Create The Right Career Habits Now

Getting ahead in your career can be easier if you make the choice to build the right behaviors, attitudes and habits now. Below are five key areas to keep in mind when creating the right career habits.

1. Be part of the solution not the problem: After working with dozens of companies, most being fortune 500, I have found that most individuals spend way too much energy and time on everything that is “wrong” with their company or their department, or their supervisor instead of what is “right”. Focusing on the solution not the problem is a very simple concept, but most people do not put it into practice. Every time I am working with a client and their employees, I bet them that if we spend just one day together and visit the lunchroom, the break room, or any other location that people congregate while at work, we will hear more negative things said about the company, a department or a supervisor than we would positive things. I state that every time we hear something negative they have to give me $100 and every time we hear something positive I will give them $100, and amazingly no one has ever taking me up on my bet, Why? Because most people are focused on everything that is wrong versus right. To differentiate yourself for your career, focus on things that are right, not wrong, and if there is something that is wrong, focus your time and energy on ways to solve the problem. Never bring up something that is wrong with your organization, or your employer without having a few options or suggestions on ways to improve the situation. This one habit alone can help you catapult your career or business forward.

2. Don’t suck up: Is attitude contagious? Do you know anyone that when they enter a room the room brightens up a little bit? How about the opposite, do you know anyone that when they leave the room the room brightens up a little bit? Attitude is definitely contagious, and you want to be the person that brightens the room when you enter, not when you exit, but you must be sincere when doing so. Enthusiasm is not always about being a “cheerleader”, it is more about caring and being sincere in everything you do. I’m not saying don’t be helpful, flexible, and willing to take on tasks that will help your supervisor or department, because those things are important. Just make sure you are doing things for the right reasons, and not just to “get ahead” quickly. Most people can read through anyone that is fake and has self-serving motives.

3. Expect criticism: Anyone trying to advance in life, business, or their career should expect others to criticize them. As you grow in your career or life you will find more and more people that will begin to give their “opinion” of you. Think about this for a moment. The person in the highest held office in this country, The President of the United States, is always facing others criticizing him. celebrities, CEO’s, sport stars, leaders inside organizations; all of these people get enormous criticism daily. Why? Because as humans it is easier to find fault in others than in ourselves. Remember tip #1, most people will look to the negative; before the positive, and the more success you experience the more exposed you are to others, leading to criticism. Criticism is part of success and should be expected. Trying to avoid criticism or think that you will be immune is unrealistic and will only lead to disappointment. As a matter of fact, being criticized should be looked to as a positive thing, it means you are making things happen and growing in your career.

4. Talk less, listen more, and help others discover "their undiscovered greatness within": Remember, every person you meet has the potential to be even better. Open ended questions with a desire to learn are crucial to growing your career. One of the absolute best chapters ever written on this is in Stephen Covey's "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" and it is the section titled, Listen to Understand, Not to Respond. Be curious, be interested to learn. Remember that asking open ended questions with a sincere desire to learn can and will build trust and rapport. Help the people you are around to look beyond their problems and get inspired with the incredible miracle that lies right in front of them. Always try to leave people with positive thoughts and encouragement. Remind them of their potential. This kind of encouragement has amazing power and when you start using it every day, I am convinced that you start pulling greatness out of yourself and open yourself up to some of life's greatest treasures. One of the true gifts that life has to offer is the amazing feeling we get when we look another human being in the eyes and make them aware of the amazing potential that lies within them! This will make you unique, but you must be sincere at all times!

5. Continue to work on your communication skills: Communication is what keeps things moving forward. Many great leaders say, if one can master communication they can write their own ticket inside the organization. The better you are at communicating, the more value you are capable of generating on a daily basis. Start a "communication reminder journal" and write your insights into it about do's and don'ts around communication. Read those insights daily and weekly. Improve your communication skills by studying communication for at least 15 minutes per day. Master the art of communication now and many doors will open for you in the future. Grow your network of people by communicating to others the value you bring to any organization. Once again be sincere, not just self-serving. Understand and communicate that if you can help the organization you know they will help you. Challenge yourself to build your communication skills daily. Schedule 15 minutes into your day where you put yourself into a situation that will help practice your communications skills. If you do this every day all that practice will really start to pay off. Remember,the more you listen to others,the better you'll get at helping them to improve.

Use these five tips and begin to start building the right behaviors, skills, attitudes, and habits today! Good Luck!

Taking Control Of Your Life

How do we take control? There are a lot of different ways. We can watch where our $$ is going; make sure we love what we are doing; take care of our family by loving them; be thankful for all the great things in our lives and don’t get frustrated by short term obstacles. A good friend of mine in New Orleans always says, “Tough times don’t last, tough people do!” We all go through our own “roller coasters” in life, and yes what is happening with our economy does have an impact on each of us. That being said, we must remain focused on what we can control. Can you spend less today? Can you save a little more money? Can you tell someone you care about that you love them and how much they mean to you? Can you read something that will enhance your mind? Can you do something today that will make your situation better? Remember, today is the only day you have. Yesterday is gone, and tomorrow is not here yet. Make the most of today by focusing on what is right, not what is wrong.

I was on a flight from Chicago to Newark and had a very interesting experience. I am amazed these days how much tension there is in the general public. People are worried about their jobs, money, what to get the family for the holidays, what our economy is going to do in 2011, etc. Most people are taking it out on everyone around them. The flight was like most flights these days, a full flight. I was one of the first people on the plane and had a ringside seat to the show. With about 10 minutes left before departure, the overhead bins were full and customers had to start taking their bags off the plane and check them to their final destination where they could pick them up at baggage claim. The flight attendant and the gate agent began to fight about customers having coats in the overhead space. The gate agent began to throw customer’s coats from the overhead space onto the center aisle of the plane, not even asking which coat belonged to which customer. It was such a bad customer experience that the customers began to argue. Next thing I knew, there were 10-15 people screaming at each other with no solution in sight. About that time a flight attendant from the back of the plane made her way forward not saying a word, just picking up coats and finding out which coat belonged to which customer. In about 5 minutes she had the situation under control and had managed to calm down everyone that was involved in the screaming match just minutes earlier. I realized that the only thing she did different was to be helpful and look for solutions instead of being part of the problem, and she took action. She took positive action that moved the situation in a positive direction. She took control of the situation in her life.

Too many times we don’t look for solutions because it is much easier to be part of the problem these days, and we can always seem to justify our actions. Next time you are in a challenging situation, make it a point to find solutions, be helpful and take positive action. Put things into positive execution and you will be amazed how much more progress you can make just by being helpful. Take control of your life, make the necessary changes, focus on what is right and you will be surprised at the results.