Which On-the-Job Traits Will Help You Crush Your Career?

After graduating in December from a top 10 university, Lindsay is on her way to her new job at a sought-after consulting firm. During her on-boarding, she realized that everyone in the room is just as ambitious as she is. They share similar backgrounds academically and all have superior technical skills. In our monthly check-in, just a few days into the new year and her new career, she asked an important question: “How do I differentiate myself from all the other talent?”

If you are wanting to crush your career, you may be asking the same thing. I encourage you to think about what today’s leaders are looking for in tomorrow’s leaders:

1.     The ability to inspire and influence. Engaging others and helping them achieve their own goals is critical to becoming a great leader. Focus on building relationships and caring more about others than yourself.

2.     Strong verbal and written communication skills. If people are going to follow you, then you must be able to communicate in a way they understand you. But don’t just be an effective speaker, be a great listener too!

3.     The ability to cast a vision and then execute the strategy to attain it. Many people can dream a dream, but special leaders know how to take it from an idea to an action to a result. 

4.     Flexibility and adaptability to ever-changing environments. If the past 2 years have taught us anything, it’s that everything can change in a moment. Adaptable leaders can make quick adjustments and keep their organization in the game.

5.     Risk taking while owning decisions. Great leaders don’t play it safe and they don’t blame others. They take educated and calculated risks, humbly deflect recognition for success and own failures.

6.     Pursues the next challenge. The best performers are never satisfied. They are driven to find new challenges and achieve goals.

7.     Adept problems solvers. There will always be a shortage of problem solvers. More people want to focus on the problem itself rather than solutions. Be someone who finds a solution. 

8.     Enjoys a fast pace with a global perspective. The world is moving faster and getting smaller at the same time. The great leaders are those who are agile and move quickly with a very broad perspective.

Getting your dream job is hard, but growing and advancing your career is even harder. It’s critically important that you shift your mindset from your qualifications, credentials and past experience and focus on how you will add value to your organization. As you rise to more responsible positions and into leadership, more and more value will be required.

If you desire to be a future leader, then start by working on attaining these 8 traits. You will always be learning and looking for ways to add value. This framework directs you to focus on the future needs of organizations and prepares you to Crush Your Career!

If you want more tips on how to Crush Your Career, visit deeannturner.com and order my new book: Crush Your Career: Ace the Interview, Land the Job and Launch Your Future