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10 tips to improve your career
It often seems like you don't have
much say about events in your hectic life. But when it comes to
your career, there are some areas you can control.
Here are 10 things you can do to
help you meet your professional goals:
1. Make a 10-year plan
Then break it down. What 10 things need to happen for your
10-year plan? Do the first thing this year. The 10-year plan takes
more than 10 minutes to make. It might even require a few sessions
with a career coach. But if you don't form a path for the next 10
years, you will go exactly where you plan to go: nowhere.
2. Find a mentor
You can get to the top a lot faster if someone is helping you.
Lucky for you, people love to help, as long as you take their advice.
So find a mentor. Explain your goals, and ask for advice on how
to get there. Take her out to lunch at nice restaurants -- it's
a tax deduction. (A boss is not a mentor. A boss is the person your
mentor helps you to impress.)
3. Get seven hours of sleep a night
Studies show that sleep deprivation has the same effect on
your brain as alcohol. If you're getting four hours of sleep a night
you are no better than an alcoholic at work. Your thinking is slow,
your patience is low and your co-workers know you have no control
over your life. A good manager can manage everything well. Start
with yourself.
4. Hire someone you'd never hang out with
Diversity is a proven factor in corporate success. If you want
your team to stand out in terms of productivity, you need to hire
a diverse team. Diversity isn't five guys from five different fraternities.
Diversity is hiring someone who scares you because she sees things
so differently than you do and she will challenge you.
5. Take a public speaking lesson
You might say, "I don't have to give speeches." But
every day you talk to people at work, you display your public speaking
skills. You use tone, gestures, posture and eye contact -- all the
things a public speaker uses -- to convey your message. I'm sure
you could be doing it better, so get lessons before you get your
one chance to impress the CEO.
6. Exercise regularly
People who work out earn more money. There are many reasons
for this correlation: Good-looking people make more money and people
who work out look better. People with self-discipline make more
money, and people who work out have self-discipline. Maybe you think
the correlation is unfair, but it is true. So ponder the unfairness
in the weight room.
7. Get yourself on projects that matter
Your resume is going to suck if your projects suck. Your resume
is a place to brag about how much you improved the company's bottom
line. If you never get the chance to impact the bottom line, you
will never get the chance to move to the next level. So figure out
which projects matter to the company, and tell your boss why you
should be on them. Weasel out of projects that don't matter. After
all, if they don't matter, why does anyone have to do them?
8. Be on time
This means being a hair early because no one can make it on
the dot every time. Hand in proposals to your boss early and you'll
look like you can handle more responsibility. Get to your co-worker's
meeting early and he'll think you really respect him. Get to your
kid's weekday soccer game early, and she'll know she's more important
than your work.
9. Do lunch
Ask someone to lunch once a week. And I don't mean your best
friend so that you can bitch about your boss. Use this time to network.
There's nothing like lunch to get to know someone, and the best
way to get what you want at the office is to be friends with people.
Ask your boss to lunch and don't talk about work. You want your
boss to like you on a personal level, so she has to know you on
a personal level. Ask the person who never gets asked to lunch.
He'll never forget your kindness.
10. Get a life
People who succeed in business know the world and know themselves.
They are well rounded. Make a friend outside of your work specialty.
Make another. Spend so much energy on your family that your parents
really believe you will call when you say you will. Read nonfiction
to learn what people regret. Read fiction to find out what's possible.
Use your spare time to dream.
-- Updated: May 21, 2003
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