How to Accelerate Your Career

[00:00:00] Hi and welcome back to Reflect Forward. I'm your host Kerry Siggins and I'm so glad you

[00:00:13] are here today. Please excuse my rough voice here. I'm just getting over a little cold and

[00:00:19] I have a frog in my throat, but I wanted to make sure that I got this out to you before

[00:00:23] I take off for Europe. I'm headed to Germany for a big trade show that we have over there

[00:00:27] every other year. And I get to see my European team. It's going to be so much fun.

[00:00:32] All right. The topic today is how to accelerate your career. I'm often asked how I became a CEO at

[00:00:39] such a young age and how I've been able to grow my career and create success for myself. And so I

[00:00:46] wanted to share a little bit about that today because it's really important. I think we all think

[00:00:51] about success, meaning that we have to climb the corporate ladder. And what I found in my almost

[00:00:54] 18 years of running Stone Age is that climbing the corporate ladder doesn't necessarily equate

[00:01:00] to success. Success is not just about money. It's not about a title. Success is about how

[00:01:06] you feel. Are you enriched in your work? Are you providing value? Are you happy? Are you

[00:01:13] fulfilled? Are you doing work that gives you a sense of purpose? That, to me, is what success

[00:01:19] is. It's not about climbing this corporate ladder, which I think so many people are obsessed

[00:01:23] with or focus too much on and then find that they're really miserable when they get to a

[00:01:28] certain level and they realize I'm not doing work that brings me joy. So I think this is really

[00:01:33] important. And it's important to a lot of people, according to a survey conducted by the Society

[00:01:38] for Human Resources Management, SHARM, 72% of employees ranked opportunities for career advancement

[00:01:44] as one of their top influencing factors in job satisfaction. We all want to grow. And

[00:01:50] now we have to figure out what does that look like? What does growth look like for me?

[00:01:54] Is it moving into management? Is it learning new skills? Is it becoming more specialized? Is

[00:01:59] it becoming more generalized? Those are all very personal and individual journeys based on our

[00:02:04] strengths, our talents, our goals where we are in life. While a lot of us also look at security

[00:02:10] and stability in our jobs is really important. The true measure of success lies in continuously

[00:02:15] expanding our skill set, seizing opportunities for advancement, and position yourself as the

[00:02:20] go-to resources in your company. When you prioritize personal development, strategic networking,

[00:02:27] and making impactful contributions, you paved the way for a much more fulfilling and rewarding

[00:02:32] career journey that trends this idea that I have to climb the corporate ladder and that

[00:02:36] success is really only about making money. No, it's not about being indispensable in the workplace.

[00:02:42] It's about having joy in your work and having your job be aligned with your talents and your

[00:02:50] strengths so that you feel like you are doing your very best work instead of constantly working on

[00:02:55] things that you're not that good at. And maybe might only ever be mediocre at if you really put

[00:03:01] a bunch of time into it. So that's what I want to talk about today, how you can accelerate

[00:03:05] your career. And these are the things that I've done and that I've seen work here at Stone Age.

[00:03:10] So the number one thing to do is get stuff done and be easy to work with. If you want to be indispensable

[00:03:16] at work, you have to master these two traits. Being highly productive is really important. We

[00:03:23] all are here to add value to our customers without our customers we would cease to exist.

[00:03:27] And every single one of us plays a role in helping provide that value to our customers. So

[00:03:34] you need to be able to get things done. You need to be able to prioritize your workload

[00:03:38] and you need to be able to sit down and focus and move the needle. Everybody's looking for people

[00:03:44] who enjoy getting things done and who have the capability of getting things done. The second

[00:03:49] important trait in this first one is fostering workplace relationships. Those two go hand in

[00:03:54] hand. If you get things done but leave a wake of destruction behind you, we are not going to

[00:03:58] probably grow in your career. You'll be topped out at some point. We all want competent

[00:04:03] people but we also really want to work with people who we like. So you need to strive

[00:04:07] to deliver that balance. How do you get high quality work done on time while maintaining this

[00:04:12] collaborative and supportive demeanor within the workplace? Be known as someone who gets things

[00:04:17] done and who collaborates effectively with others. You will be indispensable and you will be

[00:04:23] tapped on the shoulder for another opportunity. 100% that is what I've seen. Everybody in

[00:04:29] Stone Age who is good at getting things done and who is easy to work with, who is working on

[00:04:34] their collaboration skills, being a great teammate. They go far in their careers.

[00:04:39] The second thing is to avoid gossip and complaining. Gossip and complaints poison

[00:04:45] the workplace environment. It erodes trust and damages relationships and it's just all around

[00:04:50] not healthy. And we are all guilty of it. We all get frustrated at work. We can get frustrated

[00:04:56] with a coworker. We get frustrated with our boss. We get frustrated with the situation

[00:05:00] and sometimes it feels good to vent. But really what we do when we engage in that negative talk is

[00:05:06] that we focus people on the wrong things and it just gets everybody all agitated. Negativity

[00:05:13] begets more negativity. You can't be negative and expect positivity to come out of it.

[00:05:17] Doesn't mean that positive things can't happen when you focus on solutions and finding problems

[00:05:23] but it's all about your mindset. If you gossip and if you complain you are going to

[00:05:27] not be tapped on the shoulder because leadership is looking for people who wants to help solve

[00:05:32] problems, who shows up with that positive mindset, who isn't afraid of the challenges

[00:05:37] and doesn't talk about the company, their coworkers and their bosses. So instead of engaging in

[00:05:44] negative talk when things get frustrating, focus on maintaining that positive and professional

[00:05:48] demeanor. Be someone who uplifts others, who fosters that culture of respect and address

[00:05:55] concerns constructively and directly. Don't talk behind people's back. I love how Scott Snyder

[00:06:00] put it. He was on a podcast of mine a couple of weeks ago. He is the president of the

[00:06:06] Exoplanet Institute and he said, make sure you're delivering the mail to the right address.

[00:06:11] And that means that when you're giving feedback or you're addressing a situation

[00:06:14] that you're talking to the right person about it. Gossiping behind somebody's back is not

[00:06:18] delivering the mail to the right address. It's causing more issues in the workplace

[00:06:23] and it really honestly, it demeans your own professionalism. So demonstrate professionalism

[00:06:29] and integrity by steering clear of the gossip and the complaints, making yourself a trusted

[00:06:35] and reliable colleague. People will notice. I promise. The third thing is to focus on

[00:06:40] continuous growth and learning. We're being curious, learning, seeking growth opportunities.

[00:06:46] That is how you expand your skills. That's how you make it known that you're interested

[00:06:51] in learning new things, gaining new knowledge and becoming more of an expert in what you do,

[00:06:57] whether that's in your role or in your industry. So I recommend that you stay abreast of industry

[00:07:02] trends and developments. Be proactive in seeking new challenges. Raise your hand if you want

[00:07:07] to take on something new, even if it's scary, you're going to get outside of your comfort

[00:07:11] zone. Always look for ways to learn. Read. Reading, reading, reading is so incredibly

[00:07:18] important. Read books, read publications, read things that stretch your thinking, that teach

[00:07:22] you new things. If you want to learn a new skill, invest in yourself. A couple of years ago, I knew

[00:07:28] that I wanted to do more public speaking and I was okay at it, but I knew I could be better.

[00:07:33] So I hired a speaking coach and she helped me take my speaking to the next level.

[00:07:37] That is learning and that is growth and it was really uncomfortable. I would have to get up

[00:07:42] on Zoom and give her my speech and have her critique it. It was really tough, but it was

[00:07:48] so incredibly powerful and a way for me to invest in myself to help me get better at what I'm going

[00:07:54] to do. That impacts me in all different areas of my life, whether it's talking to people in

[00:08:00] my company, trying to affect movement and change in my industry or giving a keynote to

[00:08:05] hopefully change the narrative of how capitalism is working and why employee ownership can help

[00:08:10] fix that. So invest in yourself, invest in growth and learning. Number four, excel in your role.

[00:08:17] Whether you are a specialist with deep expertise in a particular area or a generalist with a

[00:08:22] broad range of skills, you really need to be good at your job. So dedicate yourself to

[00:08:27] mastering your responsibilities. Practice, practice, practice. Get good at your job.

[00:08:32] When you get good at your job, you are 100% are going to get tapped on the shoulder

[00:08:36] for a new opportunity. And when you get good at your job, you find more purpose and meaning in it.

[00:08:41] Practice and mastery leads to purpose. Whether through deep specialization or versatile

[00:08:46] proficiency, being a generalist, being exceptional at what you do will make you

[00:08:50] indispensable to your team, to your organization, and it will help you accelerate your career.

[00:08:56] And then finally, build a strong professional network. Who you know

[00:09:00] matters. Building a strong professional network is absolutely essential for making yourself

[00:09:05] indispensable in the workplace and for helping you navigate different opportunities.

[00:09:11] So cultivate those relationships with your colleagues, your mentors, industry professionals,

[00:09:15] your leadership team, look for ways to collaborate and advocate for yourself throughout your career.

[00:09:22] When you build that robust professional network, you expand your influence and visibility from

[00:09:26] within the organization and from outside of the organization, which means that you will

[00:09:31] get tapped on the shoulder for new opportunities. People will call and say,

[00:09:34] Hey, would you maybe be interested in this board position? Or would you be interested

[00:09:39] in this new role? Would you be interested for taking this new project on? It is absolutely

[00:09:45] important that you have a strong network so that you can lean on people when you are

[00:09:50] looking for new opportunities and so that you are visible. So people see you and tap

[00:09:54] you on the shoulder for new opportunities. So those are the things that I've really done

[00:09:58] to help accelerate my career growth and it really requires standing out and consistently

[00:10:04] adding value, whether that is through unique skills by being helpful, by being great at your job,

[00:10:11] by providing value to your customers and your teammates. When you hone in your essential skills

[00:10:17] and you become really helpful when you maintain a positive can do attitude,

[00:10:22] when you are committed to continuous growth and learning and curiosity and cultivating

[00:10:26] your skills, you not only sublify your position within the organization but you propel yourself

[00:10:32] personally and professionally. It's so important. Just remember becoming indispensable and being

[00:10:37] really great at your job isn't just about job security. It's about being a driving force of

[00:10:42] innovation and success both for yourself and for your organization. All right. I hope you

[00:10:48] enjoyed that podcast today. I will leave you to your day and I look forward to hosting

[00:10:53] you next week and if you like this podcast, please share it with a friend, write a review,

[00:10:57] go on YouTube and subscribe to it or on your favorite podcast platform. I really appreciate it.

[00:11:02] Thanks so much and we'll see you next week.