Eearly Career Advice

You don't need to have all of your life figured out at 22, 34, or even 88. But there are certain tidbits of advice that can save you from feeling totally lost at the beginning of your career. Here are 20 tips your younger self might have needed to know in those early days, fresh out of college.?

1. Be results-driven. You can't start as a "strategy" or big-picture thinker. You have to start with what you know and what you're good at, earn the respect and trust of your colleagues and mentors, and deliver quantifiable value. Only when you bring results can you prove that you’ve got what takes to dictate strategy.
2. Follow through. Commit to high-value projects, get them done on time, and repeat. Following through on commitments is an invaluable skill.
3. If something’s broken, fix it. You won’t be able to fix everything, obviously. But when you see an opportunity to be a hero and get an instant win on something simple — the “low-hanging fruit,” if you will — do it. It shows initiative.?
4. Be high energy. Being the new kid on the block doesn’t have to mean working at a snail’s pace. Set a tone of working quickly and efficiently, and others will follow.
5. Lighten your boss’s load. If you can help your boss get stuff done without them having to ask, that frees up resources for them to focus on bigger things — like mentorship or managing the team.
6. Become indispensable. Get good at what you do, and know how to find answers when you don't know something. Learn about your industry and how your business works, and be a go-to asset from the day one.
7. Be a problem solver. When tough problems arise, figure out the root cause of the problem. Oftentimes, it’s due to a misalignment of personalities, resources, perspectives, or other factors. Find the imbalance, and work to right the ship.
8. Be a friend. Make friends with as many people as possible. These are the people who will have your back, come what may.
9. Trust your intuition. The fear of making the wrong choice can prevent you from moving forward, and there will always be people who don’t agree with your decisions. Be OK with trusting your instincts and not making everyone happy.
10. Be inquisitive. Listen more than you talk. Seek to understand, with an open mind.?Pursue the truth instead of trying to be right.
11. Bless the mess. Nobody likes a messy home. But at work, messiness breeds opportunity. Sit in the mess and look for ways to innovate even in the face of discord.
12. Write things down. Not only does putting things on paper help to clarify your thoughts, but it also makes it easy to distill the most salient points and communicate them with your team.
13. Get buy-in. You can’t get to the best answers without taking your team with you. The process to getting buy-in and commitment is just as important as the solution you arrive at with your team.
14. Check your ego at the door. Nobody likes a sore loser, a detractor, or someone who celebrates a little too hard when their proposal gets selected. Learn to work through challenges and arrive at solutions without involving your ego.
15. Get on the same page. At times, you’ll find that different teams are working on projects at the same time that collide in terms of company goals and objectives. Weed out these points of friction. And work to smooth out the edges as your teams move forward.
16. Get speed on your side. Beat out the competition, solve a problem faster, or get teams aligned in short order. Working quickly and efficiently will almost always pay off.?
17. Over-communicate. Keep everyone in the loop at all times. Teams, projects, and companies themselves can fall apart over a lack of communication. Use the tools at your disposal, from email to software apps, to stay aligned.
18. Remember there is no “I” in team. Don’t be afraid to take on smaller tasks if it benefits the team. Ironically, you set yourself apart from the rest just by having a “team player” attitude.
19. Get great at sales. Even if you are not on the sales team, you need to master the sales process, whether in terms of hiring or negotiations. You’re selling yourself all the time just by working as part of a team, so become the salesperson you know you can be.
20. Find a release. Everybody needs something outside work that’s their “thing.” Whether it’s yoga, reading, playing music, or hiking, having a focus outside of work will help you recharge your batteries.

What kind of advice would you give your 20-something self about building a career? share your best tips!???