Dear Class of 2019, Here Is How To Be Successful In Your First Job

Last weekend I addressed the 2019 cohort of Laurus Camp counsellors about keys to being successful in their role. For many (most?) it is their first official employment.

Instead of talking about the role of a camp counsellor, I decided to boil down the fundamental components that I believe can make anyone successful in any role.

As I wrote it, I quickly realized that I was channeling the words of the mentors and advisors I have around me. In the spirit of paying it forward, I decided to publish this for everyone to see and share. These fundamentals are applicable to all businesses, regardless of whether you are a day camp or a technology company.

With so many graduates (or students) entering their first jobs this summer, hopefully this will help you grow quickly in your new role!

Your company is a team.

What does that mean to me? That means that everyone has a specific role and responsibility that they are accountable for. In order to be successful, everyone needs to do their job and focus on doing it as well as possible. But, you are not on an island, you have the support of the rest of the team who always has your back (just as you will have theirs).

Always ask for help.

No one is ever expected to know everything. For many of you, this is your first time in a position like this, as such there will be a learning curve. Never ever feel like you cannot ask for help or that you cannot ask a question. There are no bad questions. I would rather you request clarification if something is unclear, or you don’t know what is expected. Asking for help is a sign of confidence and maturity, and know that the team has your back no matter what.

Delight everyone around you.

We are in the services business which means our customers depend on us to provide them with a service that makes their lives easier. I expect everyone to have a mindset that, above all, delights the customer every step of the way. Particular attention to detail is one of the easiest and most effective ways to achieve this. Listen to them, connect with them, understand the problems that face them and help them solve those problems. This can be applied to any situation - our customers, your team, etc.

Never stop learning.

I cannot stress this enough. Everyone, myself included, is constantly just learning. Never be afraid to learn. Gorge yourself on information that can help you in your role. Talk to people around you, ask questions. As many of you know, I have weekly calls with mentors and advisors who coach me - if this is something that is of interest to you, I would be happy to help you find mentors for areas you want to improve on or have support in. 

Everyone is in sales.

For many, the notion of sales is not properly understood. Sales is all about helping someone solve a problem. That’s all it is. No matter what your role is, you will have to be very good at this. This means selling ideas you have to make camp better, selling an activity to your campers, selling the opportunity of working at Laurus, selling our customers on the service we provide - you get the point. No matter what, everyone needs to really understand how achieving any success requires solving problems for others.

Be prepared to iterate.

All businesses are a series of experiments that compound. Laurus is no different. I challenge every one of you to think outside the box, challenge old ideas with new ones, try different ways to do things, all with the mindset of growth. Measure your experiments, understand what worked and what didn’t. Constantly iterate. Never get comfortable.

Harness the opportunity.

I fundamentally believe that Laurus has a huge opportunity to grow and transform the way that child care is perceived and carried out. As a fast growing business, often everyone is put into roles they don’t necessarily have experience with and need to learn on the go. That is the biggest benefit of a company like ours. It provides a level of professional growth that regular businesses just cannot offer. All this to say, success is a factor of hard work, commitment and determination. Never shy away from learning new things and making mistakes (hopefully only once). 

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Philip Cutler is the Founder & CEO of GradeSlam. He is an angel investor as well as the Chairman of Laurus Lifestyles and City Councillor in Westmount, QC.