instead of turning another shade of green, take a moment to think about your own career. Because even celestial outcasts may have star potential.

"Stars are not born, they're made," said Robert Kelley, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University's Graduate School of Industrial Management and author of "How to Be a Star at Work." Kelley has spent the past 10 years studying the matter. No, the star probably doesn't have a higher IQ, didn't get ahead by being a clean-desk person, isn't necessarily more ambitious and almost certainly isn't sleeping with the boss.

So what does make the difference? We asked insiders in three fields to tell us what they consider to be star behavior. Take a look below to see what they said.

Engineering Angles

McLaughlin said in his eyes, stars are low-maintenance employees -- the kind who require little handholding during a project. "If we go back to a client three, four or five times to tell them we need more money [and time] to study their problem, they will not keep us," said McLaughlin, whose company provides consulting on such projects as landfills.

McLaughlin recalled one high-maintenance engineer with horror. "He needed to understand every excruciating detail not only about his own team's project but everyone else's. He's now self-employed."

The ability to get answers on your own, and get them quickly, is one thing that separates the stars from the average performers. When Kelley first started his research, he was studying the engineers and scientists at Bell Labs. The managers there wanted to know why some engineers outperformed others if everyone they hired was the best and brightest. The answer, Kelley said, was "knowledge networks."

Crunch these numbers: The average worker takes half a day to find information that a star can get in one hour, Kelley said, adding that "stars get accurate information the first time."

Before you start collecting phone numbers, take note: A star doesn't just know whom to call. You probably know that as well. But a star's calls are returned -- and returned first. Why? Stars realize that knowledge networks are an economy based on trade, Kelley said. Your fast-track colleague has something to offer, whether in expertise or simply enjoyable conversation. But he never asks for help without returning the favor sometime.

If you're new to a situation, do your homework. As the newest node on the information loop, you're held to a higher standard and won't be forgiven for asking a naive question. Remember, Kelley said, "if you get cut out of the network, you can never be a star."

Closing Encounters

Any super-salesperson, when asked, can probably tell you exactly how many phone calls it takes to close one deal.

McCormick suggests sitting down with your manager and working backward from your sales goal to determine what steps you need to take to reach it. Then make sure to do each step. If you decide you need to make 50 phone calls on Thursday to have a sale by Monday, don't stop at 49. "Sales is very quantitative," McCormick said.

McCormick also suggests carefully watching top performers. For example, does their contact management software remind them when to follow up with a lead while yours simply acts as a phone book?

Observing top performers is more productive than asking them how they succeed. Like violin virtuosos, stars usually can't name what makes them shine and may attribute their luster to irrelevant factors.

Sales is one of the few fields in which superstardom may not be based on work habits, McCormick said. Once you've determined that you are covering the basics, he said, start comparing your sales territory to a top performer's. It could be that there are more potential customers in the top performer's area.

Or maybe the company's top customers are in that territory, unfairly tipping the balance.

If external circumstances are hindering your liftoff, approach your manager carefully. For example, maybe those two big clients have so many needs that they're using another company to handle the overflow. Point this out to your manager, then suggest assigning two reps to the client. That way, McCormick said, "it's not 'woe is me,' but how do we make the department better and grow the company."

On Camera and Off

Too often, he said, people enter TV journalism hoping to be celebrities. Ironically, those people rarely become superstars. The viewers can see right through someone who doesn't have substance, he said. Sure, it helps to have a shtick. "Sam Donaldson has a unique shtick," said Cesno, who has worked with Donaldson. "He's aggressive, he's in your face, but he's smart. ... There are plenty of people who only have the shtick."

One myth about television, Cesno said, is that one story can make a career. More important, he says, "What have you done for me lately, what is today's story?" Cesno said he often hires people from print journalism because they usually can be taught to do television reporting. What he looks for is those journalists who constantly break stories and who know how to tell a story in a way that draws in the audience.

Of course in television, said Laureen Ong, vice president and general manager of WTTG (Channel 5) in Washington, face time is important. But it's not air time she is talking about.

"I remember the people who come by and see me," she said.

Questions about getting ahead? E-mail Sarah Schafer.