Solid Advice from Acklener Leaders

Each year we invite our interns to chat with a few of our leaders in the organization. It’s part of our internship program where we hold a panel discussion with some of our senior leaders. It’s an opportunity to connect with our leadership team, gain exposure to different career paths, and share some words of wisdom. This means that every intern will have an opportunity to connect with a senior leader before the end of their internships. I had the privilege of sitting in on one of these meetings and boy did they ever share some great tips. I wrote them out so that we could share more broadly because these are solid tips  that everyone could hear and be reminded of from time to time.

Find your own personal board of directors.

Everyone needs people you can go to for life and career advice that truly know you. They know and understand what you want to accomplish in life and will give you advice that will be in your best interest. These “board of directors” could be family members,  best friends, spouses, professors, or mentors. The key is that these people know you and are for you. Lean on them to guide you in making the right decisions for you.

Don’t let your career just happen to you. Be proactive!

If you don’t set goals for yourself in your career, you could potentially wake up four or even ten years from now doing the same job you have been doing. And if that’s your goal – that’s awesome! But this is where you need goals to determine if you are on the right path or not. When you first start working, you will learn so much about different roles, departments, and career paths. And, if you’re intentional about your career, you will learn so much about yourself along the way. So, this is a friendly reminder – carve out space and time for reflecting on where you’ve been, where you are, and where you’re going. Once you get clear on that, take action!

Learn how to speak other departments’ languages.

Each department in a business has its own language. They even have a whole word for it, jargon. According to the Oxford dictionary, the definition of jargon is “special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand.” Make sure you are clear on your own definitions with other departments. This will help you communicate cross departmentally and help others to understand what type of impact you are making. Also take the opportunity to learn other’s department’s definitions. Start a Google doc/Word Doc or even a piece of paper and start writing down every word you hear that you don’t truly know the definition. Then you can google definitions to see what they are but also ask! Some people’s definitions don’t always match up squarely with the words online. So it’s best to ask or even say i Googled and this is the definition that i found – is that accurate?

Being able to communicate cross departmentally is one of the magical pieces of business that can really take you far.

Mentorship is a two-way street.

Mentors are instrumental for expediting career growth. With their wheelhouse of experience and connections, mentors can help guide you along your career and potentially open up new opportunities down the road. You can also have mentors for different parts of your career development. Someone can help you with one part of your career development and another person can help you in a different area so that you can have someone that can cover different areas of interest. But in order for mentorship to be truly successful, each party should sign up for the relationship and commit to keeping communication channels open. They have to be as active as you are in the mentorship. This is also a great reminder for when you start to mentor – keep in touch, if they haven’t reached out to you in a while, make sure that you do.

Be clear on your values.

Every business has a list of core values. These values help guide the company as decisions are being made, align the actions people take on a daily basis within their roles and teams, and shape how people show up for work . They help set the course and keep the business on track. Your core values can do the same thing for you. Knowing your core values can help you set your path and cue you into when things are right and wrong for you. Getting clear on what’s important to you can really help you navigate tough career choices like taking on a new role or changing careers altogether. Think of them as your personal ethics map that can guide your decision making, build your relationships, and help you solve problems.

Work to live, not the other way around

It’s a French saying and I think we could all be a little more like the French when it comes to work. Spend time with family, travel to places you have never been, enjoy life. If you have kids or when you do have kids, remember they are only young once – go watch them be young! Work will always be there when you return.

I hope you enjoyed these tips from two of our outstanding leaders. It is great advice that can be fruitful for anyone and everyone who is on their career journey.