A while back I was asked to speak at a conference of college students from Kazak American Free University who were visiting the United States to learn about American business. I titled my talk, "Advice for Those Just Starting Their Careers." This week I stumbled upon my notes for this presentation and was rather impressed (if I do say so myself) with the principles I presented.
These principles are timeless. They are as true today as they will be 100 years from now. And they are not just for young adults getting started on their careers. They are for everyone, young and old. And they are not necessarily for business professionals - they are truly for everyone. For the sake of brevity I have condensed my talk into bullet points. I wish I knew whom to credit for these timeless insights but unfortunately I do not have the source. All I know is they didn't come from me (I'm not that wise). I hope you enjoy them as much I have. Here goes:
LEARNING
- Always be learning. Those who succeed in life are continuously learning.
- Seek out someone who will mentor you - someone who sees your potential and is willing to develop it.
- Learn the art of listening. It is safe to say that you never learned a single thing when you were talking.
- Allow yourself to make mistakes and then learn from them.
- Remember life is precious. Don't waste it on the unimportant.
- Set both personal and professional goals. Decide exactly what you want to do, write it down, set a deadline and then do something everyday to move towards achieving that goal.
- Balance yourself - don't focus just on your career. Allow time for things that will help your emotional, physical and spiritual well being.
- Never seek a job; rather seek a career.
- Be willing to take calculated risks.
- Determine what you are passionate about and then stick to it. Don't let anything sidetrack you.
- Have it as your goal to be the best you can be in your profession.
- Have a positive mental attitude. Avoid being around people who are negative all the time.
- Be proactive not passive about life. Accept complete responsibility for your circumstances. Don't blame it on others.
- Honesty is an invaluable character quality. Tell people what they need to hear, not what they want to hear.
- Be a person of integrity. Integrity is defined as the strict adherence to a standard of value or conduct. Integrity is not what we do when it serves us. It is who we are when no one is looking and it is how we treat people who we cannot benefit from.
"Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safers, the creatures of the commonplace, the slaves of the ordinary." Sir Cecil Beaton
It is my hope that each of you makes a remarkable impact on your world in 2012.
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