Over 30 years ago I began a professional odyssey. Like other trailblazing pioneers who sought to use their skills to help people in a unique way, I was one of many professional innovators who confronted the usual ups and downs that go along with the intense task of creating a new aspect of one’s work.  I was not any brighter than anyone else nor, was I more successful; I just had a stronger desire to work much harder, and to make the sacrifices that were demanded of me.  I read a lot of books about people who have made a difference in their field and how they dealt with obstacles since they were the first and had no blueprint to work off of. What I found is that everyone’s methods and reasons differed and that no two people really had the same motivations in mind but there were some paths that resembled one another which I would like to share. A good part of what I saw as a template come from one of my favorite books on this subject. It is called: “Nobodies to Somebodies” by Peter Han. This is a book that chronicles the stories of successful overachievers and I think can help anyone who is eager to start (or like many of you who call me to be coached) “restart” a deeply satisfying career.  It describes how 100 business leaders in the fields of politics, arts, science, and nonprofits got started.  Here is just a sampling of what they suggest:

Here is what top leaders from many different fields already understand about what it takes to be the best “Ever”

·         Be relentless

·         Work hard, work smart and work some more…

·         Strive for a strong self-awareness

·         Do not just accept others assumptions of you

·         Increase your self-knowledge and find yourself first and run toward yourself, not away

·         Stray when required from preprogrammed career paths - be willing to stray off conventional paths – be adaptable

·         Emphasize your strengths and move away from your weaknesses – always endeavor for self-improvement

·         Know what makes you authentic and practice integrity whenever you are confronted with personal dilemmas

·         Be pragmatic when making decisions and developing solution based processes

·         Do not be afraid to chase your dreams

·         Be prepared not to have a financial safety net – trade in career-minded and monetary worries for passion - move beyond and conquer the world

·         Master the small pond as a big fish

·         Become aware of when to stay and when to go

·         Have patience when you must and lack it when necessary

·         Embrace an abundance of opportunities for professional growth

·         You have to be recognized to be advanced – if you are not…be prepared to move on

·         Acknowledge when you must maintain a professional holding pattern and when to go

·         Be mindful of your career moves and consciously evaluate them – seize initiative

·         Grow yourself professionally – constantly strive to broaden your functional expertise

·         Stretch your capabilities even if it entails sacrificing some glamour

·         Raise your visibility

·         Practice professional reinvention when indicated

·         Stop, enjoy and relish “key moments of your successes” – you earned them!

·         Be flexible with goals – do not let your old plans get in the way of new opportunities that are presented to you

·         Use discipline to stop…listen…and follow your intuitions

·         When you have finally made a decision, take decisive action

·         Put excellence in every task you perform for what it will eventually make of you as a professional

·         Be productively competitive by expressing your greatness – and not caddy or cruel or worse jealous or greedy

·         Look inside to find the social animal from within

·         Strive for likability by finding common ground with others

·         Practice reciprocity

·         Focus on constantly improving your communication skills

·         Become politically savvy

·         Develop relationships with institutions

·         Join clubs

·         View everyone as a teacher

·         Work toward a balance between your professional activities and your private ones – recognize the benefits of balance

·         Marry or partner well – make certain you can rely on your spouse / significant other for critical emotional sustenance

·         If required sacrifice nonfamily activities

·         Feed your hunger for enormous challenges and ambitions

·         Take a optimistic approach to life

·         Be interested in all that is assigned to you

·         Stand up for your ideals

·         Nothing has to end where it begins

·         Be intellectually curious

·         Failures merit your attention – learn everything you possibly can from them

Reference:
These are the recommendations of 100 top Fortune 1000 CEOs , science and academicians: Nobel prize winners, cabinet members, congressional representatives, governors, mayors and senators, arts and entertainment winners of Oscars, Pulitzers, Tony awards, authors of New York Times Bestsellers and our nation’s top organizational leaders

Digital Copyrights 2010 / All Right Reserved Victoria L. Rayner
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