As I think back over my career, I remember the lessons I learned. These are the things I wish I knew at the beginning of my career. I have put together some of them to share with you.

Thirty years ago I was young and foolish. Now I am no longer young. During those thirty years I worked as an engineer in the transportation department of a large city. My career brought me many opportunities to learn and grow. Some things I learned by doing. Others I learned by watching other people. I will be leaving that life behind me soon and moving on to new horizons. I plan to write and make movies, but right now I want to share my experience.

Know what you really want

Do you want to be rich? If you do, ask yourself why. Do you want to be powerful? If you do, ask yourself why. Being rich or powerful is likely not what you really want. There is a reason why you want those things. Understand that reason. Understanding will help you get what you really want.

Read more in Employment
« Why Good Workers Must be Rewarded
Great Tips for a Lunch Interview »

When I started out on my own career, I thought of becoming the boss someday. I didn’t become the boss. I realized it wasn’t what I really wanted. I didn’t see the opportunities because I was looking for something else from life. In the end I was glad that I went after what I really wanted, and not the power and prestige that I had thought I wanted.

Understand the difference between skills and knowledge

Knowing something doesn’t mean that you can apply it. You also need the skill. Knowledge can be acquired quickly. Skill can take years to develop. You will need both, but you will need to work harder to gain skills.

For many years I was interested in conflict resolution. I read many books on the subject and felt I was quite knowledgeable. Eventually I took a series of workshops on conflict resolution. There was little or nothing that I did not already know about conflict resolution. I did learn the difference between knowledge and skill. When we had practice sessions I knew exactly what to do, but it all happened too quickly for me to think it through. I was terrible. It was the skills that I did not have. I knew what to do, but I couldn’t do it.

If you don’t enjoy dealing with “people problems” then management is not for you

To be a good musician you must love music. To be a good manager you must love working with people. Whether it is a conflict between two people, or an unmotivated employee, the manager will enjoy the challenge.

In my career I have known many people who wanted to be the boss, but found that they didn’t like the people problems that came with it. Some of them tried to ignore the problems and hoped they would go away. They didn’t. Other people realised that it wasn’t what they wanted and left management behind. It wasn’t until I started to direct films that I found that I enjoyed working with people to help them achieve something. It was an exciting feeling.

If you want to move up – take a demotion

Most people feel that to succeed you always need to keep moving up. That isn’t always the way to get ahead. Some times a step down is the way to go. Sometimes you need to develop your skills. Other times it opens out new opportunities.

This was a surprise to me when I first saw it happen. Since then I have seen many people take a step down, and then rise to higher levels. Some of them were stuck where they were, under a boss who was going nowhere. The demotion put them in position where there were opportunities to move up. Other people had moved up faster than they should have, and then realised they were lacking important skills. Moving to a lower position gave them the time to hone their skills.

Things change and so should your plan

You can never know the future with certainty. Unexpected things happen. New technology, new people or new ideas can change your opportunities. Sometimes it will be for better and sometimes for worse. You need to adapt to the changes. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t have a plan. Having a plan helps you recognise important changes so you can take advantage of them.

When I was young I wanted make movies, but I didn’t see a career as a movie maker as a realistic goal. I decided that it was just a childhood dream and I moved on to other things. Later, as new technology was introduced, making movies became cheaper and easier. I started to see the opportunities. Now I see movie making as something that I can aspire to, and I have changed my career plan.

 

Remember: It is just business

Avoid taking what happens at work personally. So you had a bad experience with someone at work. Remember you will need to work with them again. Develop good working relationships with your co-workers and clients. Don’t let the minor disagreements of the day destroy your relationships. Holding a grudge can severely limit your opportunities.

People told me this many times before I really appreciated the value of this advice. What drove it home for me was when I contacted a consultant about doing some work for us. I knew that the last time they had done this work for us; there had been some major conflicts. When I contacted him I started by asking if he would be willing to work with us again. He said of course, what happened before was “just business”. He wasn’t going to let some bad feelings get in the way of making money.