5 Ways to be a Success in Your Career (and Life)

There have been many books and articles written about how to be successful in your career. You could spend the next few years reading through them all but if you put into practice the following principals you'll be well on your way to career and life success.

1. Control your speech. In other words, learn to avoid speaking to others when you are angry or

frustrated. If you receive an email that is hurtful or offensive take some time before crafting your response. It can be very difficult to repair a relationship that has been damaged by careless words.

2. Be humble. Few people want to work for, or spend time with, a boastful individual. Let your accomplishments and successes stand on their own and speak for you. This does not mean that you keep silent about them. They should be noted on your resume and personal web site and you can discuss your successes and strengths with anyone you seek to humbly lead, serve, and support.

3. Acknowledge others. You did not arrive at your successes on your own. Be sure to recognize those who help and support you in your work and life.

4. Be kind. Similar to what has been mentioned so far, kindness toward others will strengthen relationships and enable you to lead effectively. For some encouragement in this watch George Saunders' remarks about kindness at Syracuse University.

5. Make others a success. If you apply your strengths and skills to making those around you successful then you will achieve great things and others will seek you out. You will likely discover that you have many more opportunities than you imagined and others will take note that you work on successful projects. This also applies to your friends and family. Work to make others successful and you will be a great success in life and in your career.

Shine By Finding Cost Savings for Your Employer

One way to shine with your employer is to find and propose cost-saving solutions. What employer doesn’t appreciate an employee who can positively impact the company’s bottom line! And, if you are ever back in the job market, actual experience and pertinent examples of how you saved your prior company money can be a real selling point with prospective employers.

Here are some ways you may be able to implement cost savings for your current employer; some are obvious, while others are often taken for granted but are equally important.

Find Ways to Increase Productivity

Look for ways your company may be able to increase productivity while saving money and maintaining quality. Consider process changes, technology solutions, or other creative ideas, even if they require changing long-standing processes or mindsets. Remember to present your ideas professionally, so as not to insult others or come across as a “know it all.”

Identify Problems Early

Problems can lead to unexpected costs, so it is usually better to identify and discuss problems up front, before they develop or grow. Even better¾come to the table with possible solutions to potential problems.

Be Mindful of How You Spend the Company’s Money

If you’re responsible for a project or department budget, be mindful of expenses. For example, when approving or booking business travel, book flights in advance and find hotels offering complimentary services, like free shuttle service or Wi-Fi. Be a good financial steward for and with your company’s money.

Use Time Wisely

An employer expects you to use your time wisely by prioritizing effectively, focusing on appropriate tasks, and being respectful of your coworkers’ time. These tips may seem obvious, but almost everyone has worked with someone who functions quite the opposite at work—surfing the Web for non-work information, arriving late to meetings, or distracting co-workers with idle chit chat. All of these interfere with productivity and, ultimately, cost the company money.

Stand Out: Get Recognized

Recognition in the workplace often comes from being your own advocate, especially if you have a manager who isn’t particularly great at recognizing team accomplishments. And typically, co-workers are too busy vying to catch the attention and recognition of their own managers to take notice and recognize your work. In other cases, your manager and others simply haven't been made aware of your accomplishments.

You can tactfully champion your own accomplishments and get the recognition you deserve by acting on the following tips:

Build a mutually respectful and professional relationship with your manager: Communicate regular project/task status updates to your manager using a preferred channel of communication (e.g. meetings, reports, emails, etc.). Find opportunities for brief and informal face-to-face interactions, which may be as simple as stopping by his/her office to say hello. Being visible helps keep you top-of-mind with your manager.

Report out: When you reach a milestone with a project or have a new idea or solution to a problem, share it with pertinent co-workers and management via email. When possible, quantify the benefits.

Contribute ideas and volunteer for new tasks: Share your ideas and opinions and be willing to take on new tasks. By doing so, your co-workers and management will see you as a contributor and a team player.

Track and record accomplishments: It is easy to get busy with daily tasks at work and lose track of your accomplishments. Take a few minutes each week to write a note highlighting some of the key achievements. Record, date stamp, and keep your accomplishments noted in a file you can later reference for preparing for a performance review or updating your resume.

Take pride and credit: Be proud of your work, whether it's recognized by others or not. And when your work is being referenced in your presence, be confident and comfortable about taking credit for it, but in a tactful way.