Inspired by a post from Chuck Westbrook (ihateyourjob.com), I thought this topic was significant and worth revisiting with few thoughts of my own on the subject.
The following six tips will help you to get noticed quicker, earn you greater influence and responsibility, and get you closer to a level playing field.
- Be a student of everyone: Asking questions and taking advice isn’t a sign of weakness, and it won’t emphasize your youth either. You’ll get better faster, impress more people, and actually seem older.
Why it works: Seeking ways to improve is a sign of maturity and is the easiest way to gain the skills and knowledge that make you more effective. Plus, demonstrating a willingness to learn from your elders takes away a lot of the stereotypes and targets you will be marked with as a Millennial.
- Learn to write & speak well: Develop your communication skills to the highest level, both in your daily emails and in deliverables for which you are responsible. This includes correct grammar, capitalization, and punctuation-even in email. When speaking, avoid overusing the infamous “like” and prepare ahead of time to ensure you ideas are clear and concise.
Why it works: If you can quickly fire off sharp emails, you will come across as highly capable and intelligent (provided your content isn’t inappropriate). Not everyone types well, and certainly not everyone speaks well. It will be noticed.
- Demonstrate leadership: Help other employees to be more effective. Be generous to help others format documents, create spreadsheets, or find information on the web. As for fellow younger workers, you’ll probably be able to answer many of their questions related to your industry and your company since you’re a student of everyone now. Concerning the boss, give appropriate amounts of ground-level feedback on how things can be improved if he/she is interested. Don’t suck-up, but do provide the kind of info they want to know.
Why it works: Nothing says maturity like leadership. If you have workers of every age looking to you to be more effective, you’ll have their respect by default.
- Take initiative: Don’t rely on your boss to come to you with opportunities or projects, be the driver that gets the ball rolling. Interested in learning more about a particular process or area of the company? - be proactive! Most managers will be more than willing to assist you if they think it will contribute to your development and productivity in the long term.
Why it works: Too many people are satisfied with the status quo. Taking initiative shows that you really care and are committed to what you are working on. Plus, it makes your boss look good and that’s never a bad thing when it comes to earning respect.
- Show up: Take advantage of opportunities to interact with upper-management. If it’s a small company, say yes when you are invited out to drinks or dinner. If it’s a larger organization, reach as high as is practical. Participate in forums, town halls, Q&As, and special project groups, and don’t be shy about introducing yourself at the proper moment. Your CEO might enjoy hearing the perspective of his tip-top inside sales representative, for example.
Why it works: In many cases, your boss’s boss’s boss is a very cool person. We’re probably not talking about someone who got their job on the strength of tenure alone, so there’s a good chance they aren’t as limited by notions of age as some career middle managers might be. This is just an instance of going to find the people who are most likely to respect the substance of who you are.
- Remember, perception is reality: Don’t be “that guy” - anyone who’s spent any amount of time in an office has seen talented people who can’t stop shooting themselves in the foot. (Improper attire, showing up late, inappropriate jokes, failure to stop talking about oneself… the list goes on and on.) Exercise good judgment and be aware of the norms in your workplace. Good news never travels as fast as the bad - don’t let a snafu early in your career follow you in the long haul.
Why it works: When was the last time you heard someone say the name Barry Bonds and not mention steroids. Let’s just keep that asterisk off your record…
Take a look at www.ihateyourjob.com for a both a humorous and serious look at how we relate to work, balance, and trying stay sane in the process. Nice blog Chuck!
BusinessWeek published an interesting article this month through the perspective of Marshall Goldsmith, co-founder of Marshall Goldsmith Partners, a network of top-level executive coaches. Goldsmiths article revolves the concept of globalization, and the need for workers of all ages to exemplify the true entrepreneurial spirit to forge ahead in today’s competitive business world.
