Doing Your Best Work and Getting Your Card Punched
Chances are good that the job market in your area is very competitive. It may also be a possibility that opportunities for advancement within your organization are highly competitive. Are you doing your best work?
Career minded individuals certainly believe that they are.
Honing Your Skills
You work hard to hone your presentation skills. You intentionally put effort into networking and building relationships. In many cases you are continuing your education either formally or informally.
Simply put, you are career conscious and focused on growing.
All of this work. All of this effort seems like the right thing. You get your card punched every step of the way. You have the mechanics of career improvement covered, you’re positioned.
What often happens next is that you start worrying about the wrong things. You worry if you said something wrong at the luncheon. Perhaps you didn’t give enough kudos to the boss, or when the CEO asked a question you jumped in to answer but later felt that you gave a silly response.
Your Mission Objective
Your mission has been to build all the key ingredients and then get visible. It is a good plan. The only problem may be that it is the plan of many. So many that now you just blend in. You aren’t exceptionally special, unique, or the perfect fit. You are the same fit as everyone else.
As a result, you are not standing out. You are blending in.
Maybe it isn’t that hard. Maybe the card punch isn’t as important as you once believed.
Your Best Work
You might get hired without the degree, without the certification, or even without the perfect resume.
Sometimes getting the card punched is not as important as doing the work that you do. It is probably always a good idea, but it doesn’t make you stand out.
Great work on the other hand, usually does.
– DEG
Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSPTM), and corporate trainer that specializes in helping businesses and individuals accelerate their leadership, their team, and their success. He is a five-time author and some of his work includes, #CustServ The Customer Service Culture, and Forgotten Respect, Navigating A Multigenerational Workforce. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.
