Embracing Self-Interest: 6 Reasons Why Selfishness Can Jumpstart Your Career

As you start your career, or start in that awesome new role, conventional wisdom often dictates a path of selflessness — a total devotion to your employer and team. A "Yes" person regardless of the task or your interest in it. However, a dose of strategic selfishness can not just be beneficial, but essential to your success.

Without realizing it, I used a lot of these strategies to build my core knowledge of business process and gain skills I felt would help me on my career journey. I want to continue to share these strategies so you can use them too! To start, here are six reasons why focusing on yourself at the start of your career can set a strong foundation for long-term success.

1. Developing a Strong Skill Set

As the "new kid on the block" one of your primary goals should be to develop a robust skill set. While this might be 'common sense', resist the urge to specialize in your role (for now. This comes later). By focusing on your own learning and development, you ensure that you are not just a contributor, but a competitive professional in your field. Build strong foundations for yourself early on across as wide a range of topics as you can. This is especially true in areas like technology or business, where staying updated with the latest skills and trends is crucial. When you prioritize your learning, you might 'miss out' on that super shiny opportunity now but you become more valuable to your current employer and more attractive to future ones in the future.

2. Understand Your Career Path

Whether you are an early career professional, or a seasoned veteran in a new role, you might yourself on a pre-determined track without much thought about whether it aligns with your personal goals and interests. You took this job after all - "This" is the job! Thankfully for all of us, that's not actually the case. By adopting a more self-centered approach, you give yourself the space to explore different aspects of your profession and discover what truly excites you. Do your job and do it well - but make sure you are identifying the parts of it that excite you. Invest your efforts on this space to build your expertise and your brand within your organization. This self-discovery is vital in carving out a career path that is both fulfilling and sustainable in the long run.

Not sure how to even get to this point? You might be trying to pivot in your career! I wrote about some strategies in another LinkedIn article you can reference to get you started, HERE.

3. Building a Personal Brand

Your personal brand is a combination of a variety of different things. Your skills, experiences, the projects you've worked on, companies you've worked for, and professional persona. I'd like you to think of it as your personal set of Knights Armor. As you strengthen your brand, you add another piece of armor to your collection. In the early stages of your career, or role, being a bit selfish about opportunities that enhance your personal brand can be highly beneficial. Seek out the assignments that challenge you, grow your skills, and increase your visibility within and outside your organization. A strong personal brand can open doors to new opportunities and play a critical role in your career advancement. Equally important, it can act as a suit of armor and protect you if you ever stumble.

4. Ensuring Work-Life Balance

One of the biggest challenges in the professional world today is maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Early in your career, setting boundaries and being a bit selfish about your time can help establish a sustainable pace of work. This might sound simple - but it isn't! Out of college, I started working at a 普华永道 and I failed miserably at setting a balance between my work and my life. I sacrificed my hobbies and free time in order to do extra work and allowed it to consume me! PwC taught me so many things and the lesson that tops the list is the importance of you setting the boundaries between work and life. Now, this doesn't mean shirking responsibilities but rather understanding and advocating for your limits. A good work-life balance prevents burnout and keeps you motivated and productive in the long term. After all - this is an article about building yourself strong foundations for a long, impactful, and successful career!

5. Building Professional Networks on Your Terms

Networking is a fundamental aspect of professional growth. So fundamental in fact that this is probably not the first time you've read something about how important networking is today. However, early in your career or a new role, it’s important to NOT be selective about the connections you make. A lot of the professionals that you are working with for now will go on to do amazing things at your current company and at others. Use this time to build meaningful relationships within everyone that you can. At this stage in your career, you have an opportunity to learn from anyone and everyone - make sure to take it! Focusing on relationships that align with your career goals and values will happen organically as you expand your network within your organizations. The relationships you don't put much stock into could become the most valuable ones you ever make in 5 years time.

6. Nurturing Leadership Skills

Selfishness in the context of your career can also mean taking the initiative to lead projects, teams, or even an internal event. This self-driven approach allows you to develop and showcase your leadership skills to those within your organization. Leaders are not just born; they are made through experiences, challenges, and a fair amount of self-focus. Keep an eye out for ways to play a meaningful way in organizing and internal activity, community outreach event, training, etc. By seeking out leadership roles early, you lay the groundwork for future customer facing leadership opportunities and, maybe, a higher career trajectory.

Closing Thoughts

While selflessness and teamwork are undeniably important skills in your career, a certain degree of selfishness in your early career can lead to significant personal and professional growth. This allows you to develop a strong skill set across a wide range of topics to develop your foundation. Allows you to understand your career path and build a personal brand to match it. To nurture your leadership skills and build a wide reaching professional network within your organization to set yourself up for success. I know this a lot, so if you are feeling overwhelmed - pick one to start and work it into your daily work. Remember, focusing on your own growth and goals is not at odds with being a valuable team member; it simply means you are taking charge of your career and the opportunities you are creating for future you!

Think I missed something? Let me know what advice you'd give to someone in a new role or starting their career so we can share the knowledge! If you'd like to read more about this kind of content, make sure to follow Kevin Zook ! I write one article a week on a range of topics that I hope you find helpful.