I had the pleasure of hanging out with some of my former Cal Poly students a few weeks ago. These amazingly talented young men and women now work in Silicon Valley, as well as in health care, finance, and advertising/marketing, and several of them are already in senior management positions with very large corporations. (Do I sound like a proud mom? Well, if the shoe fits…)
Now that they’ve all “been around a while,” (yes, they’re all over thirty—where does the time go?), we had a fascinating discussion about what they believe to be the most important career success-builders. And while there were many thoughts and ideas that we bandied about (future articles will cover more of their suggestions, so stay tuned), the following four appeared on everyone’s mental list (mine included).
As a quick aside, I thought it was interesting that three of the four habits are states of mind, whereas only one of them is an actionable behavior. I think this has important significance: no matter what’s happening around us, we have so much influence and control over our environments via our own thoughts, self-talk, and personal attitudes. And if you’ve been following me for any length of time, you know this is something I talk/write about…a lot.
Let’s jump right in with the first two habits.
Ignore Negative Energy
Let's face it. The world—and probably your workplace—is full of nay-sayers. Some negative people are just habitually pessimistic and seem to have no idea that they're discouraging those around them. Others, it seems, are fully aware of their impact and, in those rare but unpleasant situations involving office jealousy and sabotage, may even target you as their victim. In either case, don’t go there. The solution is the same: rise above it. Do your best not to be pulled down. Remain positive and confident.
This is often easier said than done. But just remember that you are always in control of you. You represent you, you are your own best friend, you are the person who cares the most about your success. By finding this center, the place where you matter, you will also find the personal power to overcome the nay-sayers. (Literally all of my former students say the same thing about finding personal power, especially when you’re younger than your colleagues.)
So, the next time someone around you makes a negative comment, do your best to ignore it. Or, if ignoring it isn't appropriate or possible, face it with sincerity and directness.
Try this statement, or one similar to it: "It seems that your comments could be taken as discouragement, but I'm going to remain positive about my project and keep moving forward." Alternatively, if directness isn't something that's encouraged in your organization, you might deflect the negative energy with gentle good-naturedness. A simple smile and a small chuckle (with no accompanying verbiage) can speak volumes to your nay-sayer and may even prevent future negative encounters. (You didn’t reinforce them.)
One more thing…make sure you don’t get caught up in creating your own negative energy, through destructive self-talk. Listen to what your head voice says to you throughout the day. Are you hearing words of encouragement, like, “I can do this,” or “I love challenges,” or are you hearing words of defeat, like, “I’m no good at this,” or “I’ll never be able to finish this task?” If you tell yourself you can’t do what’s being asked, or can’t take charge of a project, or can’t lead the next sales meeting…you’re probably right. But here’s the best news: the opposite is also true. If you believe you can, you can.
Take Notes
Most people know from their school years what an effective learning tool note-taking can be. But taking notes is also an effective career tool, as well, particularly if you’re looking to learn and grow in your profession, or to be promoted within your organization.
The first thing note-taking can do is put you in control of…well, just about everything, from your daily schedule to your overall career path. When you jot things down during a conversation, you place yourself in an active role. You send a message that you not only hear what your colleagues are saying, but that you intend to take action.
Same thing’s true in meetings. Regardless of whether someone’s been appointed as the “official notetaker” (i.e., a board secretary or similar role), be sure to take your own notes, as well. You’ll look interested and involved, and down the line, your notes might serve as a valuable reference for yourself and possibly others.
(Handy tip: create a file for each type of meeting you attend, and keep former notes in that file. You’ll look like a real pro if you’re able to click back to a meeting from last November and answer your boss’s budget question within fifteen seconds.)
(Second handy tip to counteract any negative fallout from the first handy tip: make sure you look, sound, act, and indeed are being sincerely helpful, or you’ll come off as smug and “teacher’s pet-like.” And nobody—not even your boss—likes a show-off!)
Another benefit of taking notes is that it provides you with a storehouse of personalized information. You can access the details of the project you’re working on and instantly see your own involvement and contributions. Questions written in the middle of a meeting or conversation become the foundation of new projects. Ideas that may have seemed irrelevant can provide a new focus in case a project becomes bogged down or starts to lose its momentum.
Finally, note-taking simply helps to keep your mind focused on the task at hand. If a thought unrelated to whatever you’re working on in the moment crosses your mind, you have a choice: you can let it stick around and bug you and ruin your concentration, or you can jot it down for later reference and keep plugging away.
Sooner or later, if you’re a perennial note-taker, you will become known as the person with the answers…or at least the person with whom to kick around the questions.
Laptop, tablet, notes on your mobile, or plain old yellow notepad? Whatever. Just do what works best for you. (Personally, I use them all, plus a few others, like napkins purloined from the café I’m sitting in when an idea suddenly strikes—hey, it works!)
That’s it for today. Stay tuned for Part II, where we’ll discuss the other two habits my former students believe to be essential for career success and personal growth.
Thanks for being a reader/follower, and Happy Rest-of-Summer. What’s your favorite part? Swimming? Fireflies? Sweetcorn? Write to me and let me know, and I’ll see you soon!
