Make It Happen
My Tipsheets are chock full of ideas. They are all aimed at translating knowledge into action...in a quick, action-oriented 60-second nugget.

First Name:
Last Name:
email:
Tipsheet Archive
Randall's Resources
Whenever I speak or write, I often prepare extra "bonus" materials.
Enter the Resource Code to access this special content:
Resource Code:
Try this example Resource Code: eventplanning

Success

What’s your Foundation?

by RandallCraig on September 1, 2009

Filed in: Blog, Career Planning, Make It Happen Tipsheet, Professional Development

Tagged as: , ,

Architects know that a strong building needs a strong foundation. The architect specifies deep excavations, concrete basements, pillars, and metal girders for this reason. For businesses, a strong foundation means adequate financing, a committed management team, and a product or service that has a strong market demand. Teachers understand foundations too. Letters are taught before words; addition is taught before multiplication.

We aren’t aware of it as it happens, but each layer is the foundation for something in the future. When we learned multiplication, we were proud of our accomplishment – but we probably weren’t thinking of what might come next – say division.

Foundations are critical for professional success as well. If we consider everything we do as a foundation for the next, and we spend some time thinking about what we want that “next” to be, then we have a powerful way to prioritize the “now”. And conversely, if we don’t consider our foundation now, whatever gets built will not be of our choosing.

This week’s action item: What foundation are you building for yourself? Consider your recent accomplishments, and project forward to what they will allow you to build. If you don’t like what that is, then change your priorities, starting today. Architecture isn’t just for buildings, it’s for professional success as well.

Note: The Make It Happen Tipsheet is also available by email. Go to www.RandallCraig.com to register.

Randall Craig
www.RandallCraig.com
www.ptadvisors.com

Career Performance

by RandallCraig on July 21, 2009

Filed in: Blog, Make It Happen Tipsheet, Planning, Professional Development

Tagged as: , ,

What do Stevie Wonder, Leonard Cohen, and Elton John all have in common? They are all musicians, all internationally famous, and they have all been writing music and performing for decades. But what accounts for their success?

  • They had great teachers and mentors.
  • They practiced their scales and rehearsed their music, and got very good at what they did.
  • They listened to other musicians, and incorporated other styles into their own.
  • They evolved, growing better – and different – over the years.
  • Despite a focus on the music, they didn’t ignore the business of music.

This is exactly how successful people manage their careers: They invest in education, learn from their mentors, evolve over the years, and despite a focus on their current jobs, they actively manage their careers. They get very good at what they do.

This week’s action item: Are you doing as well managing your career, as these musicians are in managing theirs? Look at the list above, and choose one thing that you may have been ignoring, and plan how to do more of it.

Postscript: We can’t know whether Wonder’s, Cohen’s, and John’s name in music will be as well known as Mozart, Bach, or Beethoven, but we do know that without working hard today, they won’t have that long-term professional success. (And neither will you.)

Note: The Make It Happen Tipsheet is also available by email. Go to www.RandallCraig.com to register.

Randall Craig
www.RandallCraig.com
www.ptadvisors.com

The Legacy Formula

by RandallCraig January 13, 2009

Is there a magic formula for job success? Could it be as simple as “work smart” and “work hard”? While working smart and working hard are important, success in a particular role is determined well before we’re even aware of the role itself. And we often don’t know how truly successful we are until well [...]

Read More

Coffee is for Closers

by RandallCraig June 10, 2008

Several years ago, a sales manager came into the office with coffee for his team. He distributed the coffee but seemingly ran out before the last rep was served. Needless to say, this person was upset, and spoke up. The manager’s reply: “Coffee is for closers. When you start closing sales, then I buy you [...]

Read More

Winning the Interview Beauty Contest

by RandallCraig May 22, 2007

How can you do better at job interviews? It’s not about being “lucky”, nor is it about winning a beauty contest, it’s about preparation, presentation, and perseverance: Fish where the fish are: Only apply for those positions where you have a strong chance of success. Energy wasted with pointless applications can best be applied prepping [...]

Read More

Starting a New Job

by RandallCraig October 24, 2006

You’ve been through a grueling interview process and you’ve finally got the job or won that promotion. What can you do right at the start to guarantee your success? The truth is that nothing is guaranteed in today’s environment, but take care of a few key things, and your chances of success can improve drastically: [...]

Read More

The Hare and the Fox

by RandallCraig July 25, 2006

An old master was with his disciple walking in the woods, when they observed a hare being chased by a fox. The student observed that it would not be long before the hare would be caught, and eaten by the faster (and probably smarter) fox. The master replied that this particular rabbit would get away, [...]

Read More