Two Years In: 10 Early Lessons From The Corporate Ladder
As a newlycorporate young professional, I’ve had a chance to soak in some experience in the last 24 months. When I look back on my first day in business casual attire, I can’t help but be a bit embarrassed at how naive I was. There are so many things that seem obvious now that I wish I had known on day one. Here’s a list of the most potent lessons.
1. Relationships matter more than delivery.
This was a difficult one to learn, and it is a tough pill to swallow. I’ve seen far too many under-qualified people in top spots, and I’ve seen too many people keeping a job only because they’re friends with the boss. I would encourage you to deliver, but I would give even stronger encouragement to your efforts to build relationships at work that are real.
2. Extroverts win.
You need to make friends at work (see #1). You need to speak up in meetings. You need to volunteer for mini-projects. You don’t have to be a loudmouth, but you should always make your presence felt. Don’t be forgettable.
3. 10 things half-done does not equal one thing done.
Nobody is impressed by someone who is perpetually working on “stuff”, but never seems to finish anything. Think small and deliver.
4. He who reads the manual is the expert.
When I started working with real professionals, I had the impression that my bosses were all seasoned veterans. I assumed they were experts in their trade. This was totally, utterly untrue. This may be true only for IT, but things change rapidly. A few of the old dogs will refuse to learn new tricks, but most of them are constantly re-learning even the core parts of their jobs. This is great news for us greenhorns. All we have to do is grab a book and start reading. Our more experienced peers will have an advantage with their experience, but we bring new ideas and possibly some grunt labor to the table. Experience + Youthful Exuberance + Grunt Work = Success.
5. Be aware of the business lifecycle, and act accordingly.
Everything I learned about process leaning and cost cutting was categorically rejected by my bosses when I joined a startup. They were (and still are) in sell-sell-sell mode. There is no time or place for doing things “right”. The money I save on process optimization would have been greatly eclipsed by the money the company could have made if I would have been selling the product instead of “fixing” the company.
6. You need Finance 101.
Finance is the language of business, and now you’ve got some investments to make. You need to be paying into 401k and Roth IRA. If you don’t know what those are, Wikipedia is your friend.
7. Track your achievements and don’t let them go unnoticed.
You, and only you are responsible for your career. Do not expect your boss to be cataloging your achievements and thinking of ways to pay you more - that is your job. Make a list of all the things you have accomplished and update it monthly. Then when it is time for a raise, bring that list to the negotiation.
8. Sales people are dumb, but without them there is no bottom line.
Just be nice to them. It is OK to poke fun of them, but they live on the road and make paychecks possible for the rest of us.
9. Email and interruptions are the enemy of productivity.
At the start of every day, write down the one thing you absolutely must get done that day. Do not do anything else until that task is done - not even email.
10. You need a routine, and it must include exercise.
Work is exhausting. It drains you mentally and physically. For many of us, college was a time of endless beer and pizza. I do not recommend continuing that while you spend your days sitting in front of a computer screen. Start reading some hippie stuff, eat food that is made of food, and get some exercise. Also, sleep more. America is sleep deprived and I have a personal belief that this leads to our higher stress and pants sizes.
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Tags: business lifecycle, Career Development, Productivity, Young Professional
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Like I wrote...
August 11th, 2008 at 5:20 pm
“eat food that is made of food”
Haha, well stated and good advice.
August 12th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
Glad you have learned these things in your first 24 months. I do hope that people will take these to heart and think about them as they move forward. I’d add a couple things as well that I have learned over my first seven years that compliment your lessons:
1. Get involved in Professional Development Organizations - If you are involved in the professional development organization related to your area of expertise, you help the organization/company’s visibility, and learn a great deal about the business as whole outside the vacuum of your company.
2. Don’t be the complainer - The beginning of your career sometimes determines how you are viewed by not only your boss, but your co-workers. If you are always complaining about working after hours, helping a co-worker with something, etc., you will have a harder time moving up and gaining your co-workers’ trust. Be the one that goes above and beyond, and you will find success.
Also, #s 7 and 9 above are really great lessons that everyone should learn.
Great post!
August 12th, 2008 at 11:54 pm
This is by far the best posting yet (and that’s saying something since just about all the posts here are top notch.) I echo Bruce’s sentiments whole-heartedly. One other tip, although use it wisely, while one shouldn’t be afraid to complain don’t be afraid to step outside the mold and say something is a bad idea. Better yet, come up with a better solution THEN point out the bad idea.
August 15th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
I agree, this is the best post thus far. I myself am about 14 months into “my career” and I couldnt agree with you more… especially about the sale people (I could go on for HOURS). I was actually going to update #7 in the next couple days, I have a Q2 review next week that might be needing #7. #2 seems to be working pretty well for me as well (while I add all the mini projects to #7). Keep up the good posts!
August 16th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
Thanks for the accolades. I’m happy to have you as readers, and I’m doubly happy that you took the time to make a comment. Bruce’s ideas are great, I especially agree with #1. I think I’ll gather a few more tips and make a pt 2 of this post. If you’ve got more ideas, please put them here.