10 Important Lessons I’ve Learned in My Career

My career path has been very non-traditional. 

I studied to be an anthropologist & teacher. I’ve made ice cream, worn a headset in a drive thru selling tacos, & was certified as a sandwich artist. I’ve hung out with Jared, Bobby Flay & Tony Bennett at events. I’ve worked directly with marketing leaders responsible for the original Dos Equis’ “Most Interesting Man” campaign and the Staples EASY button. I’ve been a guest speaker at universities & at CMO marketing conferences. My work on “team culture” has been published as a “best practice” by a best-selling motivational speaker/author and I’ve been recognized as a Top 50 2020 Global Marketer by my peers. I’ve also been laid-off, let go & downsized on 4 different occasions. Life is a wonderful, wild, unforgiving & totally unpredictable adventure.

Throughout my career, I have been given lots of opportunities and I have also faced many challenges. I’ve learned a lot about myself, what to look for in a job and the kinds of people to work with.

Here are 10 of the most important things I have learned:

1.    Work on things that interest you.

(OR Do what you love, with the people you love, as often as you can.)

Our lives are ours to live. Do things you find interesting, things your passionate about, things that motivate you. And when you’ve reached your threshold with one thing, move onto something new. It’s ok that it changes over time. And, despite conventional wisdom, it’s ok to start out in one field & switch to another. If you’re like most people, you’ll be working for 45 – 50 years of your adult life. You should have more than one job or career in your lifetime. Find work that brings you joy, fulfillment & a sense of purpose.

2.    The people you work with matter.

We spend lots of time with the people we work with. 8 -10 hours a day, 5 days a week, for 45 – 5- years. They influence the way we think. Many times, they become our dear friends and if we’re lucky, feel like family. We go to lunch with them, have coffee with them, help them through difficult moments and celebrate special occasions. Make sure you work with people you like; I dare say, do everything you can to work with people you love. People who inspire & push you. People who respect you. People who make you a better person.

3.    Know your north stars.

First, knowing what motivates you is critical. Is it how much money you make? Your title? Status? Traveling? Being recognized for your accomplishments? Being recognized as a good leader? A need to feel in-charge? A desire to make a contribution or having a deeper sense of purpose? Working for a well-known brand or a boot-strap startup? Job stability? Providing for your family? Maintaining your lifestyle?  Socializing with others? Answering this question honestly and creating a plan to follow your north stars determines your happiness. 

Second, what you believe and what you stand for also matters. On any given day, your beliefs, morals or ethics may be called into question by a peer, a supervisor, a client or your own motivations. When these situations arise, knowing what you stand for will make you better prepared to make the right choices and do the right thing.

4.    Passion takes you places & gets you noticed.

Be excited about what you do. Raise your hand & volunteer for the special project. Ask questions & write things down. Stay late. Go the extra mile. Do the work… and then ask for what you want; again, and again, and again if you have to. Chase down the things that interest you and if you find meaning in what you do, do it for as long as can. Most of all, follow your heart. People notice passionate, authentic people, (they’re in the minority…) and often reward them with unique opportunities. 

5.    Always, under every circumstance, be as positive as possible.

Energy, energy, energy. People like working with positive people. More often, people will choose energy and optimism over other attributes. For the average person, learning a new industry, technical skill or new set of responsibilities comes relatively easy with training and commitment. But being positive is an attitude, a state of mind, an approach to life. When you’re positive, you are often picked for projects, which gives others the opportunity to get to know you and your capabilities, which typically turns into new opportunities.

6.     Be ready for change.

Life is change. I’ve worked at 11 different companies, in 15 different positions. Each one has come with new roles and responsibilities, a new supervisor with different expectations and management styles. Beyond that, I’ve had to completely re-imagine my career four times. One minute I’m on top of the world, the next, a new technology transforms the industry, or my boss gets fired or my company gets bought out and… significant, life change. My choices become adapt, get let go, or change careers. People say they love to change but see what happens when REAL change comes. The Stoics were right. The only thing we can control is our response to life. And that means being as prepared, flexible, open-minded and resilient as possible.

7.     Create a “bright light of scrutiny” test for yourself.

Be responsible for you actions & accountable for the work you do. Don’t wait for others to do it for you. Proactively work to demonstrate that your work is important and adding value to the organization you work for, even when someone isn’t watching. Always assume they are.

 8.    Contribute as if it’s your first day, every day.

You are not entitled to the job you have today, tomorrow. It doesn’t matter how much experience you have. It doesn’t matter how old you are. Or how long you’ve been in a position or at a company. Or who you know at the company or if you are related to someone at the company. No matter how you try to rationalize it, justify it or quantify it. None of it matters. You are replaceable and expendable. Come prepared to add NEW value tomorrow. The truth is, tomorrow is not today, or yesterday, or last month or last year. You were compensated, recognized and bonused for those contributions. THAT is in the past. How you leverage your experience, your connections, your intelligence, your flexibility and skills for tomorrow’s challenges is the only thing that matters.

9.     Have an insatiable curiosity to understand the people you are selling to.

As a marketer, as a salesperson, and, as a C-level executive, the most important thing you can do is understand & learn everything you can about the people you are selling to. Your current customers, your current prospects, the one you want to sell to in the future. Get into their heads. Walk in their shoes. Understand every behavior, every decision-making nuance and every influence on why they do the things they do as it relates to the business decisions they make.

10.  Politics Matter.

Sure, creativity matters. intelligence matters. performance matters. Even “the work”, matters. But… politicking matters more. All of the things I’ve listed may factor into your success, but in the end, none of it will be enough, unless you understand how you company’s politics work. Having good working relationships with influencers, networking and knowing who to trust, all have a significant outcome on your success or failure at an organization. Do not overlook or under value the importance of understanding “who’s in charge” and who makes the decisions.

What are some of the lessons you’ve learned? I would love to hear what you