Self-Audits
This is one of the best things I think you can do. Every 3-6 months, take some time and evaluate everything that has happened during that time. Begin to think about what worked well for you, and what didn’t. For those things that worked well, can you make changes to do that more often? If things didn’t go well, what could you do to improve it? This could be upskilling, getting training on something, or do you need to adjust your mindset.
Enjoyment in work is a mindset that is possible to shape and change. If you open yourself up to challenges, this can be uncomfortable for most, but the rewards can be so beneficial. If you can conceptualize why you do not enjoy something, it is the first step to improving it. That can be simply not doing it anymore, but if it is something that will help you take the next step in your career, try and reshape it and map it differently. Focus on the things that you enjoy.
Self-audits help centre you, they help you begin to understand not only your work but also yourself. The improvements you can get from these are amazing if you embrace them.
Put Yourself Out There
Think you have an idea of how to improve something? Or think you’ve got some knowledge that other people might benefit from knowing? Embrace it, then showcase it. It can be scary to put yourself out there, but don’t be afraid to take a risk or two.
Staying in your comfort zone is fine, but stepping out is how you can grow in new and unexpected ways. I am a natural introvert who hates the thought of public speaking, but I knew that to improve myself and grow my career, I needed to get comfortable with public speaking. I never claim to be great at it, but I have been able to remap my mindset to be more comfortable doing it. I’ve now done numerous presentations to rooms full of hundreds of people. Something I never dreamed would be possible not that long ago.
Back yourself, no matter what. You’d be surprised what you can achieve when you put yourself out there.
Failure Doesn’t Need To Be Painful, It’s An Opportunity
There will always be moments where you fail at something, no matter if it’s a failed presentation, project, or you don’t get the promotion or job you wanted. Whatever it is, it is not a reflection of ability, it relects that moment in time. It will always be hard to accept when these moments occur, but they can be the best thing to happen.
Failure can lead to the best learning experiences. It is a moment to take stock and review what it is you need to learn or develop to succeed the next time. By shifting the focus from the pain and discomfort of failure, and onto a mindset of personal growth, you’ll be better equipped next time.
Always Keep Learning
No matter how much you feel you know about a subject, there is always something else you can learn. Learning will always help you to improve yourself and your work. It will help to reshape how you do things, giving you new perspectives and leading to fresh ideas. Most of this will likely be self-guided, so put in the work. It will be worth it.
Learning should never remain stagnant. Things evolve rapidly, and if you aren’t constantly learning, when something new comes up it will be harder to understand. If you somehow feel you know everything you need to, learn something else. The key is to continually engage your brain. It might be tiring sometimes, but everything new you learn will help you grow yourself, and you and your work will be better for it.
I have spent the last 10 years learning everything I could about Programmatic and Performance media. I am confident I could carry a conversation with almost anyone about these subjects. As easy as it could have been to stop, I wanted to challenge myself. I learned more about other channels, like TV and Out Of Home (OOH). This helped prepare me for the rise of streaming, as I could build out my understanding of how traditional TV and programmatic TV will converge, as well as the rise of programmatic OOH.
Work Hard, But Don’t Overdo It.
Don’t be afraid to put in the hard work and long hours but learn to recognise the right balance. There will be expectations placed on you, especially early on, to work long hours and work hard. Lean into it because it can be the best personal development you will have. However, it is important to know your limits.
Make sure you have a support structure around you, and understand the situation for you, compared to those around you. If you are working long hours and no one else is, this is a problem. This could be driven by workload imbalance, or you could be pushing yourself too hard. This is why it is crucial to have a manager that understands the situation and can support/
I have worked more than my fair share of days finishing work at midnight, or 2 am. I believed in the work I was doing, the career development I was gaining, and my team who was pushing just as hard as I was. I’m not condoning working these kinds of hours, but if you get to the end of the day, and you have some tasks you could get done now, which will create more time for you tomorrow, then try and put in a little bit extra to get it done.