10 Things I Wish I Knew at the Start of My Career

I recently had the honor of speaking at the Chicago Section IFT student night and shared a list of things I have learned over the years that I wish I knew when I was beginning my career. None are rocket science, and they won’t do much for someone who isn’t good at the fundamentals of their job. However, whether you’re at the start of your career or you’re looking to sharpen some of the tools in your toolbox, these 10 practices may help.

1. Don’t be afraid to speak before you know you’re right. If you’re like me, you don’t like to be wrong. My natural tendency as a young engineer in a big meeting was to listen, put together the pieces of the puzzle, and then let everyone know what I had figured out. Unfortunately, by then everyone had forgotten I was in the room and my brilliant insight would miss its mark and the conversation would move on. Make a point to say something in the first 10 minutes of a meeting—even if it’s just to ask a question. 

2. Have an agenda. In other words, know what you’re trying to achieve beyond your job assignment. This is without a doubt the most important item on the list and sets apart high achievers from good, solid employees. Find something you’re passionate about and make it your mission to bring it to life. 

3. Build coalitions. This is the second most important item. Once you have your agenda, you’ll need help making it happen. As a more introverted person, I once thought great leaders needed to be charismatic—the kind of people who sway a group of people by their sheer presence and powerful eloquence. It’s just not true. Building a group of supporters, sometimes one by one, advances most “agendas” by generating unstoppable momentum.

4. Results don’t speak for themselves. You probably work with a lot of talented people who make great things happen all the time. It makes it very difficult for any manager to know everything everyone has done. While it might feel like bragging, make sure to let others know what you’ve achieved over your career.

5. Surround yourself with great people. Only people make things happen. If you want to make great things happen, work with great people. If you’re a manager, hire them. If you’re not, make yourself someone that great people want on their team. 

6. Expect what’s possible … plus a little more. When I was in my first supervisory role, a mentor told me I didn’t expect enough from my people. I was taken aback, but he was right. He helped me see that while I sought to support and coach them, I wasn’t setting the bar high enough. Expecting a little more than we believe possible allows us to surprise ourselves while we learn and grow.

7. Give more than you take. Have you ever met someone who only calls when they need something? Don’t be that person or people will stop taking your calls. When we’re busy it’s easy to get into the habit of only looking for what we need, and not taking time to learn what others need as well.

8. Mentees attract mentors. We all know people who are sought-after mentors. What isn’t as obvious is that many people make themselves sought-after mentees. They are talented employees who show great potential and are worth a mentor’s investment of time. How do you become one? Be good at what you were hired to do, and practice some of the things on this list: always have an agenda, build coalitions, and be sure people know your accomplishments.

9. Behavior change is the best way to grow. There’s a place in everyone’s development plan for training and education, especially to learn “what” to do. Real personal growth comes, however, when we change “how” we do it. For example, if building coalitions doesn’t come naturally, don’t set a development goal to build one. Set a goal instead to get to know 10 people better than you already do. Learn about their families, and share some things about yours. You’ll begin building a behavior that more naturally leads to building supporters of your ideas.

10. Learn from your experiences. A manager of mine many years ago asked me what I planned to learn from my new job. It was the first time I was challenged to think about a role as an intentional learning opportunity. With his help I set some learning goals for the next two years, a practice I’ve used in every new role since. Try it, and you’ll be surprised how much more you learn.

As I said, nothing above is earth shattering. Becoming aware of and practicing these behaviors with intentionality, though, made a difference in my career (and life) and might for you as well.