Career Coach

By Barbara Poole

You can tell it is summertime in the movie business. Hollywood is gearing up for seasonal blockbusters, and the stars are everywhere, giving interviews and hoping to build momentum for their latest projects. It is a great momentary diversion from the serious news of the world; pure summer fluff to go with your flip-flops and margaritas.

Perhaps the most entertaining of these current stories is the Tom Cruise/Katie Holmes tryst. Pity poor Matt Lauer, who was lambasted on the Today Show interview when he challenged a feisty Tom about whether he and Katie are doing the couple thing as a publicity stunt. Tom assured American viewers that it is true love and that their relationship is in no way a maneuver to garner attention for the two movies they will release this summer.

Time will tell, and we will all be waiting with baited breath to know the truth in this matter of life and death.

On a somewhat more serious note, this incident raises an important question: What would you do to advance your career?

There are a variety of time-tested ways to grow your professional portfolio and reap the rewards, and they typically involve diligence, focus and plain old hard work.

And then there are those tactics that might be considered left of center, that would raise a few eyebrows at best and result in scandals of gigantic proportions at worst. The sad part is that often the most notorious actions come from those who have, by all intents and purposes, already made it.

Last week the news broke that Dennis Kozlowski, former CEO of Tyco, and his CFO Mark Swartz were convicted of looting the company for more than $600 million to finance lavish parties and other personal luxuries.

Or consider Richard Scrushy, former CEO of HealthSouth Corporation, who was charged with orchestrating a $2.7 billion earnings overstatement over a seven-year period beginning in 1996.

How could anyone think they could get away with shenanigans like that, much less be able to look themselves in the mirror in the morning?

Aside from these high profile incidents, there are a million and one smaller stories of plagiarism, calling in favors, palm greasing, research fabrication and sleeping one’s way to the top that speak to the ethics crisis shrouding the legitimate practice of aggressively growing a career in a manner that is moral and sound.

So how do you go about advancing your career in a manner that is ethical, professional and allows you to sleep well at night?

Consider these steps:

1. Strive to be the best. Focus on excellence and what it takes to do the job thoroughly and well. Doing your best work will open more doors to advancement than any other approach.

2. Do more than what is expected. Volunteer for special projects and “stretch” assignments. You will brand yourself as a go-getter, one who can be called upon in a pinch to go the extra mile.

3. Never stop learning. Build your repertoire of skills and new areas of knowledge so that you stay ahead of the growth curve and become viewed as someone who has the cutting edge attributes necessary to grow the business.

4. Be well informed. Read the newspaper and your industry’s trade journals. Stay on top of what is happening in your business. Know the competition. Make it your business to be the person people go to for up-to-the-minute information about what is relevant to your business’ products and services.

5. Build relationships. No matter what business you are in, you are in a people business, and the basic rate of exchange is good relationships. Invest your time in developing a good, solid rapport with people in your organization. Attend professional conferences and seminars when you are able and get to know industry leaders in your area.

6. Pay your dues. Advancing your career is about hard work. Although there are ways to work smart, there is no substitute for establishing a reputation as the person who will do what it takes to get the job done. Reliability is a precious commodity in today’s business environment, and it is worth its weight in gold when it comes to the benefits to your career.

At the end of the day, the best way to build your career is in a manner that you would be proud to tell your kids or your mom about.

Integrity is the precious currency of a solid track record, and it is the very best acid test for advancing yourself in a way that you can live with.

Barbara Poole is a leadership and career development coach with Charleston-based Success Builders, Inc. E-mail her at CoachBarbara@SuccessBuildersInc.com.

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