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By Gus Downing, CEO
A person's career
is defined by many things. Most often we tend to focus on
the victories and the accomplishments. But, it is our
defeats that define us as individuals and executives.
These defeats, which the masses spread more rapidly than
we'd like, tend to offer our biggest opportunity for growth
and learning. The victories tend to be expected and become
footnotes of yesterday while our defeats stay with us as
scars visible for everyone's interpretations. And it is
these interpretations that most often have more of an impact
on a person's career than the actual defeat itself.
Interpretations become opinions and opinions give birth to
reputations. And reputations become the silent wind that
fuels the sail. Because a career is a long journey that you
attempt to navigate, the sail is what determines your speed,
your direction, and your distance.
A person's reputation plays a critical role in the
advancement of the individual regardless of level. And while
a reputation is a direct result of perceptions of
yesterday's actions and behaviors, it is also impacted by
the various special interest groupings in every industry and
the industry community itself, regardless of the validity.
With reputations having two components—one that is
influenced by our actions and behaviors and the other by the
special interest groups that exist in every industry—it
would seem natural to conclude than that we can only
influence the one component within our control, our own
actions and behaviors. But this is only possible if we're
willing and able to learn from our mistakes and defeats.
Although most everyone understands the importance of
learning from our mistakes, which our parents drilled into
us at an early age, the fact remains that some people can't,
perhaps due to a host of variables ranging from intellect,
personality, and psychological makeup.
Assuming we can and do learn from our mistakes, we should
set out each day to not make the same mistake twice and do
the best we can. However, as life would have it, we will
continue to make some, and hopefully continue to grow in the
process. The key word here is growth. If you can grow from
your experiences, stay focused on the day with an eye on
tomorrow, and lead with your heart and think with your mind,
then most everything will follow.
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The industry
community and special interest groups will always have an
opinion of everyone within it. This reality has been here
since the beginning of time and will never change. Certainly
one must be aware of it and understand it. You, too, will
inevitably take part in it no matter what level you're at.
But there are some things you can do to impact your
reputation and, just as important, the reputation of others
as you become part of the wind for another's sail.
Beyond the
obvious of doing a good job each and every day and giving it
your all as everyone preaches, try looking at it in a
different angle. Think about who you want to be tomorrow and
start being it today, because yesterday is behind us and
today will lead to tomorrow.
Look at the immediate group you work with and visualize what
role you play within it. Try to determine what their
perceptions of you are and be open and honest about your
weaknesses and their opinions. Listen to the wind and don't
over rationalize just to make yourself feel better.
A person's career is defined by
many things. Most often we tend to
focus on the victories and the
accomplishments. But, it is our defeats
that define us as individuals
and executives.
One of the hardest things to do is to be able to accept
constructive criticism. Criticism, whether it be
constructive or not, is what fuels all gossip. Being open to
hear it and willing to deal with it is what will allow you
to potentially change it. Take the time, and have the
courage to ask the tough questions about yourself with the
group that's around you and be sincere. You might be
surprised!
Be concerned with not just your immediate career, the next
job, or the next promotion, but with what others think. That
will allow you the ability to start molding who you want to
be and the rest will take care of itself. Likewise, remember
that when you speak about others, everyone is listening. And
what you say is not just a reflection of your thoughts and
opinions about them, it's also a reflection of you as an
individual and as a professional. Therefore, as a
professional member of a specific community, be accurate,
honest, and professional when you become part of the wind.
Reputations can be very fickle, and every industry group has
its cliques just like in high school. And there are those,
regardless of what you do, that will never like you for
whatever reason, and they will blow hard into the wind of
your sail. Just remember, lead with your heart, think with
your mind, face the storm, do the best you can every day, be
a professional, and always listen to the wind. At the end of
the day, rest well knowing that you've done your best and
that you can't please all the people all the time. After
all, there is always tomorrow.
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