The most successful people in your industry and profession may not be better than you. They also may not be more intelligent, talented, or hardworking than you. However, I bet they are great at something most of us usually are not: Promoting themselves. Of course, self-promotion isn’t enough. You do need a baseline of competence in your job. However, I think we’ve all noticed that management will promote someone who is good enough at their job — and great at getting noticed — more often than someone who might be even better at their job, but no one is aware of them or what they do.How did things turn out for you last year with your performance review? * Did your boss notice and appreciate your hard work? * Did they promote you? * Did you receive a significant raise? * Are you happy with the recognition you’ve received?Or did you get passed over for a promotion this cycle? Are you frustrated with working hard and doing all the right things but don’t seem to get ahead at work?Well, that’s why I write this newsletter and share my career advice. If you work hard and are good at what you do, you deserve to be treated well at work. That should be recognized and reflected in your compensation. I want you to be successful and happy, so I will share some advice to help you get ahead this year. Here are five things successful people tend to do better than most. Note that 3-5 tap into the self-promotion skill. * Focusing* They focus passionately on being great at something. * Helping * They help others and generate a lot of goodwill, which encourages reciprocity. * Networking * They network intelligently and consistently. * Marketing * They’re good at capturing attention and converting it into opportunity. * Selling* They understand that selling is all about building relationships and solving people’s problems. Let’s dive into each one of these in a little more detail. FocusingIf you’re a jack-of-all-trades, becoming an expert at anything is challenging. Yes, our jobs require a wide range of knowledge, skills, and tasks, but there should always be a primary focus. The folks who rise to the top know how to focus their time and energy on what matters the most for their job. They do everything they can to improve at that one thing (e.g., sales, writing clean code, elegant design, strategic thinking, relationship building, persuasion, writing, playing guitar, statistical analysis, research, etc.). What is the one thing that represents excellence in your profession? Note: this will change as you climb the career ladder. What got you to your current level will not take you to the next level. For example, I started my tech career as a designer. Doing great design work efficiently and effectively got me promoted to more senior levels as an individual contributor. However, as I moved into design management, my design skills were no longer what made me stand out. Effective leadership was much more important than my ability to design interfaces. Now, this doesn’t mean you can drop the ball on the many requirements of your job beyond the “one thing.” But don’t ever prioritize those over your most important focus area. I’ve seen people do that (e.g., an engineering manager writing great code but doing a poor job of managing the team), and then they wonder why they’re no longer getting promoted. Helping The most successful people help other people succeed. It creates a virtuous cycle. Rising to the top of your career ladder by climbing over the bodies of your fallen colleagues isn’t a smart strategy. I think we all know some people who have done that. But, eventually, those chickens come home to roost, and these people fail. Industries are small, and people talk. The selfish folks soon find that no one wants to hire or work with them. Be generous with your time and advice. Obviously, don’t overdo this to the point where your work or personal life suffers. But help when and where you can. For example, I spent about ten years helping people with their career issues and connecting them with potential employers for free. Friends, old colleagues, and connections in my network would reach out, and we’d meet over coffee or lunch to discuss their career goals. Fast forward ten years, and I started a career coaching business to help even more people and make it my primary focus. Many of my first clients were the same people I’d helped in the past. Many of those people referred more potential clients to me. People like to help people! And the most successful people make it part of their lives. NetworkingIntelligent networking creates opportunities. You shouldn’t only do it when you need a new job. Thanks to my network: * I landed every single one of my tech jobs. * I’ve been invited to speak at events (some were paid engagements). * I’ve been invited to participate in panels and speak on podcasts. * People reached out to hire me for consulting engagements. * I found talented people to hire...
