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Chris on September 25th, 2008
In Part 1 of What Drives Career Advancement - Development of Skills or Development of Connections we saw that although good connections are definitely an advantage for career advancement, they are not a substitute to being highly skilled in your work. We saw this principle illustrated in Proverbs 22:29. where it says:
”Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men.”
Next question. Once you are sure you’re measuring your job performance correctly how do you increase your skill level? There is a very old joke about a guy stopping someone on the street in New York and asking how he can get to Carnegie Hall. The answer….Practice, practice, practice. One of the best ways to get good at something is to do it a lot. As you practice your craft pay attention to the things that work and the things that don’t. Try to repeat your successes and learn from your failures.
Get lots of feedback too. Ask more experienced co-workers how they do things and ask what you could do to improve. Pick out a few folks who are one or two levels above you and watch them like a hawk. See what they do, what they don’t do and how they do it. Then try to emulate those behaviors and traits. When you are making decisions ask yourself what those folks would do if they were in your place. If it is appropriate you could even ask them what they would do. People usually love to give advice and some good mentorship can go a long way.
Good training is another great way to build your skill level. Look for classes or books that teach the skills you need if your employer sponsors training classes sign up for them. If not, find them on your own. Try to choose your training carefully. If an advanced degree is important in your profession then by all means peruse it. However, do not structure your training around a piece of paper if that is not what really counts in your field. The goal is to get the specialized knowledge that will lead to better performance.
You can also try to learn from the very best. Who are the leaders in your particular field? You should study these folks very carefully. If they get a lot of press coverage follow every story you can find. Stay up-to-date with the activities and strategies of these people. They obviously have what it takes to get to the top of their field. You want to learn as much as possible from them and try to apply those lessons every chance you get.
Be sure to watch for Part 3. We will be finding out how maximize the recognition you get for your skills.
Stumble it!
Tags: advancement, career, Christian, job, work
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