From time to time, I get to welcome new hire or intern classes to the company I hang out at. I give the room a bit of an overview of the company, why it is cool to work here and then field questions.
I enjoy greeting the new team members.
Everyone is excited. All are walking in hoping to build a great career, do meaningful work and be successful. I hope I give them the feeling they have landed well and that if they do a good job, they will have a great time here.
A few months ago, a fresh face pulled me to the side afterwards, said that this was his first “adult job” and asked if I had any advice for him on being successful here. As I hurried off to my next appointment, I gave him a few off the cuff ideas but wished I had given him a more thoughtful answer.
After thinking about it, I got back to him and over a cup of coffee I gave him my top 10 things to get right. It sounded something like this…
Nail the job you were hired to do. Take a look at what success looks like in the job you were hired to do. Then crush that. Make it look easy. Even if you are working your ass off outside of hours learning or practicing or just keeping up, be at the top of your game. Pull ahead of the pack by being the best.
Develop a brand. It sounds silly and superficial, but build a brand around yourself. “That guy who is always the first guy in?”. “You mean the lady that is always smiling?”. “The guy with the pocket square?”. “The lady who runs marathons every weekend?”. Create something that people will remember about you. Something that stands out. Perhaps your brand is built around something you do especially excellent. Make it known. Otherwise you will just be one of the nameless new people.
Volunteer for projects. Doers get recognized. People who stay in the shadows don’t. Getting involved in company wide projects exposes you to other teams, other managers and potentially helps you learn new skills. Get involved.
Figure out the next job you want at the company and start laying the groundwork early.You hired in as an inside sales rep? You want to be an outside sales rep? Take a few of the outside reps out for coffee and ask them how they got to be where they are. Signal that you would like to start working on the skills required to get outside sales roles. Educate yourself. Do the work. Be ready for the opportunity when it presents itself.
Build, then guard your reputation. Deliver results on time and of high quality. Tell the truth. Be reliable. Don’t be a jerk. Don’t do anything you would not feel comfortable standing up and telling your family about at Thanksgiving dinner. Do this consistently. Do this forever. Don’t cluck it up.
Keep learning. 99% of the people around you are not going to read business books, trade rags or attend webinars where they learn new ideas, new ways or new skills. You will rise to the top with the knowledge you gain. Turn off the TV for 30 minutes and educate yourself daily. 30 minutes a day is 182 hours a year…a work month of education. That will make big difference, especially when most of the people around you won’t do that.
Volunteer to take the toughest jobs whenever you can. No one else will do them. If you turn around a tough situation, you will be a hero. “Wow, Bob took a sh*t territory and is now our number one rep!” Work hard. Even if you fail or get mediocre results it will slide off of you like Teflon. The inside talk track will be “Man, Bob sure gave it the college try in our crappiest market and did everything we asked. He did a bit better than folks in the past. Lets see what he does with the better territory. Well done.”
Find mentors in the organization at various levels and departments. One of the fastest ways newbies can learn and advance is by aligning with top performers all over the company. Knowledge and advice will flow to you. Those who hang with lions are assumed to be lions. Well placed managerial mentors can also Sherpa you up the career ladder by recommending you for key roles.
Don’t burn bridges. I see so many talented people who waste their potential by not playing well with others. One of the things I hear during employee 360 reviews is “Katie is awesome, but she has a reputation for being hard to work with outside of her department.” Or “Chuck is an awesome sales rep, but he constantly goes off on people in the implementation group.” Bridges around a company, once burned are hard to rebuild.
Don’t stay too long in the role you were hired to do. If you want to build a great career, your company is growing and you are in a great market or industry, I would recommend an “Up or Out” motto after three years. If you have not been promoted or asked to take more responsibility after three years and see others getting the opportunity, you have likely missed the boat somehow.
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