Career Performance

What do Stevie Wonder, Leonard Cohen, and Elton John all have in common? They are all musicians, all internationally famous, and they have all been writing music and performing for decades. What accounts for their success?

• They had great teachers and mentors.
• They practiced their scales and rehearsed their music, and got very good at what they did.
• They listened to other musicians, and incorporated other styles into their own.
• They evolved, growing better - and different - over the years.
• Despite a focus on the music, they didn't ignore the business of music.

This is exactly how successful people manage their careers: They invest in education, learn from their mentors, evolve over the years, and despite a focus on their current jobs, they actively manage their careers. They get very good at what they do.

This week's action item: Are you doing as well managing your career, as these musicians are in managing theirs? Look at the list above, and choose one thing that you may have been ignoring, and plan how to do more of it.

Postscript: We can't know whether Wonder's, Cohen's, and John's name in music will be as well known as Mozart, Bach, or Beethoven, but we do know that without working hard today, they won't have that long-term professional success. (And neither will you.)

Randall Craig is an expert on Career Planning, Work-Life Balance, and Networking; to find out how his workshops, webinars, and keynotes can help your team or add to your event, contact him through www.PersonalBalanceSheet.com, or by email at editor@ptadvisors.com.

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Comments or questions? let us know: editor@ptadvisors.com

Copyright © 2009 Knowledge to Action Press and Randall Craig. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: July 21, 2009