The Right Stuff

I would like to introduce you to three of my closest friends. As individuals, they are special and have unique attributes, but when you get together with all of them-you can accomplish success without fail! If you don't believe me, give it a try and I am willing to bet that your life will change for the better. My friends: the RIGHT time, the RIGHT place, and the RIGHT people can change your professional life in ways that you've never imagined.

Meet time. What you do with your time, especially your free time, says a lot about who you are as an individual. It is one of the most valuable resources that you have and until you realize the value of time, it will waste away at an unbelievable pace. It is so easy to find yourself in a routine of doing the same things over and over again. The danger in this is that you stop growing, so keeping an active inventory of your time is essential. I've heard some say that time is money. I've heard others say that timing is everything. I believe that when your timing is off, so are certain aspects of your life. Ask yourself the following: what are the possibilities; what can I accomplish; what can I differently when I am aware of time? The answers to these questions will certainly influence your relationships with my other friends, place and people.

Meet place. Throughout the course of any given day, our surroundings change multiple times. We leave home (place), we stop at Starbucks (place), and eventually, we arrive at work (another place). During your time spent at work, there are so many opportunities to experience career growth. Let's say for example you are at work and your day is slowly creeping by. Your leader approaches you and observes that you have taken the initiative to learn more about your role as well as the organization. He/she then asks if you would be interested in working on an upcoming project. This is where the right time and the right place have created an opportunity for you to get exposure! Doing the right thing certainly has its benefits, as shown in this example. Exposure will not only allow others to know who you are, but also allow them to associate your name with your talents, skills, and abilities.

Meet people. When I started my career, I used to hear "it's not what you know, it's who you know". I would agree that this is true and that it still holds true today. Nowadays, I hear more than ever that "it's not who you know, but who knows you". Everyone needs an advocate within the workplace. This is someone who sings your praises and who has the ability to tell someone in authority about how awesome you are!! Your advocate has the ability to speak to people that you may not necessarily interact with on a regular basis. My advocates know recruiters, my advocates interact with senior leaders across several lines of businesses, and my advocates have created a positive impression of me in the minds of others. Thanks to the right people, I have built strategic partnerships and relationships with those that I wouldn't have been able to interact with on my own. Who is currently advocating for you??

Now that I have introduced you to my friends, I hope that you will become better acquainted with them. I wasn't taught about their value. I didn't have anyone to articulate the importance of timing, places, and people as they pertain to career when I started. It is my hope that not only will you learn how to leverage time, place, and people-but that you will come to recognize and appreciate their power in your career as well as your life.