Try It Differently to Stand Out

In my last blog, I introduced six powerful skills for career success. Experiencing Doing is the first skill. This means amassing as many experiences as possible and broadening your array of interests and exposures through activities.  This exposes you to new learning, potential interests and passions, and people who might have something to teach you.  Author Barbara Sher once wrote, "You can learn new things at any time in your life if you're willing to be a beginner. If you actually learn to like being a beginner, the whole world opens up to you."

When I started out in my career, I wanted to be a corporate trainer – one who designed and delivered training in management, leadership and communications.  In my second job as a training and development professional for RCA, Missile and Surface Radar, I became a sponge for any experience I could get – taking on anything new. I learned statistics (something I thought I would hate) and research in the area of organization development – which opened my eyes to another career direction.  This led me to get a masters and a doctorate degree, and took me on a new journey that I appreciate every day.

What this can mean for you? This attitude towards your career will bring you countless opportunities to grow, show others that you are open to new ideas and learning new skills, and the joy of living the spirit of adventure.

Here are three tips – great for the start of our new year:

Start with a beginner’s mind. A beginners mind is a concept in Zen Buddhism that refers to having an attitude of openness and eagerness, as well as a lack of preconceptions when studying a subject, even when studying at an advanced level, just as a beginner in that subject would. Adopting a beginner’s mind means taking a step back to focus on what you can learn from others.

“In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities; in the expert's mind there are few.” ~ Shunryu Suzuki, Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind

Ask plenty of questions out of pure curiosity to gain others’ perspectives and open doors.  While you may worry that asking questions can cause others to think you don’t know what you are doing, people actually feel honored to be asked for their thoughts, opinions and experiences. A well-framed question impresses others. Prepare some in advance.

Stop, look ahead, focus, and write yourself a quick note. STOP for a few minutes, before you answer one more email. LOOK AHEAD at the upcoming 12 months. FOCUS on the opportunities that will deliver the impact, the career fulfillment and the wealth that will make 2014 a success. Before you get distracted, WRITE A QUICK NOTE to yourself so your focus is in clear sight. Read more on this here.

–Andrea Zintz, Career Coach