A serial founder and former public company CEO, Dan Richards is an award winning member of the marketing faculty at the Rotman School of Management, where he also oversees the credit course associated with MBA student internships.
In last week’s column, I shared five lessons on what it takes for summer students or early stage employees to succeed on the job. Below are five more suggestions for anyone starting a summer job or launching their career.
Lesson six: Build relationships with co-workers
Saying that relationships on the job are important is a cliché, but sometimes clichés are rooted in reality. While harder on Zoom than in person, it’s critical for the people you work with to want you as part of their team. Make it a priority to ask colleagues questions about their backgrounds and what they’ve learned on the job – asking good questions and showing genuine interest makes people feel valued and is instrumental in forming relationships. And don’t hesitate to ask colleagues for help. Provided that you don’t do it too often, research shows that asking for advice shows humility and can make co-workers view you in a more positive light.
In a conversation with CIBC chief executive Victor Dodig, here’s what he had to say about relationships: “Don’t underestimate the power of building relationships early in your career. Those relationships will give you exposure to people and to a suite of problems outside of your job description. Try to help teams outside of yours and never say this is not my problem. Use problems to explore issues and to demonstrate your entrepreneurial instincts.”
Lesson seven: Express your views
When participating in meetings, it’s rare that students fall into the trap of talking too much. Rather, a frequent comment from managers is that interns should feel more confident about sharing their ideas.
To get past discomfort in participating in meetings, one suggestion comes from Louisa Greco, former president and managing director of Johnson & Johnson Canada and a partner at McKinsey & Company. For students hesitant about speaking, she suggests setting a firm goal to make one meaningful comment at every meeting.
Nancie Lataille, partner at Heidrick and Struggles, echoes this advice: “Don’t just be an observer – if asked for your opinion, don’t be afraid to give it, being mindful of your audience. Expressing a view will help you develop your thoughts and test your thinking. Don’t say something about everything, choose your spots – learning how to articulate an opinion in a way that is respected and heard is a key skill.”
Lesson eight: Demonstrate initiative and ownership
In your first 90 days, do the work assigned but also look for ways to show your curiosity, initiative and enthusiasm. Ask questions for insight – why is the company doing things this way? Look for small ways to contribute. And seek out ways to go beyond your job description. As an example, last summer one student invited to conduct an employee survey on work from home issues and was invited to present the results to her employer’s management committee.
Taking ownership is something emphasized by Robert Gibb, president of Cypress Group: “When I think about early career employees who truly excelled, invariably it was those who thought like an owner. People with an employee mindset do the job that they’re assigned and then wait for someone to tell them what else to do. People with an owner mindset don’t just show up for work and answer the phone and wait to be told what to do. They learn the business from A to Z and after completing the tasks they’ve been assigned, they look at what else needs to be fixed.”
Lesson nine: Take time for reflection
Once on the job, it’s easy to get caught up with completing assignments and meeting deadlines. While those are important, it’s also essential to set time aside to think about what you’re learning. You can do this for three minutes at the end of the day or start a weekly learning diary. Better still, schedule time each week to discuss what you’re learning with friends who’ve also started new roles.
Patrick Kennedy, co-founder of PriceMetrix, has this advice: “The best young people have a high degree of introspection and self awareness, they understand what experiences and skills they don’t have yet. They also have an insatiable appetite to think and learn and always look for how things can be done better … it can be exhausting to be their manager, but also invigorating.”
Lesson ten: Broaden your network
Many early stage employees are told about the importance of networking, but often aren’t sure how to go about this. Here’s advice from Susan McIsaac, former president of the United Way of Greater Toronto and currently chief executive of the award winning charity Right to Play: “One key to broadening your network is to get out of your office and away from the people you normally deal with. Explore extracurriculars, volunteer, look for chances to get involved in the community. Going beyond your immediate circle will open up your eyes and ears to opportunities. And by broadening your network outside of your immediate workplace, people will see your skills and ability and reach out. The more you expose yourself to the world outside your office., the more the world outside your office will be exposed to you.”
While it takes hard work to succeed on the job, hard work alone isn’t enough. Whether it be a summer internship or beginning a full-time job, by focusing on these 10 lessons, you’ll lay the foundation for success and set yourself up to excel
This column is part of Globe Careers’ Leadership Lab series, where executives and experts share their views and advice about the world of work. Find all Leadership Lab stories at tgam.ca/leadershiplab and guidelines for how to contribute to the column here.
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