10 Strategies for 20 Somethings to Build Credibility in the Workplace

A letter to my 25 year old self . . .

Woo hoo! You've reached a quarter of a century! Congratulations! You survived your childhood and adolescence. Wow. You are a full-fledged adult now. There have been many highs and many lows but you survived and now you want to thrive, I know.

I also know you may be feeling a alone in the world but you are on the right track now and you are NOT alone. All the crazy and wild times of the past 10 years helped you to be the person you are today. You screwed up plenty but at least you know who you do NOT want to be and now you can put your best foot forward into becoming the next greatest version of yourself.

You are still young with so much to look forward to!

And don't worry about love. Just keep on becoming the best person you can be and you will, at the right time, attract the most awesome love of your life who will adore your independent, beautiful self fully and completely. He will mirror all your good qualities too so keep working on it. He'll be the best partner ever so trust in the process. It will happen.

But for now, I want to congratulate you on landing the big job!

Since I'm writing to you from 30 years in the future, I won't tell you all that is going to happen because, well, your life just wouldn't be much fun if you knew what was going to happen.

But I am going to give you some advice that will serve you well in your new career so listen up.

This is the "stuff" you need to create an awesome life and career. Trust me (I mean you sorta have to, right?), it's not about what you know right now, it's about how you show up. When you show up with the right "stuff", the opportunities, mentors, money, and accomplishments WILL follow.

These traits, characteristics, strategies or whatever you want to call them are each important and are not listed in any special order.

Some of them may come more naturally to you and some may seem pretty damn hard - but don't let any of them slide. Work on this stuff and all the rest of your life will fall into place. I know you can do this.

So this is how I (we) did it:

1. Build awesome relationships. You can start by practicing the manners your parents taught you. Treat everyone the way you want to be treated, i.e. with respect. You can build rapport by using positive body language: lean in when speaking, don't cross your arms, don't let others (or the phone!) distract you, have strong posture, maintain eye connection, use a firm handshake and smile. People will make an assessment of you in the first 7 seconds of meeting you and then in the next 5 minutes they will be looking for the justification of that assessment to prove they are "right." So build that rapport and you'll begin to build credibility right away. Don't let your anxiety or negative voice in your head rule. Rise above it and the voice and anxiety will change then go away.
2. Listen. I mean literally shut your mouth when others are speaking and really listen. I know it's hard but you have to remember this. When you show you are interested in what others have to say you are building your relationship and your likeability factor. There are studies which show that people who are likeable actually make more money! Listening also raises your approachability and people will think you are more open-minded. Both are additional traits you want to embrace. In fact when you really listen to what others are saying and suspend judgement, you will become more open-minded.
3. Be trustworthy. So basically I'm talking about not only keeping secrets but stop the gossip. Don't talk about others behind their back. If you have a beef with someone, speak to them directly. If rumors are going around don't let them be associated with you. The more management trusts you, the greater your span of responsibility will become and the more choices you will get when it comes to assignments. In addition, you'll build higher credibility which will give you more control over your career. When you have a reputation of being a person of integrity, you are being a leader, even if you don't have any direct reports.
4. Be consistently reliable. This is kind of a hard one for you because you always want to have a good time but you can do both. At first this will take some self-discipline but the good news is that once you master self-discipline (just f'ing do it even if you don't want to) well, then it becomes a habit and it's not painful anymore. Once the pain goes away, of doing the thing that's not pleasant, and you can actually follow your own commands, after doing the hard thing, you get to feel REALLY good. When you do what you say you are going to do, you become trustworthy and reliable at work and in your life. This builds your relationships because people trust you.
5. Positivity is key. Nobody wants to be around a negative thinker or a drama queen. I know it's kinda fun sometimes to vent and be outraged when something seems stupid or wrong but don't feed on it or let it take over. When you are at work, in meetings, get on board with the direction of the company. Learn about change management and how much better it is to go with the flow. Be a positive force for change and help your colleagues see the possibilities. When you have a positive nature and attitude then you will get the option of being on special task teams. And when management asks for volunteers? You volunteer. It will change your life in ways you can't even imagine. I promise.
6. Develop your Self. Personal growth equals professional growth. Learn as much as you can about what makes you tick. What is your personality type? What is your communication style? What are the tasks you really love to take on? What are your highest values? What floats your boat and makes your come alive? Find out what you are passionate about and pursue those things. Learn as much as you can and be willing to ask for and receive feedback. Especially this. You will have some blind spots about things that other people you trust can make you aware of. Don't wait for them to tell you. Ask. Learn. Grow. Find a mentor too - they can help with this.
7. Develop your EQ (Emotional Quotient). When you stay positive, work on yourself, become self-disciplined, trustworthy and reliable, you will find that it will be easier to respond instead of react. You will be able to feel your heavy emotions (anger, fear, confusion, etc.) yet not have to act on them. You can step back, think, discuss your options and then respond instead of lashing out or staying something stupid that you'll have to apologize for later. Once you get a handle on your own emotional charges (the things that set you off), you'll then be able to identify emotions and charges in others. Once this happens you can help others to work things out without the drama or making things worse. Having a high EQ is super important if you want to be a good leader.
8. Stay humble. It's okay to celebrate yourself and your accomplishments but when others recognize you publicly, remember all the people that helped you along the way. When you finally get your degree (and you will), remember that if it wasn't for the love and support of your family and friends, not to mention the company who helped finance it, it probably wouldn't have happened. (Or won't happen since if you are reading this, it hasn't happened yet.) Remember, you are not alone so make sure you recognize and give credit to the others that helped you with your success.
9. Have fun! Life at work will be serious. There are people there who never smile. It's okay to be serious and to be taken seriously but it's also just as important to have fun too! Remember not to take yourself too seriously. If there is a chance for levity in a tense situation that really doesn't need to be tense, then lighten things up. See the humor in things. Laugh as often and as much as you can appropriately do. People will want you on their team if you know how to have fun you can help raise the energy of the group and everyone will want to be around you. Life is too short to not have fun at work. And they are going to pay you the same whether you are serious or joyous so you might as well feel good and still meet your objectives. It helps build morale and relationships.
10. Practice self-compassion. It goes without saying that you'll have to learn to forgive others and have compassion for others and the best way to do that is to practice it on yourself first. You'll have lots of opportunities because you will make mistakes and do some things wrong. Everyone does. You are human after all. So when it does happen from time to time, don't beat yourself up. Don't believe all the negative messages you might have received from others or your internal judger. Don't believe that critical inner voice. Nurture yourself instead and change the message. After all, you are in charge, so change your thoughts to make them work for you instead of against you. I love you.

So there you have it. You are on the road to a brilliant future but the time is now.

Embrace all you are and keep working on becoming the next best version of yourself and all the rest will be given to you. Make your dreams come true and don't ever give up!

With love and patience,

Maureen

P.S. For more information on my FREE Seminar: Fire Up Your Career running next week on September 7 & 8th (same seminar with 2 options of attending) click here to find out the time and how to call in!