Career Success in 2022

 

John Wooden said, "When opportunity comes, it's too late to prepare." In order to capitalize on the opportunities that present themselves in a rapidly changing career field, we must be prepared. When the promotional opportunity opens up, it is too late to start taking the classes, or obtaining the certifications, or volunteering for additional responsibilities. We must constantly be preparing ourselves today with the necessary skills and abilities to meet these future opportunities.

How prepared are you for the next opportunity, those opportunities that 2022 is sure to bring?  What is the last conference or presentation that you have been part of? When is the last time you have polished up your resume? Who are you following on social media platforms? Are you recognized as a leader in your field? What do you plan to achieve in the next twelve months?  Your honest reflection and responses to these questions should provide an idea of where you are and where you need to be in your professional development. 

If you knew that there was one magic key guaranteed to make you successful, would you want to take advantage of it? Motivational speaker and self-development teacher, Brian Tracy says, "Here is a rule that will guarantee your success - and possibly make you rich: Invest 3% of your income back into yourself."

Outside of company provided training, every person should be investing in their own professional development. The costs associated with books, classes, conferences, and certifications should be considered an investment, not an expense. The return on investment will be realized in a renewed level of motivation, fresh and new ideas, and an expanded network of professional relationships.

With the rise of online training, webinars, and zoom meetings it seems that there are more avenues of professional development that one could ever pursue. With so many options available it is easy to get trapped by "analysis paralysis" and end up doing nothing. However, by clearly defining your career goals, a pathway of professional development can be formed. Use the following steps to create your professional development action plan. 

1.  Assess where you currently are, and where you want to be.

What are your immediate and long term career goals? What are the things that you want to accomplish? What impact do you want to leave on your community, your organization, or within your industry?

2.  Determine what training is needed to achieve that goal.

Sometimes this guidance is already provided (i.e., job descriptions, requirements for promotions, internal training), other times guidance must be sought out or self-directed. It is a best practice to schedule a semi-annual meeting with your next level supervisor to discuss your near-term and long-term career goals and professional ambitions. These discussions should be viewed as an opportunity to receive insight into areas that you may need to improve upon, and guidance on the next steps needed to accomplish your career goals. Once you are clear on thi,s then you know what certifications and classes you may need, or what knowledge,skills, and abilities need to be obtained.

3. Read at least one book per year.

Statistics show that one out of four Americans will not read a single book in a year.  The most successful people are avid readers. Reading has been shown to increase focus, develop a more broad perspective, increase writing and speaking skills, and keep you mentally fresh, educated, and informed.  Select at least one book related to your career and professional goals, divide it up into easy to read sections, read one section per day to completion (i.e., ten pages a day for one month will allow you to finish reading a full 300 page book).

4.  Attend three conferences or professional development events.

These can be single day training classes, local or national conferences, or technical code/committee meetings.  If cost is a factor, search out local opportunities.  Alternatively, if you apply to be a presenter at many of these conferences, then the registration fee may be waived.

A plan for professional development and training is essential to success in any field. Do not wait for, or expect, someone else to pay for and invest in your professional development. Take responsibility for your own success, set goals, create a plan to achieve those goals, then follow your career road map. 

  

Qualities for ARFF Leadership Success [Being Chief]

Being Chief: Leadership Principles for the ARFF Professional, is the first book of its kind, dedicated solely to leadership in the aircraft rescue and firefighting field. More than thirty ARFF chiefs and leaders were interviewed for this book. Through the process of compiling the information from these discussions, a pattern for success emerged. Similar topics were discussed, and certain traits rose to the top. These came through these four questions:

1. What is your advice for the newly promoted chief officer?
2. What actions, behaviors, or thought patterns lead to leadership failure?
3. What is the top trait or characteristic that you believe every chief officer must possess?
4. What have been the key factors to your success and why?

What is your advice for the newly promoted chief officer?

1. Listen, to those above and below.
2. Learn, from others, from past successes and mistakes, commit to continual education.
3. Be with your people, they are the priority.
4. Remember where you came from, and how you got here.
5. Be consistent, always show up.

What actions, behaviors, or thought patterns lead to leadership failure?

1. Lack of respect for people.

1. Failure to recognize and adjust to different personality types.

2. Poor treatment, demeaning, unfair, unequitable.

3. Not ‘learning’ your people, or knowing who they are.

4. Failure to provide discipline and clear direction.

5. Not trusting your people.

2. Lack of integrity.

1. Not being true to your word.

2. Being inconsistent.

3. Non-committed to department, people, direction, or vision.

4. Self-serving.

3. Poor communication.

1. Not listening.

2. Unable to commit to decisions, lack of clarity in decision making.

3. Unclear vision and prioritizing personal agendas.

What is the top trait or characteristic that you believe every chief officer must possess?

1. Trust

2. Honesty

3. Integrity

4. Humility (approachable, listen, learn)

What have been the key factors to your success and why?

1. Knowing the job.

1. Commit to continual learning.

2. Stay relevant by listening to others.

3. Network with other chiefs, organizations, and departments.

2. Consistency.

1. Persevere.

2. Show up everyday at 100%.

3. Build experience.

3. Faith.

4. Family.

1. Support of...

2. Succeed for…

Being Chief takes a deep dive into each of these areas and topics, and lets you hear from the leaders themselves, in their own words through their own experiences.

How to Succeed in Fire Engineering

Paul Bryant, author of The 7 Traits of Highly Effective Fire Engineers: A Guide for Those in the Profession Who Wish to Get Ahead, has spent a career in the fire protection industry.  In his time he had the opportunity to work with all types and “qualities” of engineer.  Clearly, there were some that rose to the top.  They were different.  They seemed to easily excel at their field and quickly advance beyond their peers.  

This book is the analyses of his research on the seven traits that sets these high performing individuals above their counterparts.

Trait #1. Having Passion. They love what they do.

Trait #2. Being Objective.  They prefer to make decisions based on facts, even if the facts contradict their personal experiences and beliefs.

Trait #3. Knowing Your Limits.  They know what they know, but more importantly, they know what they don’t know.

Trait #4. Progressive Thinking.  They look to the future - they don’t live in the past.

Trait #5. Taking Responsibility.  They automatically assume responsibility for their output.  They readily own up to mistakes.

Trait #6. Getting Involved.  They really get involved in, and contribute to, the industry.

Trait #7. Appreciating Others.  They acknowledge and appreciate the skills of others in the profession.  They understand that it does not have to be a competition.

“Each of the seven traits are more to do with attitude than anything else.  It is attitude - and the right attitude, that separates those who succeed from the rest.” --Paul Bryant, Fire Cubed LLP

Significant Leadership

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Studies show that the only thing people fear more than death is, public speaking.  Seinfeld says that people would rather be in the coffin than delivering the eulogy.  However, it is my belief that what people really fear is insignificance. Fear that when one reaches the end of their life, they will look back on unmet goals, unfulfilled ambitions, and regrets. Fear, that their life has not mattered, or made a difference, to anyone or anything.  

It is from this fear that I have implemented seven strategies into my life to ensure that no goal goes unmet, or ambition is unfulfilled.  That I will look back and see and life lived without regret and that has impacted the world around me.  

It is these seven principals that I lead my team with, in order to ensure that we are making a lasting difference in our company, our clients, and our personal lives.

Strategy #1:  Take Action

Start now, start where you are.  Do not wait until you are great to begin.  Untold numbers of people never start because they are afraid they cannot make it go.  Others never start because they do not see ahead to the reward, and others never get started because they are waiting to be compensated for their services.

To succeed is but the natural way to live.  To fail is contrary to nature.

If you don't start, you can't fail.  It sounds ridiculous when you say it that way.  But of course, it is ridiculous.  It's (quite possibly) the reason you're stalling.  On the other hand, there's no doubt that, "If you don't start, you will fail."  Not starting and failing lead to precisely the same outcome, with different names.  - Seth Godin

Strategy #2: Define Success

What does success look like for your organization/client/self?  

Success means much more than pure profit; it means that you have conquered; you have self-satisfaction; you know that you have a place in the world.  Success means a greater personality, a greater usefulness, the realization of one's homes, and a legacy to leave to the world which will encourage future generations. 

It is important to have a clear definition of success so that you can adequately determine your priorities, and envision the reward at the end of the journey.

Strategy #3:  Always Be Producing

Leave no time wasted.  We are given eight hours for work, eight hours for sleep, and eight hours for recreation, the improvement or our minds, and the social amenities of life.  How many are there who can put their finger on the last eight hours and tell where they have gone?  The man who has wasted the precious hours of life's seed-time finds that he cannot reap a harvest in life's autumn.  

I prioritize and utilize my work time in these three ways: (1) What can I do that will be most beneficial for my team and organization?  (2) What can I do that will be most beneficial for my customer/client?  (3) What can I do that will be most beneficial for my own professional growth?

Anything outside of these does not need to occupy my work day.

Strategy #4:  Stay the Course

Once you have defined what success means for you, your organization, and your clients, and have charted a course to get there, do not deviate.  Many distractions will come, but only acknowledge the things that move you closer to your destination (this means sometimes saying, 'no' to seemingly good opportunities).

Strategy #5:  Make Decisions

Do not be paralyzed by indecisiveness.  Lack of making decisions can derail an organization, a team, a life, faster than almost anything else.  Refusal to make a decision is a decision.  It is a decision to be taken wherever others want to go.  This will derail you from your goals and defined success path.  

If you are a leader, you are paid to make decisions.  Do the job you are expected to do.

Strategy #6:  Focus on Others

Pour yourself into the lives of your team.  Help them achieve their goals, and you will achieve yours.  Cultivate the art of seeing possibilities in others.  We live by radiation, not absorption.

Strategy #7:  Seek Results

The men who make history are the men who get what they go after - the men who get results.  To get the results you need and expect requires initiative, it requires doing the extra work, it requires resolve.  Initiative to do the thing that must be done.  Doing the extra work to achieve the results that only you can.  Resolve to see the project through to completion.

Rhinoceros Success

Don't Be Like the Living Dead

Be happy at work.  Have you ever gone into a civil service building and noticed the employees?  They are the living dead!  Yesterday, I went downtown to file my fictitious business name statement and I couldn't believe the cows at the windows.  They all acted as though they had knives stuck in their backs!  They spoke in a monotone and never showed any emotion.  It was chilling!  I thought that I had entered the twilight zone!

Be a rhinoceros and show your personality.  Smile and act as if you are alive.  Put some spring in your step and some warmth in your handshake.  Put some feeling behind your words and show an eagerness to help. You will not only like yourself much more, but you will create a warmer, friendlier, more productive work environment and everyone will love you for that, especially the boss.

If you want more from your job, show up tomorrow as a full time rhinoceros.  Don't worry about the rumors that you have been drinking or that you dropped our of bed on your head.  Remember your two inch thick skin and your audacity.

Cows hat to work with rhinos because rhinos make them look bad.  Cows are lazy and unproductive.  They will try to pull you down to their level.  Don't let them.  There is a loose rhinoceros in the place now!  Watch out!  There's no telling what will happen!  One rhinoceros can really wake a place up.  Decide to be that rhino and watch good things start to happen to you.

-from Rhinoceros Success, by Scott Alexander  

Zig Ziglar's Success Habits: Journey to the Top

from Success magazine:

 

 

Personal development icon Zig Ziglar told SUCCESS in October 2008, "I'm a constant learner. You need to be a constant student because things change and you have to change and grow. And I emphasize the word grow," he says. Here are Zig Ziglar's five habits for your journey to the top:

 

 

     1.  Be a constant leader. Seek out information that you can learn and teach to others.

     2.  Encourage others and help them get what they want.

     3.  Express gratitude. "Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions," Ziglar says.     "The more you   express gratitude for what you have, the more likely you will have even  more to express gratitude for."

     4.  Recognize the value of relationships and their role in creating balanced success.

     5.  Be consistent in your words and actions. "When you make a promise, keep it."

 

For related content from Zig Ziglar visit success.com