Can You Go the Distance?

I have well over a decade of leadership experience and have seen a lot of employees during this time. Some of them were great and some of there were not so great. The one thing that everyone who has ever been employed has in common is that they have, at one point in time, been brand new to a company. Do you remember when you were offered employment and how you felt? Do you recall feeling like you were going to take your career to the next level and that nothing would stop you? Now that you are in your first year, it's time to get your career in tip-top shape and I can help you get there.

Let's pretend for a moment that you are training for a race. There are things that must be done in order to win and your career is no different. Training is involved, discipline is needed, and at the end of the day, your performance is critical to your success. Please keep in mind that once you have accepted a role, that someone has hired you to do your job. Your performance is a factor that can make you or break you, so just remember the following:

1. Learn everything that you can about your role. You should be able to articulate what your responsibilities and expectations are from your employer. This means that you know what you're being evaluated on, regardless of whether it's monthly, quarterly, or annually. It is impossible to perform at work if you don't know what you should be doing.

2. If you are simply meeting the expectations of the job, you run the risk of making a very critical mistake in your career. You should meet expectations because that is what you were hired to do. Guess what? Many others are doing their jobs as well, so now you have blended in instead of making your mark. The goal in this career race is to go the distance and to do that, your minimum standard is to exceed and excel.

3. Don't be afraid to ask questions about the business and about your role. Develop a relationship with your leader that is professional, one in which you are comfortable asking for help, feedback, and direction. It is perfectly acceptable to admit your mistakes, your shortcomings, and the fact that sometimes, you simply don't know. We all have those things in common; we all make mistakes, we all have shortcomings, and there is always something to learn.

Your career path can be anything that you want it to be, but you have to decide how far you want to go and how successful you want to be. These articles are designed to give you information that will help you on your journey. If you want to take your career to the next level, if you really want to go the distance, stick with me and I promise that together, we will get you there.