6 Tips for Career Success
Here are 6 career tips, habits that I adopted based on Stephen R. Covey’s great advice.
When it comes to career tips and success, it’s hard to think of a better career advice checklist than Stephen R. Covey’s “The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People.” Written 15 years ago, it still stands as the most simple and straightforward career advice of all time.
So why would I want to suggest anything different?
I wouldn’t. In fact, I encourage you to read the book. But stop right here if you don’t care about self-improvement, and go read something else, because a commitment to introspection is the first step to take. When I read the book long ago, I was in the midst of a busy career. I didn’t know what I didn’t know. You’ve heard that before. Covey kind of took me by the hand – virtually and mentally – and showed me the way. Mostly what he showed me was that balance in your own life and management of your own career is not nonsense – it’s common sense.
Here are sixĀ habits that I adopted based on his great advice:
- Pay attention.Ā
Technology has helped us become so much faster at contacting, connecting and creating. It has also become the enemy of attention spans. Using a smartphone or a tablet can make you effective in your work but can also be a major distraction if you are in a meeting or at a conference where the point is to connect with people. I have made great connections, learned new concepts and observed interesting behaviors just by making a point to get away from “the screen” and by staying in the present. Compartmentalize online time for when you are not with others.
- Keep the pie slices even.
So-called work-life balance is not just for sissies. It is my personal lifeblood and survival. Chances are, we will have a life span into the 90s if we stay healthy and active, and can support ourselves. This work-life balance requires a focus. Picture a pie with even wedges. Each one represents a different type of personal wellness needing care: financial, career, personal growth, home or environment, family and friends, fun and recreation, health, romance. If one slice gets bigger than another, it is likely you will feel some stress.
- Finance is your friend.
Finance is one of the pie slices needing a bit more attention initially. Don’t let it be your enemy. Invest the time to get your personal finances under control. And seek help if you need to, so you are able to make choices for your life and career that are not only based on money. Start by addressing your debt situation, if there is one, and get your money working for you.
- Feng Shui.
We have lots to learn from our Chinese neighbors. One thing is the art of simplifying your environment, also known as Feng Shui. It can be lots of things from environmental spaces to building design. The habit I formed after learning about Feng Shui is to lose the clutter in my office.
As a writer, I often accumulated piles of notes on scraps of paper, magazine articles and books. I learned that if everything is organized in a specific place or folder and if I have a clean desk each day, I can think more clearly and find things quickly. It is amazing the energy and presence of mind you will have if you try this and even more time!
- Appearances count.
We live in an era of business casual and “dressing down.” In some ways, that has equalized us and made us less elite or arrogant. However, first impressions do count, and people remember those who care about their appearance. Caring about how you look is important and says that you also care about those you are with. Develop your own business style, but make sure you look tasteful and well groomed.
There are lots of resources online or in bookstores to help you with this, or you can ask someone you admire in your office. If you write to me, I will send you my “basic 10” packing list for business travel.
- Feed your mind.
I will end where I began – with technology. With it, there are so many easily accessible ways to get news and information today. Make sure that just as your morning coffee is a part of your day, so is checking in with some regular sources that can give you a broad amount of information. It will help you open discussions with clients, develop perspectives and understand current business trends.
At a minimum, daily I look at a national newspaper website, an e-mailed technology journal, Twitter feeds, Linked In news and, of course, this website. I scan them all in under an hour, saving or e-mailing articles for more in-depth reading later.
CoveyĀ got me started, and I took it from there. I hope you have found this helpful. Tell me what you would add to the list. And stay tuned for my next article about executive career paths.
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