Top 8 Lessons Id Teach My Younger Self : Anne Meehan, CPA (Originally Written Tuesday, September 30th, 2014) How I wish my 45 year old self could sit down with my just out of college self and give advice. Like many, I have had a mixture of learning the hard way, working my tail off and just some good fortune. Regardless of the specific career chosen, would tell myself, or any aspiring woman, the same advice: 1-Never compromise. Your integrity is important. You will be put in situations that will test you. Not everything is black and white but there is far less gray area than you may think. You will likely have a supervisor or a co-worker that will put you in a situation that will test your ethics. Don’t compromise. You will never regret doing the right thing. 2-Market yourself. This had to be one of the most difficult tasks for me personally. I was raised being told “never toot your own horn”. I had spent the first 30 years of my life believing that if I worked hard and my work was good, it would not only be noticed but rewarded. Perhaps there are a few organizations where that may be the case, but for most, it is necessary to do some self-promotion. This type of self-promotion should not be confused with bragging and should never mean taking credit for something someone else did. It has been my experience that opportunities will, in fact, present themselves for you to professionally share your successes. 3-Network. This does not mean you need to be at every event in town. It does not mean you turn your lunches or association meetings in to a quasi-speed dating event. Networking means building lasting relationships that are mutually beneficial. When I was younger, I would dread attending a networking event. It felt like going to a middle school dance and I was sure to be left sitting in a folding chair while everyone else was on the dance floor. Or, in other circumstances, it was a race to collect business cards. I would then return to my office with cards of people…..people I knew nothing about and would likely not be able to pick out of a line up. Experience has taught me to take the time to get to know a few people at an event in lieu of speeding your way through the room. Nurture those new relationships and meet new people at the next event. Quality over quantity. Even if mingling with strangers is uncomfortable for you, force yourself to do it. Each time will be easier. 4-No. It is not a word we like to hear. It starts as children and we will hear it until we die but it is not to be feared. When I first started doing business development, it was by default. I had no formal training in sales but the paycheck beat unemployment at that point in my life. I was terrified but did not want to let anyone know it. I was crushed the first dozen, yes dozen, times I heard no. I took it personally. They obviously did not like me. I learned through the course of time that being told no does not alter my life. Some of my best clients later in my career were those that once told me no. No is a challenge or even a pause button …it is a great motivator. Use it as such! 5-Help people. Life presents many opportunities to help others. Do not overlook them. Be sincere if offering assistance and do not offer to help if it is not possible to do so. I have been so fortunate to be part of an organization that also helps people. We help managers of companies solve problems and achieve goals while providing income and opportunity to highly skilled consultants. That is very rewarding. In addition, be charitable. If you are fortunate enough to “have” then find a way to also “give back”. My family and I have a goal of doing six things that give back each year. This past weekend we spent our Saturday as a family serving dinner at a local city mission. Your way of giving back may be different than someone else’s, but find a way that works for you. 6-Lead by example. This means more than staying late once in a while. Earn the respect of your staff or your peers by never asking something of them you would not be willing to do yourself. When I worked in aviation, our month end closes had to be done after hours. We had one person that would stay and run reports. It was tedious and not something she looked forward to. I would stay with her. Fortunately, technology has allowed for many improvements for the issues we encountered back then. 7-Don’t accept an excuse. It is a competitive world. Men and women will vie for the same role. You need to be sharp, professional and 100% invested in what you do, regardless of what you do. Do not allow yourself to give excuses. I have a very dear friend that competed for a job, where the other candidate was a man. After the interview process, which took months, she informed me she did not get the position. She told me that the other person had been offered the position because he was a man. I realized how often I have heard that from women. The other person likely got the role because they had better qualifications, was better prepared for the interviews, or had even developed their interview skills better. As a woman, it is easy to let yourself off the hook with the old man vs woman excuse. Do not let yourself have excuses. Be your best. 8-Have a circle. I was too proud earlier in my career to embrace sharing my concerns, challenges or even successes with anyone. I was under the false impression it showed weakness. I now firmly believe in the importance of a circle of supporters. Your circle should not just be made up of people that will say nice things to you and encourage you. These people should be straight shooters who will tell you when you have done wrong, that you have miss-stepped and then provide encouragement to get back on the right path. This circle does not need to be large but just a few key people whom you know are trustworthy, ethical and have a history of sound decision making. I have about four people I rely on for pertinent advice. They are my sounding boards. I wish I had them back when I was 20! ......
Posted on: Thu, 18 Dec 2014 12:12:50 +0000
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