Tip of the Week                    

April 25, 2005

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Career Advice – Ten Ways to be a Success at this Joint

1. Respect your boss. This should be a no-brainer, I think.
2. Act like a star at work. Whether you're a technician or a Team Leader, do the things a world-class employee would do, from the way you dress to the way you talk to the way you tackle hard tasks and difficult people. Act like a star and you boost your chances of becoming one.
3. Ask for things to do. Don't wait to be told what to do. Solving problems and taking initiative are the best ways to stand out from the crowd.
4. Learn all you can about our industry. Talk with people in different Teams as well as clients and vendors. Volunteer for conferences or trade shows. Read everything about our business that you can get your hands on. Believe it or not, you won't find everything you need to know on the Source Intranet. Reading contracts, letters, reports, proposals and trade publications will help you become informed on all elements of our business.
5. Do it NOW! Develop a habit of being decisive and taking action - today, rather than tomorrow or next week or "soon." Take a page from the folks at Nike and Just Do It. You'll become known as someone who can be counted on to get the ball rolling and to get the job done. Procrastinating, mulling things over or analyzing issues to death are guaranteed to strand you on the lower rungs of the career ladder.
6. Learn to embrace change. Be prepared to accept new responsibilities, use new technologies and equipment, implement new processes, or work in different Teams at CleanAir. If you're open to change, if you can weather transition and adapt and grow in new situations, you'll move ahead - guaranteed.
7. Maintain high visibility. We can't promote you if we don't know who you are! Today's workplace is plenty competitive, which means you've got to stand out from the crowd to get ahead. Volunteer for high-visibility assignments and projects, write a procedure, work on one of Bill’s blue-sky projects, submit a Tip of the Week!
8. Be accountable. Take responsibility for your actions - your mistakes as well as your successes. When you own up to your errors, you'll gain far more respect than if you blame others. Spread blame, and you'll destroy the trust others place in you. Hide or make continual excuses, and you'll destroy your credibility. Admit your mistakes, find solutions to fix them, and then move on without dwelling on them.
9. Talk more crisply, listen more intently. Most of us think we're good communicators. Alas, few of us are. Keep your utterances under a minute; if possible, under 15 seconds. After 15 seconds, most people start thinking, "I wish he'd finish." And when you're listening, really listen to what your counterpart is saying and how he or she is saying it. Ask follow-up questions. People love to be asked questions.
10. Keep your skills sharp and your knowledge up to date. Lifelong learning is the key to career success in our rapidly changing times, because you're skill sets and knowledge-base become outdated fast...just ask me. Keeping your skills sharp is absolutely crucial, which is why you need to take advantage of training opportunities, learning resources on audio, video and CD, new books in your field, e-learning, websites of professional organizations and more.