One of my favorite questions to ask successful professionals is, “What is one thing you know now that you wish you had known earlier in your career?” (For me, it’s learning to reach out for help when difficult situations arise, rather than thinking I have to solve everything myself.)
Surround Yourself With an Awesome Team
‘”Building a team that brings you solutions instead of challenges, listening to and collaborating with them—that ultimately prioritizes your focus on issues where you can have the most impact, not just scratch items off the to do list,” [Cathy] Engelbert [CEO of Deloitte] tells Glassdoor. ‘To me, productivity is directly related to the personal relationships you are able to build.’” — Read more at Glassdoor.com.
Not Everyone Has to Be Your Cheerleader
“In a LinkedIn article about the best advice she ever received, motivational speaker, author, and CNBC host Suze Orman wrote, ‘A wise teacher from India shared this insight: The elephant keeps walking as the dogs keep barking. The sad fact is that we all have to navigate our way around the dogs in our career: external critics, competitors, horrible bosses, or colleagues who undermine. Based on my experience, I would advise you to prepare for the yapping to increase along with your success.’” — Read more at Business Insider.
Don’t Leave a Good Company Because of a Bad Boss
“Even amid chaos, there are bright spots. This is why I was so grateful for my friend’s advice. She reminded me to take stock of the many things I loved about our company. And great co-workers topped the list! I knew that others were working just as hard as I was to make the company successful. I had opportunities to learn and grow that peers at other companies would never have. Professionally and financially, the future was bright. I wasn’t ready to leave all that because of one bad leader.” — Read more at Forbes.com.
Success Takes Time
“There’s no such thing as overnight success. That’s my concern with a show like American Idol. It encourages the false belief that there’s a kind of magic, that you can be ‘discovered.’ That may be the way television works, but it’s not the way the world works. Rising to the top of any field requires an enormous amount of dedication, focus, drive, talent, and 99 factors that they don’t show on television. It’s not simply about being picked. Which, by the way, is why very few of the anointed winners on American Idol have gone on to true success. Most have flamed out and gone away. That should tell us something.” [Malcolm Gladwell, author] — Read more at The Job Network.
Don’t Just Follow Someone Else’s Path; Forge Your Own
“Don Maruska, master certified coach and author of How Great Decisions Get Made and Take Charge of Your Talent, says you should write your own story for success. ‘Be clear about your hopes. What are your hopes? Why are they important to you? These questions sound simple, but they are profoundly powerful. Too often, people focus on the hottest jobs, how to get ahead, and what others are doing to succeed. In short, they play off of other people’s scripts for success rather than write their own talent story.’” — Read more at CheatSheet.com.
You’ve read some great career advice; now it’s your turn! Please share your best career advice on Twitter or in the comments below.
Lindsey Pollak is the leading expert on millennials and the multigenerational workplace, trusted by global companies, universities and the world’s top media outlets. A New York Times bestselling author and keynote speaker, Lindsey began her career as a dorm RA in college and has been mentoring millennials — and explaining them to other generations — ever since. Her presentations have audiences so engaged that, in the words of one attendee, “I didn’t check my phone once!” Contact Lindsey to discuss a speaking engagement for your organization.
