The Most Impactful Education: 4 Points on Getting Ahead

"Get Ahead"- a phrasal verb. To become successful in one's life or career.                       Synonyms: prosper, flourish, thrive, do well.

I am in sales. I scratch and claw to gain the attention of decision maker's within corporations in hopes that I might effectively communicate the vision of our product and how it might impact their bottom line, then win the sale. All day I am cold-calling, sending emails, or dropping-in at potential client's offices. Quite frequently, I get my teeth kicked in by prospects on all 3 of those platforms.  It's not a glorious job, nor is it an easy one, and to a great deal of people they couldn't ever see themselves doing it... But, I love it! I really do. I absolutely love coming in everyday and hitting the grind hard (and getting hit back), identifying problems (and finding solutions), interacting with new people (whether they want to talk with me or not), and most of all....competing. But that's the type of person that I am. Sure, there are hard days and there are days where things are not all rainbows and butterflies. Truth be told, I actually struggle pretty regularly with melancholia, or better known as depression. Though I'll spare the details, its a disposition that I have little control over. All of this to say, I didn't choose my lot. It's part of who I am. The good and the bad. But, this is where the title of this post starts to make sense hopefully. This has been my most impactful education, and this is where I seem to "get ahead."

I know myself. I know where I'm strong. I know where I'm weak. I'm really gifted in particular areas, and I also really struggle in others. According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, I am an ENTJ and on my StrengthsFinder 2.0 my top five strengths are Ideation, Restorative, Relator, Individualization, and Connectedness. I'm a natural-born leader with ideas, I'm quick to find flaws and pursue the solution, I'm analytical and calculated, and I like turning complex ideas or issues into simpler terms. These are all great and they serve their purpose especially in my job, but being strong in these areas means that I am profoundly weak in others. For instance, I like to jump from one idea to the next which means I can be tempted to always be looking ahead and not live in the present. I can think my way is the best way and I consider other people's ideas second. I can come across as unsympathetic or lacking compassion for others in particular situations. With my strengths and weaknesses I've found a balance. I think I'm good at my job, and I think that is the case because of both my strengths AND weaknesses. 

Why would any of this matter to you?  4 points on "Getting Ahead

1. Know yourself               

You can't get to where you want to go if you do not first have an understanding as to where you are currently at.  Aristotle was quoted as saying, "knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom." Now, how you define wisdom and how someone else defines it may be completely different, but nonetheless I think Aristotle was onto something. We ought to study ourselves. I don't mean this in a weird, philosophical way. I really mean be studious. We ought to study ourselves like a student would study for the GRE, like a salesperson studies his/her pitch and delivery, or like a marketing director would study inbound marketing to further broaden his/her company brand.  Mid-way through college I began to really study who I was and how I was made. It has led me to where I am today and prevented me from choosing less-than-optimal paths that may have looked shinier at first glance, but wouldn't have served me or others in the long run.          

Tip: Start by taking the Myers-Briggs or the StrengthsFinder 2.0 (or both) as I mentioned above. You can find them here and here (you can also find free, less thorough versions online if you search hard enough). You may be shocked at how accurate it is and it may give you a greater picture as to why you do what you do and respond the way you respond to certain environments

2. Play to your Strengths         

After I started to gain a grasp of who I was, I knew that there were certain things that "made me tick." I am a bit of an extrovert so I derive energy from being around people, but I'm only slightly an extrovert so I do still enjoy being alone at times. My top strength is Ideation, so I also need some room to be innovative and free to think and express myself. I do not need to be micromanaged, nor do I respond well to it, so I need to avoid career moves where that is the case at least for long periods of time. For me, that meant I needed to exit the corporate world where everything was systematically structured and enter into a small-business atmosphere where I could be more free and innovative to make mistakes in how I approach my work and develop my own strategies.          

Tip: Sit down and analyze what makes you tick? Write out your strengths and spend time studying them. Ask: "What things make these types of people prosper?" "What energizes me and what do I not respond well to?"  Then analyze your current situation. "Am I playing to my strengths or are they being suppressed?" Finally, make changes. Whether it be making actual career changes, just simply changing up your routine, or changing how you approach your work, some changes may have to be made. I know that for some people, change is scary, but if you want to get ahead and you currently feel behind then you are going to have to make some hard decisions and in some cases... change.

3. Don't avoid your weaknesses -- Know and grow them         

Nobody likes to admit they're weak, especially me (no, seriously I hate it), but I've found that I've personally felt most empowered in my life when I've walked in humility and vulnerability, admitting my weaknesses and flaws. I struggle with depression and it can be tough, but if I'm aware of what comes with that or any of my other weakness traits then I can prepare for how I am going to respond when confronted with an environment or circumstance that targets my weaknesses. Do not avoid this! The worst thing we can do is avoid and live in denial of those areas. How are we to grow if we never confront them? It can be so easy to steer clear of weakness but instead you ought to be keenly aware of them, plan for how you are to grow in them, and admit your need for others.

Tip: Write them down and analyze. Do not dwell on them but instead embrace them. Choose to work with people that are strong where you are weak. Learn from them. Offer up your strengths where they are struggling. Which leads me to....

4. Embrace other people's strengths and weaknesses, then learn.         

Simply put: people are different than you. I am a firm believer that one of the greatest gifts to us humans is other people who differ from us. Just as a car has many different parts that do different things in order to fulfill a task, mission, or purpose, so too are people in the world, in a church, or in a company. So, understand that you actually need people who are different than you to help balance you out. If my company were filled with a bunch of people just like me then we would be doomed. We would be the least compassionate, most cut throat, failure of a company in the history of all companies. But, we aren't, and it is wonderful.  Not only is this concept a good idea, but I fully believe it is necessary and healthy. I believe that you can grow in your weaknesses and further strengthen your strengths when you are surrounded by different people.

Final note: I've not yet arrived. I've not fully "gotten ahead," and I don't intend to ever fully reach that point because I don't ever intend on not growing or reaching for goals. Regularly I force myself to reassess my strengths and weaknesses and evaluate where I am currently at versus where I want to be professionally and personally. Though you may not see immediate results, PRESS IN DEEPER to know yourself and you will come out ahead.