Thinking Inside the Box - Make It Happen Tipsheet

Make It Happen Tipsheet
Career Management and Life Balance

Thinking inside the box

After a seminar I recently delivered, I was approached by two undergraduate business students and asked if I could give them some advice. They hoped to get into consulting, and wanted me to suggest the "best" courses they should take over the next two years. I gave them some ideas, but then told them that this approach is the best way to become like everyone else. And that if they did want to get that "perfect job", they would have to make a much bigger investment than spending a few minutes choosing courses.

In the student's case, this might mean registering for a professional certification, contributing time to a charitable organization, and attending monthly trade group meetings. Besides the obvious personal benefits of professional certification and networking, these activities would bring value to the school-day experience.

Clearly, there is a parallel between the university experience of these two students, and the work experience of many managers.

Here's the challenge: what value-adding activities are you doing outside the workplace? Often, we get so caught up in the day-to-day, thinking inside the box, that we don't think about these more personally strategic uses of our time.

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