Everyone wants to grow in their career and reach the peak. No matter the nature of your career, you just want to be known as the best or at least top tier of the best in that field. To be among the bests is a conscious and deliberate effort applied over time until the goal is attained. Zig Ziglar captures the innate capacity to succeed in every man in this quote:

Man was designed for accomplishments, engineered for success, and empowered with seeds of greatness.”
                              Zig Ziglar

1. This means we have that ability in us but we must be deliberate to harnessing them. So below are what I termed key components that would help you grow your career. Skills (Competence & Execution) this cannot be over emphasised, skilled employees keep top organisations ahead of the others. Your skills differentiate you from your peers. By skills I mean: business skills, technical skills or leadership skills, these three areas are the key things organisations look for in candidates. You must develop competence and be able to demonstrate your capacity by your accomplishments. Skills are built and acquired over time, so go ahead and be conscious about your growth and get the required skills you need.

“I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.’” ― Muhammad Ali

Organisations, Leaders and Managers want those who can execute with minimum supervision. This keeps you at the top of your career. You would hear statements like, ‘give it to Peter or Paul he can deliver on this project’. When critical projects are to be executed, your name will always pop up, and there is nothing like being in the mind of management as an executor. You will roll with the big boys and enjoy the privileges, otherwise your name will only be remembered when they want to downsize or reduce cost.

“Big jobs usually go to the men who prove their ability to outgrow small ones.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson

2. Experience (Education or Knowledge): Experience is what you get by building and executing; you don’t wish it but must acquire it. It’s acquired from applying your skill from a particular set and that’s what makes you an expert in that field or work. Experience gives you an edge and amplifies your skills, your experience shows and enhances your capacity for better and more quality decision making. People and organisations want those who have done things before. They stand better chance in getting the right results. So if you don’t have experience in a field you are interested in, go and volunteer for an organisation doing such or work under someone to gain that experience.

“Every experience in your life is being orchestrated to teach you something you need to know to move forward.” – Brian Tracy

3. Right Attitude (Ethics): There is nothing that keeps you stagnant than having the wrong attitude to your work. It shows and amplifies  every other negative thing about your work; it magnifies your mistakes and puts you in bad light. I remember then as an employee I was given different tasks to handle by my boss I never complained, instead I executed them and came back with results. This improved my skills greatly and gave me a name as a ‘performer’, while those who kept complaining had a bad tagline as ‘lazy’. Having the right attitude to work makes you see every work or task given to you as an opportunity to grow and become better in what you do. Having the right attitude includes knowing when to deliver on a task, how to deliver it and what the priorities are for your organisation and the work per time. So develop the right attitude to work.

Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody’s going to know whether you did it or not.” ― Oprah Winfrey

4. Network or Relationships: The network of the people you have determines how far you can actually go in your career. If you are skilful, experienced, have the right attitude and a good network of influencers or mentors in your organisation, the sky is your limit. Even in tough organisational politics you will still survive. Relationships are meant to help build each other; you must be connected with those who have more influence than you in your organisation, and those who can influence the course of your career. Your relationship must be positive and valuable to that person and you must make them to see it as so. Don’t be a pest but be the go to person they will always want to call to get things fixed for them, by so doing they will always remember you in the good times. One of the mistakes I made as an employee was thinking my skills, experience and work ethics was enough to get me to any length, yes it does but office politics is very real, you need someone’s shoulder to stand on. No matter how though it is don’t make enemies. Also read Career Growth and career-growth-vs-career-development/

“One of the greatest values of mentors is the ability to see ahead what others cannot see and to help them navigate a course to their destination.” — John C. Maxwell

I will ed with this quote from Danzel washington one of my favourite actors

“Show me a successful individual and I’ll show you someone who had real positive influences in his or her life. I don’t care what you do for a living—if you do it well I’m sure there was someone cheering you on or showing the way. A mentor.” — Denzel Washington

To your Success

Lawrence Obi