Career Survival Tip: Leave Your Ego at the Door

To build a reputation as a go-getter, you need to satisfy other people’s needs and goals as well as your own. You can do this by giving others the spotlight. This means listening up!  Did you hear that?  This requires a pause, silence and zoning in on the other person’s agenda.
I often meet ambitious 20-somethings who spent all their time with me talking and no time listening.  You may possess great knowledge but this is only useful when you understand how to apply it. Be a sponge and soak up as much as you can about how you can help the person standing across from you.
In a work context, listen with your eyes and ears to understand how things are actually done. Who are the go-to people for what? Who are key people to know and mentor you in your career? You have to allow yourself to be vulnerable to the thoughts, opinions and ideas of other people. Don’t try to finish their sentences to look smart. Don’t try to improve upon their thoughts. Instead, listen with a positive frame of mind.
Bottom line: conversations are a great opportunity to better understand the other person, not to push your agenda. When you make it about them, then it can become about you.  
Ask yourself:
• Why is it just so hard to ‘zip it’ and listen?
• Have you ever been busted for not listening … what happened?
• Tell us about a great conversation

Daneal is a career coach and co-author of “Hitting Stryde: A Gen Y Career Survival Guide”. She has been featured in The Globe and Mail, The Canadian Learning Journal, The Metro and has contributed on-air career advice on Professionally Speaking TV, Life by Design, and The Small Business Big Ideas Show.

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