I’ve Had the Same Job for 30 Years. Here’s What I’ve Learned.

It’s a cliché, but time really does fly.

My tenure as CEO began with the untimely passing of my mentor, Jacob “Jay” Schein, in November 1989. For the past three decades, thousands of Team Schein Members (TSMs) have come to work with the spirit and vision that Jay and the Schein family fostered. A few years ago, right here on LinkedIn, I shared a handful of items that I felt to be important to one’s career. In Jay’s mentoring spirit, I’d love to share a few new (or updated) lessons upon my 30th anniversary as CEO.

1. Tenure (still) matters – Things have certainly changed over the years in the workforce. Job-hopping doesn't have the stigma it did in years past, but that's only partially true. While it’s certainly less common for people to stick with one employer for their whole career, that doesn't mean it's acceptable to switch jobs with reckless abandon. Keep in mind that turnover is one of the biggest expenses a company can have. Having a track record for longevity stands out on a resume, especially during a time where talent can move early and often.
2. Move up and around, not always out – Building off that, keep in mind that for a lot of successful companies, there will be options to move around internally. Want a change? Reinvent yourself without changing your employer and use the relationships and credit that you’ve built with your colleagues to propel your success. While I may be a longtime CEO, my roots are in accounting. We all evolve throughout our careers and there’s no benchmark to follow, so write your own story. Your current employer may just be the place to do that.
3. Collaboration is a must – Regardless of how much of a superstar you may be, you will need other people. You need strong team members to collaborate and learn from. If you want to be a leader, you will need people who want to follow you. None of this happens without being considerate of others.
4. Jack-of-all-trades, but master of (at least) one – Whether you’re on day 30 or year 30 of your career, you must be able to master your own craft before dabbling into other areas and projects. My longtime colleague and friend, Jim Breslawski, is the author of a well-known quote within Henry Schein: “We can do anything, but we cannot do everything.” Keep that in mind when you’re managing your career.
5. Do what you say you’re going to do – Speaking of managing your career, I mentioned in my article a few years ago the importance of delivering on your commitments, but I’d like to expand on it. We are swamped with text messages. Emails. Push notifications. Phone calls. We have no shortage of distractions every day stemming from the device in our pocket. It’s easier than ever to say “yes” to everything without realistically gauging your ability to deliver. Do you want to stand out from the next person? Make it a goal to always, always, always follow up on your commitments.

I humbly submit that after 30 years as CEO, whatever success I’ve enjoyed stems largely from following these rules. If you do the same, your best years are yet to come.