Great leaders spend years honing their skills. They become adept observers of human behavior. They learn along the way by watching other leaders fail as well as succeed. The process is one of trial and error, formalized training and growing maturity over time – in other words, one of evolution.
One of my very first positions was in the retail industry. I thought I had been a loyal employee working long hours, signing up for double shifts, using my breaks to gauge inventory, balance the books, and volunteer for any miscellaneous chores.
I board a plane and am sitting in seat C. A gentleman approaches me, points and states “Seat C, that’s mine!” I simply pull out my boarding pass hold it up to him and he embarrassingly mumbles and files into his seat. His seat is D. Perhaps this was a genuine mistake on his part…
Clients often ask how to advance within an organization. They look around and try to figure out the magic formula.
I approach this topic both from a personal and professional vantage point. Introverts have always been advised they require greater energy: greater energy to connect, to paint their vision, to communicate their ask and to sell their strategic plan.
Straights A’s, graduated cum laude and raised $125,000 dollars for a major not for profit organization despite grueling 70 hour work weeks. Reduced expenses by 8% and increased profit margins by 2 percent, no small feat.
My clients often ask what the appropriate time period is to start positioning themselves for a new role. It’s always fascinating to look at the timing of this question. On average, employees start to think about and generally explore their future career path at the 10-month to one year mark.
Whether you like it or not, your boss has a lot of power. Power to make a difference, power to advance your career. Our mid-year reviews and annual performance appraisals provide key data points regarding how we’re tracking performance. These are the obvious or traditional metrics.
Men and women communicate differently. We all know this. Both genders have been known to be frustrated by these differences. We do though share one true objective when we speak, and that is to be heard.
Are you motivated by challenges and seek growth and fulfillment or do you just go to work to collect a paycheck?
