In forging your career path, be sure to put your best self into everything that you do, even if you are still searching for a better fit. Here is another valuable secret of networking: in order to be the kind of person that others are happy to promote and help out, you need to earn their respect. Therefore, excel at what you do, no matter what!
I recently spent 2 enchanting weeks in Vietnam exploring the contemporary arts scene in this vibrant, developing country. I was accompanied on this tour by an extraordinary group of people. As I got to know these people, I was fascinated by the richness and variety of their career paths:
• a medieval history major who went to business school and is now a foundation president;
• a music composition major who is now the CEO of his own computer company;
• a teacher turned non-profit ED turned HR consultant;
• an English major who went to into banking, became a museum director and then a tour guide.
The twists and turns in their careers occurred because of changing interests and a desire to follow their passions, deepening of skills, creating a rich network of friends and contacts and one other essential ingredient: excellence.
For those of you who are searching for the career path, remain open to your possibilities and do whatever it is that you are doing to the best of your abilities. Explore, persist, experiment, and bring your best self to each task, even if you find that you do not especially like what you do. Discover what it is that you do best and begin to develop those strengths because that is what you can take with you, along with the skills that you are developing in your current role.
In that way, you can learn the most from your current experience and earn the trust and respect of the people whom you come into contact with. This is how you build your reputation and this is what others will remember you for.
So here is another valuable secret of networking: in order to be the kind of person that others are happy to promote and help out, you need to earn their respect. Therefore, excel at what you do, no matter what! And then remember how you were helped so that you, in turn, can share your knowledge, information and contacts with someone else.
© Astrid Baumgardner 2010



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