re: Random career advice, tell me yours

Think long term

Are you doing something that helps you progress? Will it matter in 10 years time? If the answer is no then limit your personal investment.

Decide if you want a job or a career. A job is a financial practicality. A career is a life's passion. Don't fool yourself (if you have a job) into pretending you have a career.

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Never put anything in an email that you wouldn't want your worst enemy to see.

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Got damn this. I wrote an epic email about a really serious cultural and operational issue in one of our divisions that was having an adverse impact across the entire company. I was factual, I cited specific examples and I proposed solutions along with a recommendation that management bring in an outside expert to do a top-down review of that division. I did this because I felt that I was in a unique position to see the issues and their effects company wide due to the project that I was working on. I shared it with the CEO and the owner of the company only. I asked that they keep it to themselves and to just delete it if they had doubts or didn't want to action on the issue.

The fricking owner of the company immediately forwarded it to that Division Director, same level as me on the Org Chart, and said "what do you think of this?" We work together to this day and he harbors ill will like no one I have ever seen. I didn't even call him out in the original email and implied that he might not even be aware of the issues.

I wish I had never tried to help. After everyone found out, I heard from a couple of other VP's (who had been around a lot longer than me) that they knew of the issues but no one said anything because that Division Director is a big buddy of the owner.

Don’t cause trouble, show up and leave on time, stay out of drama.

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“Find the work you love and you will never work a day in you life.”

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Or "Do what you love and the money will follow"

Make people believe you are indispensable.

I got to do a 1x1 with the President of our company a few years back. Its a fortune 10 company.

At the end he surprised me when he said, "always remember you're just a number, no matter who you are the company will always do what's in its best interests, not yours. Always do the best thing for yourself and family".

Really hit home and is 100% true

Make a real effort to learn how to talk in professional settings like meetings. If you can clearly, accurately, and convincingly present your views, asks, answers, etc., people will look to you as leadership material. I'm not saying to just talk to talk (those people are typically hated) or to learn every corporate buzzword, but definitely pay attention to how you present yourself in meetings. Humor helps.

You've got to learn the culture of the organization you serve; this includes understanding the cliques that form. Make mental notes of who gets along with who and which senior management clique actually runs shite. If someone from that clique asks you to jump, you ask how high. Reputations built with people who truly matter can go a long way in building your own success. Office politics suck but I've learned they're a large part of career advancement.

Write down ideas that pop into your head when you're not working. People who come up with ways to cut work cycles and save money are people who quickly earn attention from people who matter. There's some process you see which would benefit greatly from a new approach....the solution pops into your head for some reason at 1am on a Sunday morning after you've had a few beers...write that shite down and revisit it on Monday. Build on the idea. Present the idea.

Always look busy.

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Based on your recent performance, you shoul take your own advice

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