Career

Ask Yourself These Questions at the Midpoint of Your Career…

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It’s normal to wrestle with feelings of unmet expectations, missed opportunities, and paths not taken as you reach the midpoint of your career. But arriving at middle age is also a profound opportunity to reflect and blaze a new path. Start by asking yourself these questions.
 
What could I regret in 10 years? Imagine the disappointment you might feel in the future if you don’t take certain actions today, and use that as a motivating force.
 
How do I define and tap into my purpose? Shift from a career shaped by external forces and others’ agendas to one driven by what you find meaningful.
 
What are my values and priorities today? You may find that they’ve changed over time. Carefully consider which compromises you’re willing to make—and which ones you aren’t.
 
What mastery have I developed? Reflect on the skills and knowledge you’ve acquired thus far in your career, and consider how you might use them to fulfill your purpose, values, and priorities.
 
What do I want my days to look like? As you think big, don’t lose sight of the minutia. Get microscopic and consider what you want the particulars of your daily routine to look like.

Beware the Risks of Too Much Humility…

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Humility is a virtue in leadership—but being too humble can backfire. Here are three ways humility can undermine your leadership.
 
You may be perceived as indecisive. Democratizing every decision-making process can be misconstrued as a reluctance to take a stand, or a lack of conviction in your strategic vision. Don’t defer to consensus all the time. Instead, recognize that true humility isn’t about forfeiting your authority—it’s about confidently wielding it when you have to.
 
You may hinder your own career advancement. Deflecting praise or funneling all the credit down to your team can erase your own role in your team’s achievements. Dual-promotion, in which you compliment a colleague, peer, or team while also sharing your own personal accomplishments, can be a powerful way to walk the line between humility and confidence.
 
You may be limiting your team’s development. If you worry that delegating work to employees could be seen as oppressive or demotivating, you may actually be depriving them of opportunities to learn and grow. Understand that delegation isn’t strictly about offloading tasks, but rather about expanding your team’s capacity and resilience.

Spot a Toxic Workplace—Before Accepting the Job…

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When you work in a toxic workplace, the signs can be easy to recognize. Yelling and bullying, lots of gossip, and unsustainable workloads are a few common hallmarks. But identifying toxicity in an organization you don’t yet work for can prove to be tricky. Here are three red flags to watch out for when you’re applying and interviewing for a new job.

A bad interview process. Poor communication from recruiters, ghosting, and endless interviews are a few signals that there may be something broken in the company you’re applying to. Other signs include being inflexible on interview dates and times and pressuring candidates to accept offers the day of.

What current employees say (and don’t). Listen carefully to the responses current employees give when you ask questions about the role, the specific team you’d be joining, and the overall organization. Watch out for vague or coded answers—and, of course, dodged questions. Don’t be afraid to ask follow-up questions to get more clarity.

High turnover. An abundance of job openings could be a sign of growth, but it could also suggest that the company struggles to retain its employees. Track which roles are being posted and how often. If you notice the same roles going up regularly, that can be another red flag that the company’s culture is toxic.

The Art of Friendship: A Cornerstone of Success…

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Introduction: The Timeless Truth of Friendship In the mosaic of life, the role of friendships stands out as both fundamental and profound. Beyond the surface-level benefits of companionship lies a deeper truth: friendships are not just a source of joy but a strategic element essential to success and fulfillment.

Expanding Horizons: The Quest for New Connections Embarking on a mission to broaden their social circle, an individual adopts a daily goal: make a new friend. This ambition, rooted in the understanding that each interaction holds inherent value, underscores the importance of being open and warm from the outset. Whether through face-to-face encounters or online engagements, the approach of acting as a friend from the very beginning significantly enhances the ability to form meaningful connections.

The Power of Discernment: Choosing Friends Wisely As the social network expands, the importance of discernment becomes clear. The individual learns that not all friendships serve the same purpose or equally contribute to personal growth. Distinguishing between friends who inspire and elevate from those who primarily offer laughter reveals a critical balance. While humor is essential, an overemphasis on lighthearted companionship can inadvertently shape others’ perceptions of one’s character and depth.

Learning from the Successful: The Value of a Powerful Network Observations of successful individuals highlight a common trait: they surround themselves with other successful people, establishing a powerful network long before their own breakthroughs. This strategic choice to be in the company of talented and intelligent individuals enriches one’s intellect and fosters a conducive environment for learning, problem-solving, and growth.

Nurturing Bonds: Strategies for Lasting Friendships To cultivate and maintain these invaluable friendships, flexibility and openness are key. The willingness to admit wrongs and avoid dominating conversations with personal stories or achievements is essential. Furthermore, avoiding boredom and being concise and engaging ensures that one’s presence is always valued, especially by successful individuals who guard their time closely.

The Art of Conversation: Engaging Without Dominating Mastering the art of conversation involves striking a balance between sharing and listening. By focusing on others and avoiding excessive self-praise or self-criticism, the individual ensures that interactions remain engaging and reciprocal. This approach not only deepens friendships but also elevates one’s social standing.

When Paths Diverge: Handling the End of Friendships Despite the best efforts, some friendships naturally drift apart or face challenges. In these moments, the manner of parting ways becomes crucial. A gentle and amicable approach minimizes the potential for future discord, ensuring that even as paths diverge, the legacy of the friendship remains positive.

Conclusion: Friendship as a Strategy for Personal and Professional Growth Through the journey of building and nurturing friendships, an essential lesson emerges: the strategic selection and cultivation of relationships are pivotal to personal and professional success. This art of friendship, carefully practiced, not only enriches one’s life but also lays a foundation for achieving broader goals. In the end, friendships are not just a source of happiness but a cornerstone of a fulfilling and successful life.

Career Setbacks Are Opportunities to Grow…

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You’ll likely face a setback or two at some point in your career. Maybe you’ll be passed over for a promotion or job you want or even be laid off. But short-term setbacks can actually fuel long-term success. Here’s how to grow through a difficult moment in your career.

First, explore whether your career goals truly fit your current aspirations, skills, and knowledge. Reflect and be honest with yourself if they’re in need of an update. And if you find they are, consider what pivots you’ll need to make to help you achieve these new goals.

Then, open yourself to unorthodox opportunities in your wider field. Once you let go of self-imposed boundaries that constrain you, new pathways will open up. Ask yourself what aspects of your work you’ve enjoyed the most, and what other settings your skill set could be useful in. Tap into your network and have conversations with people inside your industry—and beyond—to think through what an unorthodox move could look like.

Finally, develop new habits that reflect a growth mindset. Use this setback as a motivator to learn about yourself and improve in ways that serve you. That could mean building a new daily routine, going back to school (or taking a course), building your network—or anything else that might help you grow into the next chapter of your career.

Harness the Power of Curiosity at Work…

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When you can’t focus, your mind tells you that a “quick” look, click, or check is what you should do right now. If you find yourself constantly derailed by your unfettered curiosity, here’s how to intentionally direct it to help you identify new ideas, opportunities, and creative solutions to problems.

First, identify what’s useful—and hold off on everything else. Productive curiosity is directed toward something that you actually want and need to get done. If you come across something else that catches your interest, add it to a list of future items to explore when you have more time.

Then, apply intentional curiosity to problem solving. Give yourself some time and space to figure out what’s truly causing an issue before leaping to solve it. This pause is where you can apply intentional curiosity by doing research, investigating the data, and talking with stakeholders.

Finally, be curious about your work relationships. Challenge the assumptions you hold about your colleagues. Consider what challenges they might be facing, both at work and at home, and express interest in offering support where you can. This sort of collegial curiosity will uncover opportunities to deepen your relationships and improve your team’s culture.

The Skills You Need to Grow as a Leader…

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If you are a mid-level manager, you might be surprised to learn that your skills, while highly valuable, don’t directly align with those needed for the top position. Here are the attributes you need to develop to get there.

Forward-thinking mindset. To transition to a leader perspective, actively participate in strategic planning sessions, contribute to defining the organization’s future direction, and align your projects with these strategic objectives. Stay informed about industry trends and emerging technologies that can shape the future of your business.

Calculated risk-taking. To develop a leader’s comfort with calculated risks, take on projects where you need to assess and mitigate risks strategically. Gradually expand your risk tolerance and learn from the outcomes of your risk-management decisions.

Optimism. Practice mentoring and motivating your team members, emphasizing chances for learning and growth. Focus on opportunities rather than obstacles, and develop a collective resilience to inevitable setbacks.

Resilience. Seek critical feedback—and respond to it with gratitude, composure, and a growth mindset. And practice approaching stress with a measured composure.

Empathy. Engage in active listening during project meetings and cultivate an understanding of team dynamics and diverse perspectives.

Inclusiveness and trust. Solicit input from team members with varied perspectives and backgrounds, and build trust by consistently delivering on commitments and being transparent in your communication.

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