S-drive is a non-profit organization dedicated to the personal and professional development of young professionals through networking, philanthropy and community engagement.
.jpg)
Since launching in 2009, S-drive has connected over 500 driven young professionals at over 30 social, professional development and philanthropic event, while raising $20,000+ for worthy causes such as the Haiti Relief Fund, the Steve Nash Foundation, Bloorview Kids Rehab, KidSport Ontario, and Right to Play.
Do you love your job? Do you feel as though you’ve got a crystal clear path forward? If not, you are not alone.
Your early career is a tumultuous time with many ups, downs, and roundabouts. There is no one clear path, nor is there a silver bullet to success; however, there a few tips and tricks that can help you navigate the first few years. Based on hundreds of interviews, research into the leading viewpoints of success gurus, and personal experiences I propose 10 tips to help you in your early career that have been cherry-picked from my book Hitting Stryde.
1) Demand a day of passion
Life is too short to do something that doesn’t bring out your best. If you don’t love your job or what it enables you to do then you’ve got to ask yourself some tough questions. Not every day will be the best of your life, but if you wake up too many days in a row and aren’t passionate about what you have to do then you’ve got to make some changes.
2) Wake-up early and fill your day
A very key theme I’ve come to appreciate with the most successful senior leaders I’ve met: they all get up early and start their day on purpose. No matter how busy your days get, if you can get up an extra 30 or 60 minutes and you’ve just invented your 25th hour. With a bit of discipline this habit will change your life. Invest this time into you and planning for your future.
3) Set your goals
It’s easy to say and it’s actually quite easy to do. The simple task of taking a few hours to write down your SMART goals will enable you to give your pursuits direction and a deadline. It’s important to write these goals down and to share them with a close friend. Then book in a reoccurring meeting weekly with yourself to check-in on these goals. Go ahead, do it today!
4) Find a mentor
You can’t do it alone and the advice of an experienced mentor can change your life. A mentor is someone you respect and look up to because of their success and approach to life. You are in the driver’s seat and it’s up to you to set the agenda and follow-up on how you are progressing.
5) Find the white space
Simply checking the boxes is good, but it will never help you accelerate beyond your peers. No matter what level you are at in your career or company it is important to look for the ‘white space’ where your company or division could grow. Research that space, propose new ideas within that space, help define that space and you will set yourself apart from your peers (and perhaps some of your superiors!)
6) Pick a Major and a Minor
As you build your career it’s important to become a master at a select few things. Avoid the generalist trap and declare your major. Spike into a content or function area that allows you to build a brand as a master of this domain. Read deeply, go to conferences, and share your knowledge. People will respect you for it.
7) Seek Feedback
You can always get better and you probably think you are better than you are. Don’t wait for year-end feedback. Instead seek it weekly from your peers and boss. It can be informally over a walk to get a coffee or administered through a quick survey. Be selfish here and ask tough questions that help you improve. Regardless of how well you are doing you can always find ways to improve and it’s important for you to take charge on this – no one else cares as much about your career as you do.
8) Get great at filtering
As we grow up in a knowledge economy our value is increasingly demonstrated in our ability to find and filter information. More content is generated daily than every before in history. It’s not so important that we memorize specific facts (at times it is), but rather it’s important to know where to find information. Your ability to read vast amounts and synthesize is both a skill and an asset as you move up within your career.
9) Be a great friend
Getting to the top of any organization or team is usually a fairly lonely experience. Some of the most successful people we’ve interviewed commented that their strength and support came from a very small, but close ground of friends. Friendship is not about quantity, rather quality. So as we get busier and busier reflect on how much time and energy you are putting into the friendships and relationships that you want to have for a lifetime. Invest in these people as their friendship is worth their weight in gold.
10) Say thank you
When was the last time someone went out of their way to thank you for something big or small that you did for them? You most likely can’t recall it happening and if it did you probably really appreciated it. Take time every week, if not everyday, to drop a note to someone in your life to tell them you appreciate them. It will instantly turn your day around and most likely make theirs!
So in that vein…thank you for making it all the way through this post. My hope is that you can pull some nuggets of inspiration from it. In my book, Hitting Stryde we share an additional 100 other career short cuts in more detail.
Stryde is a social organization aiming to unleash the potential of young leaders as they transition into their career. Hitting Stryde is co-authored by Daneal Charney and David Singh.
Comments (0)