Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1070459
18 / JANUARY.FEBRUARY.2019 USICERINKS.COM As your time with the com- pany grows, seek lateral transfers or increased responsibility without neces- sarily a corresponding increase in title or pay. Realize you are making yourself more valuable to your employer and view the stretch assignments as an investment in yourself. Although we are living in a time of an increasing sense of entitlement, we must all take care of ourselves. 3. YOU CAN'T REST ON YOUR LAURELS Many talented people feel that they do not have anything new to learn in their chosen field. They believe what got them there is enough. They become complacent. They decide they don't need to put in more effort and stop striv- ing for success. When you reach a goal, celebrate your success, but identify your next goal and begin to take action. When you stop moving forward and rest on your laurels, in actuality you are falling behind all the others who continue to move forward. 4. STAYING CURRENT Likewise, you need to stay current with industry trends by reading industry liter- ature and blogs. If you are moving into management, read leadership books and blogs. New trends are frequently enter- ing the workplace. You have the choice to be aware of and lead the change or try to catch up—or even worse—resist- ing the change. Joining industry and trade associations is another way to educate yourself on current trends. 5. NEW AND OLD GENERATION A big issue in many industries is getting several generations to work well togeth- er. Each generation has different learn- ing and working styles. You have several options to handle this reality. The first is to do nothing, since it's your fellow employees' responsibility to get with the program. You can leave it to your company's leadership to implement a program to fix the problem. The higher percentage choice is to educate yourself on the differences between generations, the issues these differences bring to the workplace and some things others are doing to address them. You can use this information to change how you interact and to the extent you can, help your company improve their processes. Ben took Jack's advice to heart. After graduating from college, he got a job with another company in another field. His education did not stop when he left school. He subscribes to industry and management blogs, has joined his indus- try association and seeks out challenging assignments and develops relationships with other successful employees at his company. He has been identified by his management as a high-potential employ- ee and is one of the youngest employ- ees at his level. Ben's future is bright. Amazing what a chance encounter in an elevator can do. J Walt Grassl is a speaker, author, and performer. He hosts the radio show, "Stand Up and Speak Up," on the RockStar Worldwide network. Walt has performed standup comedy at the Hollywood Improv and the Flamingo in Las Vegas and is studying improv at the Groundlings School in Hollywood. ANOTHER INVALUABLE SOURCE OF EDUCATION IS THROUGH PEOPLE. SPEND TIME WITH PEOPLE WHO CAN DO THINGS THAT YOU CAN'T. IT MAY MEAN VOLUNTEERING TO STAY LATE TO OBSERVE SOMEONE, GOING TO LUNCH WITH MORE EXPERIENCED ASSOCIATES OR FINDING A MENTOR. , Set new goals for yourself so you are continuously striving and learning more to achieve them.