Promote Career Success

Spring is coming. Don't be fooled by thinking career success will automatically happen without input on your part. Career success needs to be cultivated and attended to daily. Here are some things to do every day to make sure you are promoting career success:

• Plan for your advancement by writing down your goals.
• Maintain a positive attitude.
• Do something every day to add value to your company. This can be as simple as doing the best job you can do each day.
• Do more than required.
• Look for solutions to problems.
• Maintain a professional demeanor.
• Be a results-oriented employee.
• Make yourself valuable to your boss.
• Hone your leadership skills.
• Ask your boss to evaluate your work and provide feedback.
• Ask if there is anything else you can do be valuable to your boss.
• Steer clear of gossips and troublemakers.
• Get along with everyone in the workplace.

By maintaining a "success" mindset, you can steer your career in the right direction. What steps have you taken to ensure your career success?

Choose a Mentor Who Will Help You Succeed in Your Career

If possible, find a mentor who is willing to teach you what you need to know and do in order to attain your goal(s). This mentor should be someone who has the character traits you admire and who is in a position you aspire to hold or is doing what you hope to do. He or she should give you straightforward information and honest, positive critiques. You don’t want someone who says, “Yes, you are wonderful,” without providing proper guidance and criticism that will mold you into the person you hope to be.

How do you find a mentor? 

• Network, network, network. You have to put yourself out there and ask for help. Most people are willing to help others
• Join groups and seek successful members.
• Observe others in the workplace. Who would be the best person from which to learn?
•  Take a class, get a tutor, or hire a coach.

Your mentor should be an expert in the area in which you want to learn. In addition, he/she should be able to teach; that is, get information across in an easy-to-understand way. Some people are experts in their fields, but they cannot convey information to others clearly.

Modeling successful people who have achieved what you want provides a readymade road map to reach your goals.

2013 Career Assessment and Setting 2014 Career Goals

Where did 2013 go? I mean literally where did it go? How did you spend your time in 2013 while on the job? Did you:

• Contribute to the best of your ability?
• Manage your time and keep yourself organized?
• Value learning and embrace new technology?
• Perform each task with efficiency and in a timely manner?
• Make yourself stand out in a positive way?
• Connect positively with the boss, coworkers, and customers?
• Accomplish everything you set out to do career wise?
• Advance appropriately on the job?

Your answers to the above questions can help you prepare for a stellar 2014 career.  As we head into the new year, I will be blogging about making yourself indispensable at work—giving yourself that edge over the competition and earning a rewarding career.

Evaluating and Keeping in Balance

As summer winds down, it’s time to reap what has been sown for the season. Did you accomplish what you wanted? Think of what you have been reaping with your goals, plans, ideas, and daily activities. Have they been moving you closer to your hopes, dreams, and aspirations? Now is the time to take a look at your harvest and separate the good from the bad. Keep what is working and amend or get rid of what isn’t with an eye always on that future goal/dream.

Don’t forget to find time for the things that are important to you as well as those that are necessary. Attend to that part of you that likes to be nurtured by reading, writing, meditating, visiting friends or relatives, and so forth. Only when we have balance in our lives can we achieve our best. Balance is best attained by attending to our physical, mental, and spiritual selves.

Meet Deadlines - Increase Your Efficiency

Meeting deadlines is a workplace priority. Here are some tips on meeting deadlines and sticking to those busy schedules.

• Prioritize. No one has time to do everything he or she would like to accomplish in a limited amo9unt of time, so it is necessary to arrange a to-do list according to one’s priorities.
• Work on one task at a time until it is finished if possible. Switching from one task to another causes a lull in productivity. The mind has to re-familiarize itself with each task when switching.
• Eliminate distractions. This includes internal and external distractions.
• Work efficiently. Is there a better way to do a task than the way you have always done it? Can you prepare in some way before beginning the task?
• Make decisions quickly. Explore all options and commit to a plausible action to resolve the problem.
• Develop your skills and keep up with technology that will help you complete tasks.
• Just do what needs to be done.

 Taking the initiative, working efficiently, and doing everything necessary to meet deadlines will pay off in a big way.

Spring Forward in Your Career

With the arrival of spring and new growth all around us, it seems a good time to reflect on ways we can grow and spring forward in the workplace. Here are some quick tips to help you climb the corporate ladder:

• Clearly define your career ambitions.
• Ask yourself if you are ready and willing to accept the responsibilities that go with the position you hope to attain.
• Learn all you can about what it takes to advance in your company.
• Emulate the people in the position you would like to attain.
• Find a mentor in the type of position you desire.
• Develop a plan of action that will lead you to the position you desire.
• Know the criteria your supervisor uses to evaluate your performance.
• Master the tasks you are given and look for ways to do them more efficiently.
• Follow through on all tasks and keep your word.
• Keep a record of your accomplishments.
• Learn something new each week.
• Practice excellent time management, organization, and customer relations skills.
• Dress and act like a professional.