Career Intelligence (CQ): Attributes for Surviving & Thriving in your Career

As the door to 2018 closes and I prepare to step into 2019, I have had, like many of you I’m sure, some time to peek back and reflect on the past year… lessons learned and lessons to share. 

In 2018, without realizing it, I started formulating my thoughts and experiences of what it takes to survive and thrive in your career in today’s evolving workplace. This was birthed from having been asked to speak to a number of college and graduate students from different universities, and guidance I regularly impart to every new hire I bring into the great company I work for. It’s something I truly enjoy doing to pass on what wisdom (and hard lessons) I’ve learned and continue to learn in my own career journey of twenty years in the field of Human Resource management, and in having supported, observed and witnessed in successful and not so successful leaders and employees in some remarkable companies.

These past couple years I have found to be uncommonly turbulent with two strong opposing political and moral forces that have impacted the workplace on many levels. Even in forward thinking and prosperous companies like Uber, Google and Starbucks we’ve seen our societal ailments show itself all too clearly. In fact, in response, we saw Starbucks shut all of its locations down, costing an inordinate sum of money, to teach all its staff about unconscious bias. Hoping those lessons were learned it will save them an inordinate amount of money downstream. I applaud them on the courage of doing this. Starbucks is not unique to this type of training or the need for it.  Other companies have been taking stock. You’ll find it being taught now in many intelligent companies, and the emergence of Diversity and Inclusion/Belonging teams in many organizations across many industries.

In the last two years, we’ve seen the rise of such movements as #blacklivesmatter, #metoo, and #timesup. In politics, you’re now seeing potential 2020 candidates contemplating running their candidacy on a platform of love with the likes of Cory Booker. In business, you see reputable leaders like Mark Cuban surprisingly discussing ‘being nice’ as one of the most under-rated skills in the workplace. Emotional intelligence (EI/EQ) is finally a common and well understood term in organizations with many training programs helping leaders and employees build and grow attributes that promote EI.

The work environment is changing, what is both valued and appreciated by prospective employees and desired by companies. And the war for talent resumes and has only been getting more challenging with unemployment being at an all-time low, and next to zero for those in technology-related jobs. And not just the war for any talent, but the right talent well beyond just skills, team and culture fit… but talent with the right set of morals, values, integrity and character. 

Yes, character counts and is starting to matter more and more in the workplace. Character is not necessarily something you can get a degree in or learn about in school. It’s not necessarily something that is taught in the workplace either. But, character, I think we’ll see more and more, is a differentiating factor in what companies will look for and foster in its workforce and a competitive advantage that businesses will thrive or falter on.

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So, I’ve painted some very broad strokes for you on my canvas to give you the background. I’m going to start filling in the detail of the picture now – the purpose of this essay – what it takes to not just survive but to thrive in your career in our modern world and the direction I see it heading. And since I’m the one doing the painting, I’m going to take the liberty to title this piece. I’m coining it Career Intelligence (CQ). Career Intelligence is a blend of IQ, EQ/EI, and that which I’m about to walk you through from my lessons learned in my healthy and fortunate career.

And now, I’m going to switch the metaphor on you from a painting to a recipe to help describe Career Intelligence as its blending of ingredients is not equal in parts. In fact, I’d say it’s made up of two parts IQ, a double serving of that for EI (you’ll find a ton or research showing that EI is what makes a good leader and/or successful employee), and a very generous amount of the following 25 ingredients. Hungry yet?

Well before we get started, let me confess that the importance of many of these attributes is not something I’ve made up, discovered, or defined. Many incredible figures throughout history have discussed the value and need to embrace, cherish and practice these attributes in one’s life and outlook – from the likes of Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King Jr, and Elie Wiesel to name just a few. What’s new however, that I’ve witnessed and calling your attention to, is that these attributes are now more and more valued, appreciated, sought after and expected in the workplace by employers and employees alike. It’s not just a modern moral demand, but a business imperative. Brands like the Hilton can’t afford to have its employees kicking out guests simply talking on the phone in their lobby because of the color of their skin. So listen up!

Recipe for Surviving and Thriving in your Career:

While there is some design to the order of ingredients that follows, feel free to stir it in your own order and take some liberties on the amount you do put in, but I would not substitute any of it. Many of these items are interdependent and required to get the right result. And that result is achieving Career Intelligence so that you can survive, thrive and flourish in your career today and tomorrow.

1.    Build Relationships and Trust

The workplace is made up of human beings… so build real relationships with them. Don’t see your employees and co-workers as just a means to get your objectives accomplished. Get to know them, and let them get to know you. In doing so you’ll establish the foundation of trust, and with trust you can then accomplish most anything. Without building trust, good luck at being able to sustain anything. 

Relationships require work and energy, not just to form but to maintain. Don’t take each other for granted. Put forward the time and effort that’s needed to establish relationships, and seek out all opportunities to do this from a chance encounter at the water cooler, to a meeting, to a work event. You’ll accomplish so much more, when you’ve formed strong rapport and trust. And you’ll enjoy work that much more as well. 

This is the number one ingredient to the recipe of a successful career.

2.    Be Genuine and Stick to Your Moral Compass 

People are smarter than we might give them credit for. Most can smell bullshit a mile away. Give them credit for this. That means being authentic and genuine. That means transparency. That means honesty. People appreciate and respect those of us who are real, authentic and genuine. This can tend to be a rare ingredient, especially if you’ve skimmed on the first ingredient. People will follow and work with those that are genuine.

And in your career, you may find that you are at odds with a decision, a philosophy, a practice, an approach, a work style. Don’t sacrifice what you believe to be morally right, fair, and proper. When you do, you give up a piece of yourself and will resent it later. You have to feel good about what you’re doing and how you’re doing it. This doesn’t mean you’ll always get your way, or need to be fully comfortable - often times you won’t, but you can choose how you approach the situation and you will have to have some tough conversations to work through it (pay attention to a number of the next few ingredients to help you get through this.)

3.    Be Kind

Be kind, courteous and respectful to all in the workplace! Not just to your boss, not just to executives, not just to your team – but to everyone from the janitor to an employee you may be at odds with on a project. We are not just the titles assigned to us in the workplace. We are human beings. If you can remember that, and remember to offer kindness and respect, you’ll get farther. While the squeaky wheel may seem to win out more often than it should, it’s limited and short term and is coupled with little respect and little followership.

Being kind starts with the little pleasantries from a “Good Morning” to a smile as you pass someone by in the hallway, to holding the elevator open, to offering help, and beyond. It’s the little things that require little effort but go so far. 

And being kind doesn’t mean being a pushover. You can be firm, stick to your position, while demonstrating courtesy, compassion, and kindness. Recognize you can do both! Most things in life are not an ‘either/or’ situation, but an ‘and/both’. 

4.    Be Fully Present

While yoga and meditation has entered the workplace, what I mean about being fully present extends beyond the mat. It’s enters the meeting room (virtual or not), the conversation, the reading of an email, the phone call, the one-on-one. It’s about paying attention and focused on what you’re immediately engaged in, and avoiding the distractions of other emails, text messages, concerns, conversations happening at the same time. 

If you can stay focused and in the moment, you’ll not miss important details, you’ll send the right message to those you’re interacting with, and you’ll likely be more productive. Sometimes to do more, you need to do less. That means stay focused on the one thing you’re working on or discussing, not the million others things you’ll get to later.

5.    Listen, Understand, and Communicate Effectively

Key to all successful relationships in life, in or outside the workplace, is the ability to actively listen, demonstrate your understanding, being empathetic, and communicating clearly, succinctly and effectively. This is where EI plays a huge part in the important set of ingredients to this recipe. I cannot underscore enough the importance of this. It sounds simple, but this can be the most challenging of things in the workplace, as you’ll often see in employee opinion survey results.

I can write an entire book on just this one… We typically find ourselves at a crossroad because we’re either not really listening to others and instead are thinking about pushing our own agenda, or we’re missing a set of facts others have that you need to hear, or we’re not stepping out of our own shoes to try and understand the perspective and feelings of others, and/or we’re not being clear or complete ourselves in what we’re trying to convey.

Put in the time, planning, thinking, and effort to ensure you get this right throughout your career. The workplace typically has us moving at lightning speed, but you need to slow down on this to keep up the pace or you’ll continue to meet challenges and obstacles and fall behind.

6.    Learn

Learn… and never stop learning. You’ll never know it all, and there’s always new information to absorb. Stay inquisitive, ask questions, don’t make assumptions, and remain curious. Evolve your thinking and your work. These are qualities that will help you grow in your career. They are also important qualities to ensure you keep an open mind, consider diverse perspectives, to lead to informed, better, and more innovative decisions that you’ll then make in your career and your life.

7.    Own your @#%!

Take accountability for your work, your decisions, and be honest when you make mistakes.  It’s okay to make mistakes (not the same ones over and over…) and explore and take smart risks, but own it. Don’t brush it under the rug. It will get noticed, and you will trip over it at some point. Better to own the good and the bad of what you’re responsible for. While people may not be happy about your mistakes, they will respect it when you own it.

8.    Be Purposeful and Intentional 

Have a plan, know the direction you’d like to go (or figure it out along the way), but move and act with purpose. Your course may shift directions, but you need a direction, and with every step you take, it should get you closer to that goal. Each day you should have purpose and intention.

And share. If your boss and your teammates know and understand your intention, it will avoid misunderstandings and assumed calculated agendas, and more likely garner support and help to get you there.

9.    Be Dependable

Be reliable and dependable. If you say you’ll do something, do it. There’s nothing exotic about this ingredient.  It’s simple as that. If you do not follow through on what you’ve agreed or committed to, you will quickly lose respect and trust. And as stated earlier, trust is hard and sometimes impossible to repair if broken. And without this, opportunities will be limited, new doors will likely not open.

If you cannot meet expectations, raise your hand quickly, seek help, see how you can be resourceful, but be timely in communicating your positive intention to be dependable and share what is getting in the way. I’m not saying start making up poor excuses. If you’ve encountered obstacles, come with at least ideas or thoughts on what you think is needed to get around them. Be solution-oriented. When you are, people will see you as more dependable.

10.  Be Organized 

I’ve always heard and have repeated that organization is key to success in every part of your life. One of the only things you can and will never be able to get back in life is… time. Don’t waste it. This ingredient goes hand in hand with being purposeful. Be efficient in all that you do. Have a place and time for everything. End and start your day with your plan. This will allow you to move faster, stay focused on the important things, maintain and a feel a sense of control of your day, to be productive. There are many techniques and strategies for organization. You have to find one that works for you – but find one and stick with it!

11.  Be Courageous

This is probably one of the hardest ingredients to find, but find it you must. Courage comes in many forms. In many cases, it will be having your voice heard. But remember the other ingredients to this recipe – about respect, courtesy, and understanding. Sometimes the loudest and most powerful voice in the room is the softest, calmest and most polite.

You are brought in to your role because someone has seen value in what you have to offer. Offer it, speak up, make yourself known, raise your hand, be seen, challenge yourself, take on the hard project, go after something you haven’t done before, step outside your comfort zone, be proactive in your outreach… be courageous.

12. Advocate for Self and Others

If you don’t ask, you may not get. Own your career. Be the driver and not the passenger in your career journey. This requires the previous ingredient, and similarly requires that you ensure that you sprinkle this on without being inappropriate or obnoxious. Be reasonable in what you ask for and when you ask for it, consider options and different approaches that will help get you and/or your team closer to reaching your goal.

13. Practice Humility 

While it’s important to advocate for yourself, you must blend that well with being humble. You can achieve both. Yes, it’s certainly important to do your own PR in the right amounts (and you should – that’s part of advocating), but be somewhat modest about it.

Sometimes you have to check your ego at the door. This can be difficult for many. Show people who you are. Open yourself up. It’s okay to be real and vulnerable. When you do this, most people will trust you, appreciate you, connect with you, respond to you, and respect you.

And you need not have all the answers. Let others contribute. Ask for help when needed. It’s okay not to know something, but remember to learn.

14. Have Presence

Regardless of your role, if you have the ability to appear poised and polished in front of others whether it’s a formal presentation, a question at a stand up meeting, a response or input sitting around the table or virtual room, or even a response to what you’re working on in the elevator when someone unexpectedly throws the question your way, this will differentiate you from your peer group. This is having presence. It is so critical to how people experience you. And how people experience you leads to opportunities. So… work on having presence. 

If public speaking is not your thing, work on it. The more you put yourself out there, in a variety of formats and forums the better you’ll get and the more that will come your way in your career. You’ll instill confidence in others. Again, confidence in you translates to career opportunities.

And it’s not just about how you speak in front of others. It’s your energy, attitude and how you show up. When you walk into a room people will notice you. Your energy spills over to those around you. This is conveyed through your tone, your body language, your facial expression, your eye contact, and so much more. 

15. Adapt and be Flexible

One of the only constant things in a successful and growing workplace (and retracting ones for that matter) that you can count on is… change. Be prepared for that, be open to it, embrace it, and be a champion of it. Avoid the natural resistance to change. Ask questions, try to understand the reason behind the change so you can get behind it easier, and see what you can do to support it. 

16. Practice Creativity and Express your Uniqueness

While perhaps not always appropriate, look to how you can contribute in your own unique and creative way.  Let it show up in the work you do, and to your approach on things – your thinking, your projects, your service. Bringing in a new and different flavor may likely be well received. I’ve always personally taken that approach to even some of the most mundane things to bring a fresh life to a tried and true program or practice, or even an assignment back in graduate school to gain interest, enthusiasm and commitment. Stand out!

17. Have Grit and Determination

I know I’m not the smartest guy in the room, but I also know I’m one of the hardest working. From graduate school through the various milestones in my career I have worked my tail off, have remained perseverant, steadfast, determined, and have not given up. I was the first in my class to complete my doctorate, I’ve been incredibly resourceful and focused with very few resources typically offered to me throughout my career to get a ton of work done – I got grit.  

And good enough is never enough for me. I have pride in ownership, and positive impact on people is what drives me. I’ve always been determined to make that impact.

I’ll get it done, and get it done right. One step at a time if need be, and in fact baby steps and regular iteration in the pursuit of excellence is what I go after. Each step is a move forward. Don’t let yourself get paralyzed in trying to swallow the entire assignment, project, issue, etc. or achieve perfection right away. The best way to start is to… start and continue stepping forward in the spirit of progress and with the confidence of seeing achievement. 

I call all that grit, and it cannot be underestimated. I rather hire or work with one that has great grit and single-minded determination versus the smartest one in the room.

18. Show Gratitude and Appreciation

Showing gratitude and appreciation is the easiest (and cheapest) thing to do, but is often an afterthought if a thought at all. Regardless of where you are in life, what level you’re at or who you’re sharing it with (yes, us leaders need it too), share your gratitude and appreciation and be generous in doing so.  But do so with sincerity, otherwise it loses its power and impact. A simple thank you in a meeting, an email copying the right people, a handshake, a pause in the work to celebrate one’s or the team’s accomplishment is what I’m talking about.

This is huge if you want to motivate peers, teams, employees, leaders, clients, customers… to work with you, partner with you, support you, and/or remain loyal to you in whatever capacity. 

A dash of simple gratitude brings much flavor to the day and a smile on most any face! (Trying to stick with that recipe metaphor…)

19. Insert Humor and Have Fun

School, work and life is not that easy always… In fact, it’s pretty damn tough at times. The best stress reliever is a healthy serving of humor!!! 

Unfortunately, my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018, and I made it a point to keep her laughing at me as often as possible. Thankfully, she beat it. But it was scary, and humor truly helped get us both through it.

Laugh loud and laugh often! Wearing my HR hat, remember it needs to be appropriate, not targeted at others (remember humility – laugh at yourself – I do that often and out loud). Come visit my HR team, and you’ll find us laughing frequently (in fact, according to our organizations’ regular employee surveying and pulse checks, I’m proud to share while attempting to be somewhat humble… that you’ll find my team consistently as one of the most if not the most engaged team in my company year after year while still being under-resourced yet high-performing for having embraced, and continuing to practice and model many of these attributes). 

Humor heals the heart and soul! Like gratitude, share it generously (and appropriately).

20. Be Human

I don’t play at being the head of HR, or an executive (only when I need to be), but I practice being real and human always. I find and hear it makes me trusted, approachable, sought out, respected and appreciated. And this enables me to be more effective in my role.

And one must remember that others are human too. You’re not just a number, a title, a subordinate, a resource, but a human being with feelings, emotions, a life outside of work… If you can remember that and practice that it will be appreciated, you’ll feel better as you’ll not have to put in the energy to wear a mask. You can be real. You can be human. And what you put out, you typically get back in kind.

21. Be Healthy and Take Care of Self

Look after yourself! Not in the way of being selfish, but in ensuring you’re healthy and well balanced. You’ll be no good to anyone else for long, if you’re not good to yourself. I recognize this is easier to preach than practice. I’ve had to work hard on this myself.

Since we’ve been talking about a recipe…, I must state how important it is to live a healthy life. I’m talking mind, body and soul. You must fill each appropriately. 

Find a workout you love (or hate the least), learn what’s in the food and beverages you are consuming (it’s scary!) and eat well (and indulge a bit). Sleep! Poor sleep, research shows, leads to weight gain, mood swings (especially with my teenage boys), lack of focus, poor health… Get the sleep you need. 

Look at how you live from the comfort of your bed, your desk, your phone and adjust or you’ll need to get adjusted…

Fill your soul and spirit with what makes you feel good. Know what’s important to you and make it a priority, whether it is working out, eating healthy, getting a decent night’s sleep, spending time with loved ones, taking a walk in the fresh air, reading, enjoying a fine wine, community service, traveling... 

Sure you’ll make sacrifices over time, but don’t compromise those things that are most important to you and your well-being, or you’ll become resentful and miserable eventually. Life is too short and way too precious to allow that to happen. 

22. Kick Ass

At the end of the day, put in your best effort and work. Contribute. Bring value and don’t wait too long in doing so. Don’t settle for mediocrity, even if others are okay with it. Don’t be reactive, but be proactive. Take pride in the work and service you offer. If you do this, people will take notice. Do this in all things!

23. Practice Positivity 

Radiate positivity! It’s infectious. Believe in the power of positive attitude and thinking. Be optimistic in your outlook and perspectives. It’s easy to let this get tarnished with gossip and whispering that you’ll inevitably be around, but don’t let that turn you. Fight it with your confident positive belief. 

There are those that believe in what you put out, is what the universe will deliver back to you. I’d like to believe that, but I recognize it’s not always the outcome… but I can tell you, you’ll be a lot happier with this type of filter and outlook than its cousin “negativity”. 

24. Lead by Example

Whether you’re a leader or not, you have the power to lead by example. You may not be able to control most of what you get dealt with in life, but you have the power and control to respond and react in the best of ways. Don’t fall victim to circumstances. Overcome it with how you choose to respond to the situation.

Be the change you want to see, set the example you’d like to see in others, exemplify the values that you believe are worthy. You have control over this, and your positive behavior will influence those around you, and you’ll be a leader in your own right.

25. Servant Leadership

Now this special ingredient is intended for leaders, while not exclusive to them. Most leaders view leadership as setting the direction in a vacuum, telling others what to do, being supported and served. I’m far from the first to say otherwise or speak about servant leadership but it has been quite a while since I’ve seen mention of it in research or practiced consistently in the workplace. 

So I’ll simply raise this important ingredient back up and remind those in leadership roles that you will see much greater results when you involve those in setting direction, when you recognize, given your power and influence, if you focus on taking care of your people vs. your people taking care of you – you’ll achieve incredible things. Care comes in the form of support, nurturance, guidance, mentoring, honest feedback, empowerment, advocacy, information sharing, celebration, listening, appreciating, and being present and accessible. And it’s caring for the whole person, not just the “employee” and their role in the workplace.

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So there you have it. The above gives you a decent taste. There’s much more within each area I can expand upon but I don’t want you to get too full with just your first bite.

Hopefully you’ll find this to be a satisfying and filling recipe to not just surviving but thriving in your career - whether you’re a student preparing yourself for the workplace, whether you’re just at the beginning of your career, making a change in your career, or well into it and have missed or have forgotten some of these critical ingredients and will adjust as needed to achieve and maintain success in your career and in your life. 

Again, I refer to this as Career Intelligence, a blend of IQ, EI/EQ and these twenty-five attributes that are sought after, appreciated, and valued in today’s evolving workplace.  It is what I have personally experienced in my own respectable career, what I have witnessed in great leaders (and have seen absent in some horrible ones), in employees who I’ve seen be incredibly successful and excel in their career, and what’s needed in today’s economic, political, and moral climate. It really is a business imperative to hire, nurture, grow and retain those with strong Career Intelligence.

-Kevin S. Frank, PhD.

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About the author:

Kevin is a senior Talent Management/Human Resources executive with near 20 years of progressive and impactful leadership experience, bringing his own flavor of HR to organizations resulting in employee engagement. He has a record of building sought out teams and programs. He prides himself as a strategic business partner, and driver of engaging cultures that support business results. He is compelled by forward-thinking organizations with pragmatic, humanistic, creative and customized talent management solutions that impact lives and foster great places to work. 

Currently, Kevin is the VP of Talent Management for Ticketmaster, a proud division of Live Nation Entertainment. In his role of four years he oversees a team of 20 focused on talent acquisition, development, engagement, retention and talent management that supports roughly 2,200 employees across North America. He has experience working across industries in such companies as Blackboard, Virgin Entertainment, 20th Century Fox Entertainment, Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Andersen, and more. He has advanced degrees (PhD and Masters) in Organizational and Counseling Psychology.

On a personal note, he’s proudly been married to his college sweetheart for 20 years and is father to two teenage boys, living in Calabasas. He’s native to West Los Angeles, is a fitness and health enthusiast, and is passionate about learning and experiencing firsthand different cultures and countries, having visited over 35 countries around the world that has taken him to and through Central America, the Caribbean, South Pacific, Southeast Asia, Middle East, Europe and Africa.