I've been working
with a bunch of interns and twenty-somethings of late. As I pondered their
strengths and weaknesses - some want and need some direction and guidance,
others won't take it - I remembered my first hiring effort from many years ago.
It happened soon after my first management job as manager of capital budgeting
for a large automotive parts manufacturer. I was asked to be part of the company's
MBA recruitment effort and three days later was sent to a major university to
compete with the likes of IBM, Ford and P&G to recruit the best of the
bunch.
My boss, Chuck Jacob, and I interviewed the first student
together for 30 minutes. After 20 minutes of interviewing, Chuck gave his
famous 10-minute recruiting pitch. It went something like this:
Time is your most valuable asset; don't waste it. If you go
to Ford, IBM or P&G you'll learn a lot in the first year or two, but after
that expect slow growth. Worse, you'll be stuck fighting bureaucracy and old
ways of thinking. Worse still, if you stay too long, you'll never be able to
change. However, at our company you'll be able to get two to three years’
experience in your first year, and if successful, you'll get promoted rapidly.
We're in the process of turning around a billion-dollar business and you can be
part of it.
The pitch worked. It was also true. We hired four of the
best MBAs we met that day and all went on to remarkable careers. Chuck was the
number two financial guy at the group and only 28 at the time. Before he passed
away at too early an age, Chuck became the number one financial guy at two
publicly traded companies.
Since then, I've worked with hundreds of top performers.
Some were quickly promoted. Others forged their own careers or assigned
critical roles within their organizations. Regardless, many followed these
tried and true techniques on how to maximize their use of time. You might find
them useful as you launch or restart your career.
Some Powerful Lessons
on How to Maximize Your Use of Time
Don't wait for directions or ask for permission. As long as
you're moving forward you'll get kudos. Not doing anything is worse than doing
the wrong thing.
Don't be afraid to make important decisions. Being too
cautious over the years is a huge time waster. You'll wind up about where you
started.
Always consider the big picture. Tell people where you're
going before you tell them how to get there. Once you get in the weeds you'll
be lost.
Listen more than you talk. Adopt all of Stephen Covey's
seven habits but most important "Seek first to understand then to be
understood."
Strategy drives tactics, not the other way around. Don't let
a bunch of tactics, rules and processes define your strategy.
·
Don't make excuses. Doing something is better
than doing nothing. Even good excuses aren't good enough.
·
Timeliness is more important than quality. You
rarely need to be perfect. So get something done as soon as you can and then
make it better if time permits.
·
Don't complain. If you see something wrong, fix
it. If you need money to fix it, ask for it. Asking is good practice even if
you get turned down, so ask often.
·
Volunteer to handle projects big and small and
those over your head. This is how you exceed expectations, by doing more than
expected.
·
Gain a multi-functional perspective. This is
huge. You need to appreciate and understand the point of view and needs of
other people and other functions. This is how you create win-win situations and
broaden your own vision.
·
Constantly get better. You can get 10-20% better
every year by being more efficient. You can get 50-100% better by being
different.
Whatever you do over the next 2-3 years will impact the next
5-10. Time truly is your most valuable asset; don't waste it.
Credit: inc.com
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