Help others achieve their dreams, you will achieve yours

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” – John Quincy Adams

I receive many resumes or emails from people who are looking for employment opportunities or seeking career advices. Whenever I can, I try to take time to respond and often spend time on the phone with them, even though we never met. I hope the advices I gave have benefited some, especially those who are early in their careers and seeking directions. Each person is unique and there is no defined career path for everyone. I have benefited from advices given to me over my entire career and I believe that by helping others achieve their dreams, you will achieve yours. I would like to share with you some advices I received during different stages of my career.

Mike McDonald

Mike was the VP of HR at W R Grace. I was at a stage of career aspiring for more advancement opportunities and more responsibilities. Sensing my frustration, Mike gave me a simple advice: "You are a talent person and will have opportunities. If what you have at work is not challenging enough, you should find some hobbies to enjoy". It seems odd at the time to hear it from him, but I have long since realized the importance of life away from work. I have a very demanding job including significant travel time. Recognizing the constraints, I have developed three hobbies which I could incorporate in my busy schedules: reading, running and photography. Each can work with my busy travel schedule. I have a large collections of books on my iPad when I fly, I have listened to books on CD when I used to commute long distance. I have always try the best to keep my running schedule even when I travel and use marathon training as a motivation for running. While I do not have time in most cases, I have tried to do some photography on my trips when I can, which may explain the theme of staircases and hotels in my photo collections.

Jeff Stanley

We were classmates at Wharton MBA program and shared two years of rigorous education experience together on a team. The day before we graduate, I asked Jeff a simple question: "what would you think I can do for you if you were a CEO of a company?" Without hesitation, he replied in a way which deeply impacted the way I would think. He simply told me that “you are asking the wrong question. You have the ability to pursue many different things and you should first ask yourself what you want?” I was moved to tears by the way he directed the question. I have not looked back. I have had eight different managers for the past twelve years, I always made sure I kept an open communication with my managers regarding to my career interests. Obviously, I do not always get what I want, but I would have no chance if manager did not know what my career interests are.

John McFarlane 

John was the department manager when I joined ExxonMobil. One of the advices from him again seemed obvious but profound: the best way to get your next assignment is to do the best you can at the current assignment. It is typical in a smaller company that one works in one area or one position for extended period. Within a large organization, however, it is important to have the opportunity to expand the horizon by exposing to different parts of the business. The issue for many is the classic permission paradox in business. You can not get the job without the experience and you can not get the experience without the job. Rather than focusing on the next job, one should really focus on doing the best in your current assignment, taking extra step above and beyond your current responsibility to demonstrate your credibility and your leadership.

Ultimately, there is no magic for career success. There is no one definition on what a successful career look like. We all have to find our own paths. 

Be humble. Be a good listener. Learn from everyone. Enjoy.