6 Things I Wish I Knew at the Start of my Career

When I was 18, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, entering college I thought a good idea of what my future would look like. Major in business. Specialize in finance. Conquer the world. When I entered the professional workforce at 22, I thought I had a pretty good idea of what my professional track would be. Get a job. Get promoted. Conquer the world. Everything was calculated and measured, and yet when I look back on it now, my roadmap to success seems pretty laughable. Fortunately, I am nothing if not adaptable. Approximately a decade later, I have truly experienced and learned the truth behind those innocuous bits of well-intended career advice that everyone threw around and the quotable quotes I read from successful people. So, here are a few that I have reinterpreted and learned over the years.

1. Leadership is not just a trait, it's a skill. Like all skills, one must learn, then refine them through practice. If you truly want to develop into a leader, then acquire the skill like you would any other. Read voraciously on the topic, ask others to mentor you on this specific area, consciously practice this skill and then reflect on what you did and didn't do well. If someone told you today that you were now responsible for flying the company plane, wouldn't you want to learn the skill before taking to the air?
2. Seek specific opportunities that advance your knowledge/skills. Not every opportunity is created equal. Don't volunteer for every discretionary project that your supervisor throws into the pool. Intentionally pursue opportunities that will advance a specific skill or knowledge that you lack. Leading a project? Ask yourself how elements of this project will elevate your skill sets. Weak at public speaking? Ask for an opportunity where you have to communicate information to a small group. Of course, don't just wing it - when given an opportunity, prepare for the moment of execution.
3. Don't survive. Thrive. The days of "getting by" no longer apply. It seems obvious, but let it be said: if you're not moving forward, you're moving backwards. Are you getting "satisfactory" on the last several performance reviews? Can you do your job on cruise control without much deviation or challenge? Be careful, the next crop of bright-eyeds would love your job. Even if you're not seeking career advancement to another position, seek career enhancement in your current one. How can you do your job better and different? What can you learn? What can you teach?
4. People. Product. Process. In any professional arena, a weakness in one equates to a poor business outcome. If your workplace is off kilter, signs of trouble will be evident in one (or more) of those three areas. So what does this mean to you? Ask yourself if you feel that those three elements align with your optimal career environment. If they do, you're probably happy in your job. If not and you can change it, do. If not, move on. In the words of Yoda, "Do or do not. There is no try."
5. Don't point out problems, provide solutions. Yes, yes - you're a perceptive person with great intuition about people. Right? Guess what, most problems are not that disguised or hidden. So it's not difficult for problems to be identified. Rather than commiserate with others or report problems/challenges, try a different path - provide solutions! Imagine your doctor kept calling you to tell you that you have a health problem and that was it. Don't be Dr. Doom - be helpful.
6. People don't buy the blanket, they buy the warmth. I could probably write a book on this topic, but let me summarize it to this. You are not a set of resume bullet points, past accomplishments, and degrees. Good employers don't hire you just because they need an employee with a collection of skills; they recruit you because they need a problem-solver who uses said skills to provide ongoing solutions to current and future needs. Whether you are interviewing for a job or currently have one, sincerely seek to identify their needs and then, convey exactly how YOU will provide solutions to them.

If you could write a letter to yourself at 22, what would lessons would you add to this list?