I’ve gathered a few bits of wisdom and career advice that I’d like to share from my own experiences (and mistakes), listening to my Hult Business students and working with hundreds of entrepreneurs and innovators.
This career advice applies equally to both those early or those later in their careers.
- Start by measuring yourself differently. Define progress by how much you learn and success by how much you get to apply what you’ve learned
- Take care of yourself. Productive routines focused on improving health, learning and relationships are a great start
- Make decisions with a bias towards learning more. Great managers and mentors make all the difference. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. It’s amazing how helpful most people, most of the time will be if asked nicely, treated well and acknowledged
- Do what you love. If you can’t, then at least figure out how to love what you do. Passion is much more powerful and sustainable than necessity or greed. Would you do what you do for free? If so, you’ll be much more productive and happier
- Business is about people, not ideas or science. Empathy is more valuable than any hard skill. Listening to, learning from and reading about people pays big dividends. Every person on earth has strengths, insecurities and emotional needs. Learn to listen well. All decisions are emotional. Understand how people feel and you’ll understand how they’ll behave
- Your network of relationships is your most valuable, lasting and fragile asset. Treat it like it is. Set goals. Measure progress. Invest time and resources. Be helpful first. Ask for help later.
Some notes: I have found that the value of relationships in business are even greater than most people expect. And, most people don’t actively manage, set goals for or measure their performance in this area. This isn’t just career advice, it’s really life advice.