It's fun to talk to people about their company and what they do in their job.  But if you really want to see their eyes light up, talk to them about their career! The most engaged conversations I've ever had involved helping someone get promoted, think through how they approach their career, or navigate a critical decision in their life. Success in any career involves looking inside of you first, then look externally. Below are 10 insights I've learned that enable people to get the most out of their career. 

1.    Think like an owner. We make hundreds of decisions every week in our jobs. If you made every decision like you owned the business how might this change your decisions? 

2.    Initiate things. Every organization has opportunities to improve. New technologies, changes in the market conditions, or changes in the organization itself all present opportunities for someone to step up with a new idea to improve things. Be that person.

Pro-Tip: Seek to truly understand what matters most to the organization - what are the goals and priorities that really move the needle and how can you get involved in changing them for the better? You can work incredibly hard on something only to realize later that it doesn't move the needle on the biggest challenges and opportunities facing the firm.

3.    Develop emotional intelligence. Change often comes with disagreements and sometimes those disagreements evolve into conflict. It takes a mature person to hold these conflicts in mind and navigate through them to the best outcomes. Practice pausing before speaking or acting, and make sure any action you do is aligned with your values, and that your next action is positive and constructive. 

4.    Practice rapid mastery. When you are thrust into a new environment or change is upon you, be a quick study and start to deliver value as fast as you can. This doesn't mean start talking or giving directions, but it does mean take some actions that will propel you and the organization forward in a timely manner. 

5.    Invest in your learning. Be curious, ask questions, and commit to learning throughout your lifetime. You won't regret it. Make it a state of mind. Podcasts, social media, books, conferences, coaches, mentors, and on and on. Maybe you go back for an MBA, maybe you change jobs to expand your experience base. The learning opportunity is endless. 

Pro-Tip: Seeking feedback on our own performance is a part of lifelong learning as well. Stay humble, stay open to learning new things, even about yourself no matter what stage your career is in.

6.    Work hard. Dedicate yourself to the cause, whatever the cause is. If you don't think you are involved in a cause that is worthy, find a cause worthy to sink your life into.

7. Know your company’s priorities.  If your firm is struggling in one area, offer support.  Twice in my career I offered creative and market-based proposals to resolve a poor performing product line situation.  In both situations, I was offered a promotion to take on the problem, with one of the cases being a very complex global challenge. 

8. Prepare for your departure ahead of time.  Make your successor's life easy by planning for giving them the benefit of your experience via a file, a binder, or some other collection of helpful information. 

Pro-tip: Be prepared to hand off your role to a successor, and don’t work yourself into a position where you are the only person in the firm who can possibly do the job, because if you are then people will not be too interested in promoting you.

9. Be flexible.  Maybe a new job you are offered isn’t exactly what you had in mind.  Maybe the timing is wrong, or the job fit isn’t exactly what you wanted.  Or it’s a lateral job that may require you to work 1 or 2 years to broaden your foundation before setting you up for a series of promotions.  Think broadly about your opportunities, and always be working toward a brighter future. 

10. Have a little faith, and patience.  Sometimes we don’t always have full visibility to how people are advocating for us.  Sometimes there are complex factors involved in getting you the promotion you deserve.  Work with your boss, your company, and your team to focus on delivering high value, while you undergo the process of being evaluated for a promotion. 

Have a specific question?       E-mail Tony at [email protected] 

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