Career Acceleration: 4 Essential Elements (pt 2, the 4-eye'd employee)

The following is based on a presentation made to the UBCO (University of British Columbia Okanagan) female business students affiliated with the Sauder School of Business on January 28, 2011. (Presenters: Meryle Corbett, CMA,FCMA CFO of Kelowna Flightcraft Group of Companies; and Paulette Rennie, President of ValleyFirst Credit Union)

What strategies will make YOU successful in business? A group of C-suite executives agreed that the key to a rising business career includes four main characteristics. They are described below in our series, "The 4-eyed employee" :

So what are we talking about? The first "eye" or "I" attribute is the underlying foundation for business success:

INTELLIGENCE

The second "eye" or "I" attribute is the underlying foundation for business success:INTEGRITY

1) Your Reputation is Forever - you own it (no one else)!!
Your reputation is your own personal brand. How you develop and nurture it is totally up to you. Large corporations are increasingly protective of their brand an reputation - the latest trends in risk management are related to "reputation risk". 

                                                                                                                

I learned a great lesson early in my career when I had a choice to exercise a little-known clause in a contract that was to my company's advantage and the supplier's disadvantage. The spirit and intent of this contract did not intend to provide such a favorable advantage to my company, and would have been a significant "sore point" in the supplier's view. My choice? Exercise the clause and make a few more dollars, or forego the clause to keep the longer term relationship.

Have your own moral dilemma? consider the impact of your options in the next 10 minutes, the next 10 months, and the next 10 years before you make your final decision (click here to see the book by Suzy Welch, 10-10-10)

2) Take the "high road" - it will pay off later!
There will be moments in your career when you are the object of gossip or nasty politics. Sometimes our first reaction is to "fight back" and knock down our opponent regardless of the impact on others.

a) What goes around comes around:

A former colleague of mine gained a reputation as a tough-minded negotiator who loved to find weakness and then exploit it to the maximum. Deals were a game, and he had no mercy dealing with staff, nearly always leaving them frustrated or in tears. After a few years, people hated to deal with him. Eventually he moved on to another company and I have heard that many former colleagues have declined to do future business with him.

Here is a great book about eradicating negative people in the workforce:      

The No Asshole Rule-Civilized Workplace Surviving 

Career Acceleration: 4 Essential Elements (pt 1, the 4-eyed employee)

The following is based on a presentation made to the UBCO (University of British Columbia Okanagan) female business students affiliated with the Sauder School of Business on January 28, 2011.    (Presenters, Meryle Corbett, CMA,FCMA, CFO at Kelowna Flightcraft Group of Companies; and Paulette Rennie, President of Valley First Credit Union)

What strategies will make YOU successful in business?   A group of C-suite executives agreed that the key to a rising business career includes four main characteristics.  They are described below in our series, "The 4-eyed employee" :

So what are we talking about?  The first "eye" or "I" attribute is the underlying foundation for business success: 

INTELLIGENCE  

 1) Education will amplify your career potential

A degree, diploma or certification will give you the fundamental knowledge in your field to be successful.  

Statistics show higher education leads to higher lifelong earnings.  

My mother always told me "get a career so you never have to rely on a man" -- maybe that comment dates me into that 70's generation, but Mom's advice has served me well over the past 30 years:   I always know I bring a full contribution to the table, both at work and in my relationships.  When I feel my back is against the wall, I still have exit strategies and options.

Worklife Balance: 6 Tips to ease the workload

If you are one of those type "A" personalities that always has a dozen projects on the go, your spouse is on your case to reprioritize in favor of your family, here are some ways to "ease the load" and regain control:

     
         Do you feel like the candle with both ends burned down to the core?

 1) Set aside 1/2 hour at the beginning of each day to plan and prioritize.

This may mean getting up a half hour earlier, but make yourself a nice cup of coffee and give yourself the gift of "reflection time".   This will allow you to plan and organize more efficiently, saving you stress the rest of the day.

 2) Set up new habits that save you time or hassle:

- Use a crock pot and prepare meals ahead of time.

You will have one less task to compete with your other priorities at the end of the work day.

The internet has great ideas for pre-cooked meals that use cheap cuts of meat (save $$) for home-cooked dinners ("comfort food").

Http://www.a-crock-cook.com/slow-cooker-recipe.html

-Assign more chores to your kids - ease your burden of doing it all

-Hire out or hire in support where you can afford it

-Use a cleaning lady, hire a neighbour kid to cut the grass

-use drycleaning pickup and delivery (many stores offer this service right to the workplace)

 -consider on-line shopping and direct-to-door delivery (this is an increasing trend:  everything from groceries to all kinds of consumer items -- on numerous websites)