6 Ways to Learn More to Advance Your Career

It is difficult to keep up with the pace of change. Technology becomes more advanced daily. In order to be effective and successful in our careers we need to humbly seek to increase our understanding, learning more about our chosen field, and increasing our knowledge about the world and other cultures.

Consider the following strategies to help you learn more this year and be more effective in your career.

Be a discerning reader (and listener). Many of us get lost in the world of Facebook or Twitter without getting much beyond celebrity gossip, irritating trolls, or cute puppy videos. Instead, make an effort to limit your time on social media and grab a high-quality magazine, such as the New Yorker or Monocle. Make a practice of reading good books that bring you into unfamiliar (and uncomfortable) territory.

The same applies to your listening habits. Download a great podcast or audiobook and listen in on your commute, rather than sports radio or a vapid talk show.

Seek out a mentor. Find your Jedi Master or, at least, someone who is smart and knowledgeable in your field and learn what you can from them. People are more generous than you might think and are often eager to share with others the lessons they have learned. Be bold, take the initiative, and invite a would-be mentor out to lunch today. 

Ask for feedback from your boss. You might be one of those who tries to avoid his or her boss. This might be a common strategy, but it won’t aid your career. What you want, and need, is straightforward and honest feedback from your manager. This will enable you to understand your blind spots and weaknesses and become a more effective employee.

Watch intentionally. Don’t come home from work and mindlessly turn on the television. Watch with a purpose. Take a look at that documentary you’ve queued up on Netflix, or check out the new series on PBS. Or put aside the screens and grab a good book.

Take a class. Yes, this is an obvious one but should not be overlooked. You don’t need to spend a lot of money (or any at all), nor do you need to make a six-week commitment. Many classes are free—at your library, community center, church, or online—and require no more than an evening of your time or a few hours on a Saturday morning. You have many options and taking advantage of them can provide great benefits to your career.

Teach what you’re learning. One of the best ways to truly learn a subject is to teach it. Share what you’ve learned by providing a brief workshop at your place of employment or train your teammates
in a special team meeting. This will reinforce what you’ve learned and make it more real to you.

Commit to learning more this year by implementing these strategies and you’ll likely experience more success at work and at home.

Five Unconventional Traits of Successful People

Many of us picture successful people as the loud, outspoken, overly confident guy in the dark suit. He arrives to every gathering in a fancy car and is a bit obnoxious. He’s successful and he knows it.

However, successful people often have traits that run counter to this image and involve having a humble approach to life, along with a real talent for connecting with other people. Below are five traits to cultivate for success.

Be quick to listen and slow to speak. A successful person understands the important of listening and really hearing what others are going through and what their needs are. This enables them to be empathic to others and also to come up with creative ideas and solutions to real problems and issues facing their community and customers.

Be humble. True success and joy in your career path comes from an honest and humble assessment of your skills and victories. It’s necessary to realize that success is usually achieved in collaboration with others. Humility does not mean that we denigrate our successes or think lowly of ourselves but, instead, that we have a true and honest view of ourselves and others, and recognize that our achievements depend on the contributions of other talented individuals. And often even involve some luck.

Spread the credit for success around. Good leaders are sure to recognize the accomplishments of the team and make certain that the contributions of others are appreciated. They are quick to praise others and celebrate the strengths of those around them.

Help others succeed. Successful people are not in it for themselves. They actually seek to encourage and support the accomplishments of others, and aren’t afraid to work on a project or task that might seem “beneath” them or their position. The successful person humbly knows that success and happiness is not finite and they don’t need to “win” at the expense of others.

Generously mentor others. Successful people are curious and continuously learn, and then seek to share their knowledge with others. They do not fear sharing their secrets or “hacks” for success and productivity. They actively seek to mentor and pass on their knowledge and experience to others.

Seek to build and emulate these five traits of successful people.

4 Things to Do Once You've Been Promoted

So, you got the big news: all the hard work has paid off and you've been promoted to that job you've been coveting and working toward for months. Now what? This isn't a time to kick back and relax.

Take the following steps to continue your career momentum:

1. Celebrate and be grateful. Yes, you certainly deserve to celebrate your accomplishment. Enjoy that night out with friends and family and be grateful. And then be grateful every day. You'll want to remember the importance of being thankful on those days you question if you really all the responsibility of this new job.

2. Listen and Learn. Begin to listen to others you'll be working with and for. Hear their frustrations in the job, along with the things they enjoy and the processes that are going well. Begin to understand your role and how you can best support those around you, in addition to considering how to best apply your strengths and knowledge to the new position. Learn as much as you can from others and seek to serve those you work with, particularly those who report to you.

3. Find an ally. Often when a promotion occurs it means that at least one other person you'll work closely with was passed over for the job. These can be tricky situations and so it's important to find someone to discuss issues and concerns with. Find an ally and a mentor to help you move through the transition to your new role, especially in those early months when emotions are raw and everyone is still finding there way around the new structure.

4. Give yourself some slack. You'll make mistakes. That is a given. You'll need to learn how to quickly move on from your mistakes, own them responsibly, and learn from them. Learning from mistakes does not mean that you spend hours dwelling on them in an attempt to get things right. A good leader knows that you need to let your decisions go and move on.

5 Career Lessons from the Presidential Campaign

For many people in the this country November can't come soon enough and it will be a relief to be done with this election cycle.

But there are lessons we can take from the campaigns and apply them to our careers.

Though the campaigns have been divisive and seem to shed light on a clear divide in this country, we can take away from them the following five tips for our careers:

1. Contrary to what you might hear, truth counts. It's difficult to achieve personal or career success if you are not a person who values veracity and speaks the truth. The two main presidential candidates both have low approval ratings and that stems largely from a perception that they do not tell the truth.

2. Words matter. In some ways this election has been an assault on the English language, with incomplete and incoherent statements, along with various insults that, no matter how one attempts, can not be taken back or disregarded. We would do well in our careers (and life) to follow the simple advice we likely heard as children: "if you can't say something nice, say nothing at all."

3. Listen to those you work with and for. Successful politicians hear their constituents, they read the hopes and anxieties of people, and they respond to them with thoughtfulness and policies that demonstrate they've heard. In the same way, success in our careers is dependent on hearing the needs of our customers, co-workers, and managers, and acting on those needs in carefully considered ways.

4.  Preparation counts. Usually politicians have spent many years preparing to hold public office in ever increasingly responsible positions. They spend years studying the issues, meeting with constituents, and performing public service. In the same way, success in our careers takes time, effort, and preparation. Don't expect overnight success without putting in the work.

5. Success takes persistence. The election process in this country is a long process and takes great effort, determination, and persistence from our candidates, particularly those seeking the highest office. Similarly, success in your career is a process and requires one to persist, even in the face of clear opposition and failures.

These are five career tips you can take with you long after the election is over.

3 Things To Do When You've Been Passed Over For a Promotion

Several years ago I was passed over for a promotion I had been expecting and preparing for over the previous few years. My supervisor had made it clear that she intended for me to replace her.

However, after she left, and I went through the interview process a surprising thing happened. I did not get the promotion.

Unfortunately, my response to getting passed over was not helpful and soon after I left the company for a new position. It turned out to be a bad career and personal decision.

So here are three things you can do differently if you are passed over for a job promotion:

1. Allow yourself to feel ... angry, frustrated, sad, and any other emotion you experience. However, only allow yourself to focus on these feelings for a limited period of time, say 48 hours, and then move on. Dwelling on those feelings will have you experiencing bitterness and make it more difficult for you to make a good decision about the future of your work.

2. Ask, listen, and fully understand. Seek out a meeting with the manager who made the decision about the promotion. Do your best to go into the meeting with an attitude of curiosity and a genuine desire to understand why you did not get the promotion. Listen carefully and say very little. Do not attempt to persuade the manager that he or she made a mistake. Do not attempt to defend yourself against any shortcomings the manager identifies. Leave the meeting on good terms with the manager.

3. Humbly apply what you've learned. If the manager provided you with some specific and concrete ways to improve your performance and develop skills to make you more qualified for a promotion develop a plan to meet the objection identified. If you take a serious approach to dealing with any shortcomings identified you will likely find that another opportunity for a promotion will make itself available.

And then you will be ready for it.