Tips to Exceed Your Career Aspirations
The foundation of career success is being accountable…to ourselves.
Introduction
Every one of us wants to be successful in our careers. It starts by knowing what we need to do and then holding ourselves accountable for doing it. Sounds simple, right? Well, let’s see.
Developing the knowledge to know what to do.
Before you received your driver’s license, someone or more than one person taught you how to drive. That may have been a parent, sibling or perhaps a driving school. Typically, a student receives instruction in a classroom, where they review driving fundamentals and study their state's laws. Students will take one or more exams to determine their mastery of the subject before advancing to the behind-the-wheel portion. This is what is commonly known as on-the-job training, learning by doing or gaining experience.
When I was in the Air Force, after basic training, I attended technical school at Sheppard AFB, Texas, where I learned the fundamentals of aircraft maintenance. After assignment to my base, Shaw AFB, South Carolina in this case, I attended what was called a Field Training Detachment (FTD). Here, we received specialized training on the RF-4C aircraft in the classroom. We then performed the basic functions, such as changing a wheel and tire assembly or performing an inspection on the actual aircraft, to demonstrate to our instructor such that he knew that we had mastered the material. After graduation from FTD, we were assigned to our squadron where our training continued under experienced technicians. Over the years, we continued to receive training and advanced in our craft.
It was similar when I started work at American Airlines, and this type of training, combined with classroom and actual hands-on work, is common in the trades. It’s a good method and the important thing is that if a person does not understand something, there is a more experienced person to help them to ensure the job is performed in an acceptable manner.
Some jobs include a formal mentoring program. Even if you are not part of a formal mentoring program, you should seek a mentor from someone you know and respect. I discuss this in other areas, but a mentor, typically a senior leader who has agreed to advise and guide you, is invaluable to your career success.
If a person wants to become a salesman, attorney, doctor, financial advisor, waiter, or line cook, there are specific training requirements that students take to become proficient. Most of them include some basic classroom or other type of formal instruction and then training in actually doing the work before going out on their own.
You could go to work somewhere and do a good job and then get into a career advancement program. For example, when I was a teenager, I worked at K-Mart (yes, I know…). It was a great place to work, and if you hustled, you could be accepted into their management training program. I thought seriously of doing this, then realized I did not like dealing with the public and ultimately joined the Air Force.
Then there is the school of hard knocks. You’ve heard of this school, right? They don’t have a formal course plan, don’t issue degrees or have class rings. Students jump in and, often, in the process, receive knocks in the head or other negative feedback to learn what not to do next time. Yeah, many of us have gone to this school. It’s one way of learning, although the consequences along the way could be costly and the path to mastery long. This school often includes numerous, often unrelated jobs that really don’t lead anywhere, and the person doing them is often unaware of what they want to do. I don’t recommend it.
All jobs, to one degree or another, require us to work with others. Some more, some less. To be successful in our careers, we need to learn, just as with technical skills, to work with others. You’ve heard me mention before that the highest-paid jobs in almost all careers are reserved for those who lead people. So where do these skills come from? The answer is that they come in a similar manner as with any other profession, a combination of formal education and on-the-job training (called experience). We can accelerate our training by using other forms of instruction, such as books, videos, seminars, etc., that are on our own time and at our own expense.
The questions we are answering in each case are “What do you want to do?” and “Is my current position a stepping stone to what I ultimately want?” Depending upon how successful you want to be, you may do the minimum required to get by or you may do more, which may include gaining knowledge outside of traditional methods.
At Afterburner Success Partners, we are not content with minimum acceptance performance levels; we want you to excel so you can…Achieve your dreams and live your best life!
And when it comes to excelling in your career, you want all the knowledge you can get.
Tips to exceed your career aspirations
I can’t begin to tell you all you need to know to be successful. I can, and will today, give you a high-level overview of a few items, but it will be up to you to learn more on your own. That is why I have a books and resources section on the website with recommended materials that I have read or used that will help you. These can be used in conjunction with formal education and work experience to help you advance in your career. Tip one on getting ahead is to understand that you will need to do more than the minimum to obtain more than the minimum. Let’s look at this list of tips to excel in your career from Forbes Magazine (Note 1):
1. Don’t allow negative judgment to disrupt your goals (be a positive person)
2. Take ownership, strive to be relevant
3. Work harder and smarter than everyone else
4. Stay away from envious (or negative) people
5. Associate with people who care about you
6. Embrace diverse thought, those who disagree with you. Utilize “Disruptive Innovation”*
7. Use wisdom during times of adversity, be quick to think on your feet
8. Don’t let others’ ignorance mislead you.
9. Dave’s bonus #9: Be a contrarian, swim upstream
I could explain each of these in detail, but I suggest clicking on the link in Note 1 and reading for yourself. I will, however, briefly explain my bonus #9: Be a contrarian, swim upstream.
Have you ever heard of the term disruptive innovation? Disruptive innovation entails taking the current process or status quo, even if it seems to be working, and blowing it up to do something completely different.
Why would a person do this? Perhaps a boss wants to change the direction of the company or department. Perhaps she wants to challenge others to achieve more. Some examples of disruptive innovation include Uber, Amazon, Tesla, Meta, and Google, which either challenged the status quo or invented new markets that did not exist.
Whatever the reason, swimming upstream can be a great way to differentiate yourself from the pack and can propel you to new heights and success.
Warning: Disruptive innovation and swimming upstream are not actions without risk and one has to be careful. One should consider the organizational culture, one's supervisor's appetite for change, and the effect it will have on one's peers. Best to “test the waters” by having discussions with your mentor or boss.
Let me give you a real-life example of what I mean. For many years, I invested in the Fidelity Contrafund mutual fund. The original mission of the fund was to take a contrarian view, investing in out-of-favor stocks. That view has somewhat moderated in recent years.
This fund was established in 1990 and that’s 35 years as of this writing. During that period, Contrafund outperformed both the S&P 500 index and large-cap growth funds (Note 2). These two are typically considered standard bearers of growth funds.
I think you get the point. Being a contrarian can be profitable, but it can also go badly if you are not careful. In my own career, swimming upstream has worked out quite well for me.
I’ve provided a link to a Harvard Business Review article on disruptive innovation in Note 3. You should read and understand this important business technique.
Each of us must find what works for us, and the nine tips, along with the suggested resources available on the Books & Resources tab of the website, provide substantial material to support us. These books and other material confirm what I like to say at Afterburner Success Partners: Little of our material is new, we just present it in a different way. We stand on the shoulders of giants!
There is one final tip I want to leave with you and it’s not part of any formal education program. It’s to learn about, understand, and adapt to the culture of the organization you work for. If you find that you are unable to adopt the organizational culture of your present employer, I might suggest you consider if that is the right place for you to be working. Yes, that’s a big statement. Have you ever heard the little ditty “You can’t fight city hall?” Yes, this is an example of that.
Summary
Before you can do what you need to do to be successful in your career, you need to learn what you need to do. Learning what to do can come in any one of several forms, or better, from a combination of several of them. These include formal education, on-the-job training, experience from just doing, mentoring or school of hard knocks. If you are like me, you started with the school of hard knocks until I figured I needed to do something else, and that’s when I decided to join the Air Force, learn a trade, and complete my formal education at night. Not an easy way to do it, but it worked.
After you learn what you need to do, you just have to do it. Being successful in your career means learning to deal with people and keeping your eyes and ears open. Often, it includes keeping your mouth closed. Gain experience over time, employ the skills you have learned, adapt to and adopt the organizational culture of your employer, and have a plan. Then keep on doing it.
That’s all for this week!
Tips to Exceed Your Career Aspirations
Afterburner Success Partners
http://absuccesspartners.com/
What’s in it for me?
If you want to get ahead in life, you must take meaningful action that follows a proven path. Getting ahead in business is about learning what to do and then doing it over time. Learn the culture, have a mentor, and have a plan.
Call to Action
Just. Do. Something. Make a decision on what you want or need to do, define the path, and get after it. Do it today.
Recommended Resources
See notes below.
Up Next
Brainstorming your professional goals.
Notes
Please note that as an Amazon Affiliate, I may earn a small commission on the sale of any of these recommended resources.
8 Ways to Exceed Your Career Aspirations, Forbes Magazine: https://www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2016/01/19/8-ways-to-exceed-your-career-aspirations/
Morningstar Fidelity Contrafund FCNTX: https://www.morningstar.com/funds/xnas/fcntx/performance
What is Disruptive Innovation? Harvard Business Review: https://hbr.org/2015/12/what-is-disruptive-innovation
Everyday Cooking for Everyday People Like Us, by David Giustozzi: https://amzn.to/437OhVQ
Achieve Your Dreams: A Complete Guide to Live Your Best Life, by David Giustozzi: https://amzn.to/3IxEFgy