Friday, May 29, 2020
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NOTE: Julia Heesen, PredictableRevenue, provides today’s Guest Blog, Do You Want To Own Your Professional Growth?
Julia discovered her passion for Marketing during her internship at Ferrero Group, the international chocolate confectionery company. After graduating from business school in Germany, she decided to move to Mexico, a country she fell in love with at her exchange year.
She joined Predictable Revenue Inc., a Canadian company, as a new Marketing Hire responsible for Social Media. Her responsibilities grew steadily. Twelve months later she was promoted to Head of Marketing, leading a team of five. Nine months into leadership, Julia and her team have been continuously crushing targets by 140%. Julia is the right person to ask and advise on, do you want to own your professional growth? Click here to review Julia’s LinkedIn profile.
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From New Marketing Hire to Head of Marketing Within 12 months: 15 Tips to Own Your Professional Growth
During this time of uncertainty and doubt, it’s crucial to take ownership of your professional growth. We can’t just lay back and wait for things to come to us. We have to start owning who we are and be responsible for the results we want to achieve, both personally and professionally.
I grew from beginning my first Marketing job to leading the Marketing Team of five within twelve months. I’m not saying this was foreseeable; I was genuinely surprised. However, I believe that I took a couple of actions that accelerated my professional growth opportunity.
“You’re always at least one step ahead of someone else. Even though you’re a junior, there’s always a junior-junior person behind you.” These inspiring words by Aaron Ross motivated me to share my story.
I gathered a list of actions that helped me accelerate my career, including some from team members. The following points are to help you own your professional growth:
1. Take Notes
No matter if it’s your first week or you’ve been in the same position for a while, there is always something new to learn. It sounds silly to give this advice, but I can’t stress enough the importance of taking notes in the learning process. Why is this the case?
- Note-taking shows your direct supervisor or the person coaching you, that you are accepting their explanation seriously and don’t want to miss out on anything. Catch the details and the underlying meaning, too.
- Some people mistakenly believe they can remember every point. At some point, you’ll forget a part of the explanation. Avoid the stress of forgetting or the need to apologize. You will be glad you took the notes.
In my early days, I took notes on almost everything my supervisor taught me. Months later, when I started to onboard new Marketing Hires, I shared that very document. Nothing was forgotten, and much time was saved.
2. Be Proactive
Don’t wait for things to come to you, go get them! Ask for a new assignment. Teach yourself something new. Take your time to investigate. When your teammate or boss appear stressed about their workload, offer your help. Grab them a coffee. Be attentive and proactive. Own your professional growth. People will notice you!
Increase morale and creativity.
3. Teach Yourself
Are you occasionally asked to do something you’ve never done before? No idea how to start? You want to ask, but your supervisor is in meetings? No problem. Fortunately, today, you can find most explanations on Google or YouTube.
I used to ask thousands of questions. But I waited for my very busy supervisor to set time aside to help me with a task or an explanation. Imagine how much time I lost waiting for another person’s help and the frustration I felt. All I wanted was to complete my task by myself.
The Head of Marketing motivated me to research the answers myself. I had no other choice if I wanted to move forward. So I gave up waiting and became accustomed to teaching myself. It was the best lesson ever to own your professional growth!
4. Curiosity
Are you missing a piece of information to understand a process? ASK! There are no dumb questions. However, it is better to ask a silly question than making people believe you don’t care. Be curious. Question processes and decisions while broadening your knowledge. Curiosity is a sign that you own your professional growth.
5. Be Polite
For most, the suggestion to be polite may sound irrelevant and obvious. But I wanted to highlight the importance since I’ve been in contact with many people that aren’t. In regards to showing manners:
- No matter who you’re talking to, whether it’s the CEO, your colleague, or the cleaning staff: treat them equally and be friendly. Say, “Good Morning,” “Enjoy your lunch,” or “Have a great evening.” We’re all human. Never underestimate the value that each relationship can provide. It helps on multiple levels to have more people on your side.
- Always be punctual. It does not matter whether others are on time. You matter. Being punctual demonstrates that you value other people’s precious time and are ready for the meeting. It also showcases that you own your professional growth.
6. Be Creative
Creativity doesn’t only apply to Marketing; it applies to most jobs. Come up with ideas and new solutions. Not every idea has to be brilliant or needs immediate implementation. But your unique thought might be the missing spark to your colleagues’ groundbreaking strategy. Don’t be shy about presenting creative thinking to your boss and team. If anything, it shows your drive.
7. Show Responsibility ~ Gain Respect
How do you react when asked to do something that frightens you? Should you accept a supervisor’s offer to do the task for you? No! Gain composure and say, “No, Thank You.” Put on a smile, and do it yourself. Demonstrate that you are ready and capable of the task. Show responsibility and gain respect.
8. Crush Your Goals
Your direct supervisor and senior leadership are most interested in the results you produce. Crushing goals is the primary condition. Do everything you can to reach or even better, exceed them. Surprise your boss. There is no faster way to gain attention and show your value than to exceed the set goals. By surpassing expectations, you display that you own your professional growth.
9. Make Your Boss’ Job Easier
Do things without being asked. Don’t underestimate the tremendous value you give your boss. Build the value by staying on top of your deadlines and must do’s. Always try to be organized and transparent. When your boss hints at an idea or task, take a note and start executing on it. Don’t wait for anybody to put it on your to-do list.
10. Think Outside The Box
Try to get out of your bubble of direct responsibilities. Do your best to see how everything is connected. Doing so will make it easier for you to contribute to the bigger picture.
11. Communicate With Other Departments
Chat with people from other teams. Ask about their jobs, tasks, and their lives. Request their advice. In return, ask how you can help, and follow-through. Again, own your professional growth.
12. Additional Learning
Which additional skills would help you grow in your career? Find books, courses, and blogs to gain further knowledge. You don’t have to do this solely for your job. Do it for yourself; for your personal and professional growth.
13. Find Mentors
For me, a mentor is someone I look up to, someone I trust, and one who inspires me. There is no right or wrong when seeking a mentor. I never thought about wanting or having mentors. On occasion, I noticed that one appears without my realizing it upfront. When we stop to observe, we learn from others next to us.
14. Volunteer
Support or organize a team event. Show that you’re happy to contribute to the company and team. The effort contributes to team morale and happy employees.
15. Have Fun ~ Be Yourself
Most importantly, enjoy what you’re doing. The entire effort comes to you naturally when you like the job and the people. I once worked at a place I didn’t like much. I could feel that most of my effort wouldn’t work. My dislike for the job took away from my creativity. I made many mistakes, and I was afraid to ask questions. I realized it doesn’t make sense to waste my energy on something that blocks my creativity and drive.
Back to my point, make sure you enjoy what you do. Only you are responsible for your growth. Own it. Do as much as you can to make sure you’re on the right track, grab opportunities, and give 150%. Your career will develop more smoothly.
Take charge to see yourself growing faster than you can imagine!
Read Related Blog Posts:
- Do You Believe You Will Be Successful?
- Are You Ready To Create New Statistics?
- Are You Finally Ready To Try A New Strategy?
Sales Tips: Own Your Professional Growth
- Listen well
- Observe actions
- Ask many questions
- Clarify what you do not understand
- Exchange insights when varying opinions arise
- Welcome each learning opportunity
- Be respectful of everyone
- Show appreciation for help you receive
- Offer help whenever possible
- Celebrate Success!
Today’s Guest Post is to help you navigate your career and achieve the Smooth Sale!
RESOURCES FOR PERSONAL AND BUSINESS GROWTH:
“It is not who you know – it is who knows you and what your expertise can do for them plus understands the value of hiring you.” Visit LinktoEXPERT.
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