Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You’re off to Great Places!
You’re off and away!
Oh, the places you’ll go…or will you? Where do you fit in our checklist for success? Here’s how to tell you are going places….
You Go Above and Beyond Your Scope of Work
People who are going places don’t just do their job, they stand out. They may take on additional work projects and make extra efforts to learn about other areas of the company that fall beyond their job description. Going beyond your scope of work does not necessarily mean more work. One Toronto YP peer quickly caught the attention of higher ups when each day she would email a link to a relevant news or general interest story to coworkers, which was in some way related to their industry. Going above and beyond does not have to be job related, either. Take the initiative to arrange a charity food drive, a social outing after work or the annual summer party.
You’re Full of Ideas
Your mind does not sit idle for long and you are constantly producing ideas to fill a need for something, make things more efficient or enrich an existing idea or initiative. This type of person doesn’t accept everything for what it is and is always scheming to move beyond the status quo. Whether your ideas ever materialize or not, at least your creative juices are flowing and you have ideas in the first place.
You’re First to Arrive and Last to Leave
The most seasoned and successful figures in business often speak of working through the weekends as young adults as their peers partied and slept, or missed the opportunities to date during their 20s because they often spent dinner at his or her desk, working away to either develop a business or to exceed expectations and requirements in an existing job. Although this may seem torturous to some, the payoff is great, especially when the lost time is made up for with early retirement or the eventual ability to make your own schedule.
You’re Involved in Extra-Curricular Clubs and Organizations
Involvement in things like sports teams or charity committees is beneficial for more reasons than doing your body and mind good. It allows you to expand your social and professional network and gets your face “out there.” Young professional lives are hectic and if you are able to adjust your schedule to accommodate weekly sports games or charity meetings, you will be seen as a balanced person. Not only that, you will be surrounded by balanced people who likely have valuable networks or jobs that may be of benefit to you both.
You Have a Mentor
The best way to learn is to have a mentor whose life and career serve as an aspiration for the type of person you would one day like to be. Many successful business ventures are the product of past trial and error, and a mentor provides the opportunity to learn from their mistakes, successes and failures. Having a mentor can refine skills essential to making a mark in the career world, such as increased confidence, increased productivity, increased motivation and accountability and development of your professional network.
You Continue to Further Your Skill Set
The most successful people never stop learning and improving themselves as assets in their field. This can range from going back to school to complete an MBA or taking a course at a local college on evenings and weekends to attending conferences and other industry events, and even picking the brain of an intern or junior on the up-and-coming industry trends they have just been taught in school.
So…
Be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O’Shea,
you’re off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So…get on your way!