Confirm your facts and don’t spread rumors. This is a solid way to live your life and advance in your career, no matter who you are or what you do. Today, most of us are way to quick to like, share, retweet…a piece of information without asking ourselves whether it is true and where does the source come from. Think for yourself, do your own research (especially on larger things that matter to you and those around you) and be mindful about your actions.
In short, don’t make negative comments or spread rumors about anyone (especially if you haven’t told them what you think, in person) as it depreciates both yours and their credibility.
Keep asking questions as they will enable you to continue learning while contributing to the process at the same time. Don’t be someone who sits in meetings and doesn’t contribute with ideas, thoughts and experiences as that is a sure way to become irrelevant and overlooked when major projects and initiatives come around. As someone who wants to grow, learn and advance, you want to be involved at the highest levels by providing value to all you come in contact with. Asking questions is one of those (very effective) ways.
Share your thoughts, ideas and experiences. Don’t hoard them for yourself, as there’s nothing wrong with enabling others to succeed as well. There’s plenty for us all, so what you can’t or don’t want to do, share freely as it might help someone else.
“Power is gained by sharing knowledge, not hoarding it” – Unknown
Build a great team. Surround yourself with the best people you can find, attract and retain. If you are good (ideally great) at what you do, you want people who are amazing at what they do, preferably, in areas that are not your strengths. Furthermore, don’t simply post a job description on your website and wait for applicants. Instead, leverage your networks and go out proactively and recruit the best people you can get. Build a great team, one person at a time and do it intentionally and proactively. Your success and the success of the entire organization, depends on them, so act intentionally and thoughtfully.
Plan ahead, but live in the moment. Don’t allow today to be wasted because you are daydreaming about next week, month, year or even a decade. Always have long-term plans and goals, but work hard each day to get that much closer to those goals. Make progress one day at a time, patiently, yet efficiently and effectively.
You get what you tolerate, in life and in business. If you attract and retain mediocre players and contributors, you are going to end up with mediocre results, outcomes and performance. This is also applicable to your individual careers as you have the final say on where you are and where you continue to be. If you have decided to stay in a place without leadership, vision and growth opportunities, this is your choice and a decision after all and it is important to be aware of it. Don’t blame others, own your life and career.
Who you hire matters, a lot! It is essential to surround yourself with honest people who will always tell you the truth, instead with those who will simply nod their heads in “agreement” with everything you might say. You want the truth, you want to learn from others as well and do what’s best for the organization overall, not only a number of select individual careers.
Knowing how to present, negotiate and sell are critical skills for your overall success. Even if you are not in “sales” you should know how to sell your ideas, plans, products, services and so on. This also applies to yourself as you navigate your career and look for new opportunities.
Furthermore, quality of a product or a service is essential, but don’t ever underestimate the need to know how to effectively sell that product or a service as it will make a huge difference.
Ask for help. As you are tying to grow, advance, get promoted or build a business it is important to use the opportunities to learn from others who may be further along in the process. Ask for help, ask multiple people and in due time, one of them (at the very least) will be glad to help you make progress.
