FROM THE WAREHOUSE TO THE BOARD ROOM: 10 FACTORS THAT ELEVATED ME

My first 'real job' was as an Assistant Manager in KMart Shoe Department. I was a freshman in college and I had a title The title, as you know, was a clever way of saying grunt. Yet I had an appreciation of the position because there was a bigger vision, this was just the beginning.

Some of my peers had family relationships that allowed them to acquire prestigious positions, others graduated from more prestigious universities. I realized where I was, at the ground level, but I was prepared for the grind to the top. As a teenager I spent hours in the local library reading about successful people, I had traveled the world, albeit via National Geographic Magazine and faithfully read the Wall Street Journal. I knew it was a big world out there.

This article is for those who are at the beginning of their careers or seeking career makeovers. So if you are at the top, entitled or with influential connections, refer this article to your network of unemployed or underemployed associates.

Allow me to provide a brief overview of how I made it from retail and warehouses to a small business owner and sitting on several board of directors.

VISION

As a youngster, I saw the value of leadership. I needed experience and knowledge to take me to the top. I wanted to lead not one but several organizations to exponential growth.

STRATEGY

My family was blue-collar workers who gave birth to first-generation college students. Work-ethic was valued in our household and I embraced it. But the observation that my family made was that too many forget relationships are equally or more important. No matter what industry or position you select, you are in the people business first.

I applied this in a couple of ways. Of course, I put in the hours to create high productivity, but I proactively analyzed my and peer assignments. I learned everyone's position, strength and weaknesses. But more importantly, I realized that without the support of my direct supervisor advancement would be difficult. So I made them look good. Proactive communication, prepared meeting notes, problems, and solutions, always in the manner they preferred. Concurrently, I assisted my peers in acquiring goals and provided one-on-one leadership. It worked!

BUSINESS SUCCESS IS MORE ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS, RESILIENCE & RESOURCES THAN BRILLIANCE

Even in my youth, I observed that many initiatives and plans failed for lack of influence. The quality and value of relationships are essential to career advancement. Coaches, mentors, sponsors, associates, friends play a valued role. Yet when I realized that many in leadership were not very brilliant but people who were able to galvanize and influence others - a light bulb came on. The additional revelation were the factors of resilience, identifying and acquiring resources (needed for initiatives and personal development). I live by this heading!

SENSE

Along my journey of self-evaluation, discovery and purpose, I found levels of enlightenment. Many of us are born with COMMON SENSE. It is that innate sound judgment. We acquire KNOWLEDGE through education and experience. The next level is WISDOM, which focuses more on when and what to apply. But the greatest is UNDERSTANDING which combines the three aforementioned and provides an insight into the why of motivation, cause and effect. How far you move up this ladder will be up to you. But it will require quiet and regular introspection.

ATTITUDE, SERVITUDE & SYNERGY

Positivity is so enlightening. It opens your mind and others to the possibilities. Bad attitudes attract negativity. Who wants to be around that drama. I began to understand the value of a good attitude. Yet being of service to others was the eye-opener for me I began to understand that you need to develop positive relationships before there is a need and that it created trust. In building high performing teams I focused on this to build synergy. Talent without synergy creates wasted efforts. Ideas and actions need collaboration. There is little space for one-person operations.

A PROBLEM WITHOUT A SOLUTION IS A COMPLAINT

If you want to elevate your personal brand proactively identify challenges and problems. If you want to promoted and compensated, have a history of identifying and implementing solutions to those challenges. In meetings, if I presented a challenge, I also presented the solution, projected expense and revenue. A problem without a solution is a complaint. Elevate above that.

I FOUND MY NICHE

I did not overly concern myself with an industry. Yet I identified that my expertise was in critical analysis and building high performing teams. Earlier in my career, a national retail chain promoted me to open new stores. But a seasoned exec saw something in me and changed my role to turning around underperforming stores. I found my niche. The industry did not matter. It did not matter if they had an advertised position. I found small and mid-size businesses who were underperforming, bankruptcy recovery and I pitched the executives on my value.

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

Before emotional intelligence started trending, I had mastered it. To this day, I credit sports for it. On the playground I was the first to be chosen, not because of talent, but because I created synergy on the teams. We worked together to win. I realize the value of understanding self and other's emotions and elevating them to acquire goals. I became an influencer in sports and that experience really elevated my career. Now emotional intelligence is trending, needed and hiring. If you are not embracing it, you are doing yourself a disservice.

CAREER MAKEOVER- EVOLVE OR BE IRRELEVANT

As my temples started to gray, I started receiving inquiries on how could/would I relate to the younger generations. I knew I had to evolve to show my relevancy. Some gather certifications and degrees (I should have but I did not), some focus on new positions, I focused on a new role. I positioned my career to transition from the consultant or trouble-shooter to the educator and mentor. I developed a following on three social media platforms: motivational posts and quotes on Facebook, small business tips on Twitter and career development on LinkedIn. I was able to build a community around my personal brand with three distinctive audiences. I wish I had kept my blog going (plan on re-launching soon). I am still transitioning, seeking digital platforms to reach my audiences. But I no longer get the relevancy question.

THIS IS NOT YOUR PARENTS ECONOMY

There was a time when businesses would annually review business and/or strategic plans. Now key performance indicators are tracked daily. It is time for many of you to not only develop a plan but measure its effectiveness and embrace new career strategies and tactics. If you do not evolve you will become irrelevant. By the way, the subject title is a workshop I conduct for high school and college students.

I hope these tips help you look at your career advancement a little differently. But more importantly that you realize the value of self-evaluation and career makeovers.

CONTINUED SUCCESS

A few posts from my LinkedIn profile:

?Autograph your work with excellence daily. Your brand is on stage every day. Employers, clients, customers and other audience members do not know the difference between your good and bad days (and some will not care). The difference between mediocrity and excellence is your choice. 

?I built my career on things others could not accomplish. I took positions others said was too much work, not enough pay. In one case the company had hired two other Directors and they quit. The difference was that I focused on fairness, possibilities and relationships.

They did not know I had a blue-collar mentality (was not scared of work), with white-collar ideas and innovations guided by faith that I could challenge, inspire and empower others with a viable vision.

But above all know that no one is self-made. Whatever you do will require positive relationships and synergy. Without this collaboration, even the best plans will fail.

?Every position I had, I learned something that increased my value. You may not like your position but find a way to enhance yourself. #careeradvice