7 Essential Qualities For Young And Aspiring Professionals
Hi!
I’m always excited to engage with you. You have incredible potential. I can see many of your peers already changing the world. The importance of your contributions in the next 20–40 years cannot be overstated. So please allow me to share with you some truths I learned about professional success. I hope they will help you on your journey.
Punctuality
There are very few fundamental signs of your dedication and professionalism. While subtle, punctuality is as fundamental as it gets. It helps those around you appreciate your time management skills, your ability to be consistent, and your respect for the time of those with whom you interact. And, if unforeseen circumstances cause you to be late either in-person or with deliverables, please use this as an opportunity to be proactive and express your sincere apology as well as reasons for your tardiness.
Polish
How you carry and express yourself is literally your calling card. Dress smartly (even in casual clothing). Think before you speak. Use the SUCCESs model suggested by Heath brothers. Be eloquent. Use confident body language.
Empathy
We’re all moving through life with a fairly similar set of objectives: happiness, love, fulfillment, etc. We all face ethical and moral challenges as we move along. We all have personal viewpoints and perspectives. While often fundamentally similar, these personal viewpoints and perspectives can never be exactly the same. This is what makes each of us unique. You don’t have to change your own perspective to connect with people. Simply be generous with your consideration for perspectives of others. Express it in your verbal and non-verbal communication. Be kind.
Critical Thinking
The way we perceive the world is based primarily on a system of intuitive information processing. It is a system that helps us make sense of the world quickly, despite a barrage of sensory triggers. While this system helps us “sift through information noise”, it can be detrimental in many ways if not supported with critical thinking — our methodical and analytical skill. By using critical thinking you can look for facts and evidence instead of constantly taking risky chances. This is particularly important in your career because you will likely have to analyze, explain, justify, and solve problems.
Resourcefulness
Professionals today are measured by the scale and diversity of their networks, knowledge, and ability to identify and deliver useful resources to their teams and senior leadership. These resources can be industry reports, human intelligence, products, and connections with relevant experts. Building and demonstrating this quality early on will help you establish your individual “brand” and feel great satisfaction from helping others.
Patience
Our world is super-fast. Seems like Moore’s law explains not only technological progress but also the speed and scale of our expectations relative to success in the workplace. Just like dopamine we get from our devices, we seek continuous and rapid satisfaction and fulfillment in the workplace. However, achieving career success and fulfillment is a journey with peaks and troughs. It requires patience, dedication, continual learning, and resilience.
Integrity
The need to have a strong ethical and moral compass is as old as times. But, all you need to do is to look at recurring failures of integrity in industry reports and media headlines. Just know this: you will be tempted more times than you can count. This temptation will, at times, be obvious and, at times, very subtle. You will have to use all of the aforementioned qualities to keep your integrity intact. Rebuilding trust is the hardest journey of all.
Use these qualities to your advantage.
Soar above mediocrity!
