Define the job instead of letting the job define you!

Instead of letting a job define you, define the job in your own unique image. I applied this principle in every job I ever held, albeit unconsciously until I realized its power as a career strategy, and have shared this key principle in my latest book Bring Inner Greatness Out: Personal Brand.

As a brand new college student in the USA, I had to work 15-20 hours on campus to make ends meet. The various office and library jobs paid minimum wages. However, washing dishes in the cafeteria was one of the highest paying jobs on campus. That's what I chose.

I found out rather quickly that all hours of my shift were not that busy. Instead of standing around, I walked around to see who needed help and worked to help others. Perhaps the cooks needed some help. Perhaps the servers needed an extra hand. Perhaps, the coffee pot needed to be run again. Perhaps, the bathrooms needed some cleaning.

As a result, I learned almost all aspects of running the cafeteria and made a lot of friends. The very next semester I was promoted to the rank of Crew Chief to run all aspects of the entire student workforce during my shift! That extra pay was huge for me as an international student! The position normally required one full year of experience. Yet, I was promoted after one semester because everyone noted my work and fellow students went to lobby the management on my behalf. They all wanted a supportive Crew Chief.

Once promoted as Crew Chief, I didn't stand around wearing my blue robe and order people around as other Crew Chiefs always did. I remained an extra hand wherever there was a need. The result? Incredible goodwill, and huge support of my leadership from everyone - students, managers, and the students, faculty, and staff who ate at the cafeteria.

I have applied this principle of learning about all aspects of something and helping others succeed throughout my career and it has worked dramatically in my favor. When I later served as Chair of a massive education program with 4,800 students, I learned every aspect of running the organization: enrollment, student advising, recruiting, retention, faculty hiring and training, student success, career services, and even mentoring of students and graduates. Note that most of these were outside my defined duties as academic chair of a program.

Why did I do this? We can never succeed within a losing team. The key to success is making sure all aspects of the initiative are successful - even if that is not our primary job. Once we define the job in our own image, we become irreplaceable.