- Wise Words -
The Deichert Files
by rob deichert
Short & Simple. Condensing down to down to just three important pieces of advice for Early Stage Professionals is tough, but I’m going to give it a shot. I’ll keep it short and sweet because I know the attention span of the general population has been declining based on a variety of forces including on-demand content and entertainment. A little perspective; when I grew up cable had maybe 20 channels max.
Effective vs. Right. First, strive to be effective, not right. It’s about getting stuff done. That’s the bottom line. Strategic thinking, pontification, extreme naval gazing doesn’t usually drive business. As an ESP, it’s most likely a waste of your time. If you aren’t executing you’re failing. Strategic thought should go into everything you do!! You think your boss is an idiot? Think the leader of another team you need to support is an idiot? Great, but they still control YOUR destiny. Maybe you’re surrounded by idiots? You might be the bigger idiot for not figuring that out during the interview process. Business is about results, being right but not driving results doesn’t count.
Effective vs. Right. First, strive to be effective, not right. It’s about getting stuff done. That’s the bottom line. Strategic thinking, pontification, extreme naval gazing doesn’t usually drive business. As an ESP, it’s most likely a waste of your time. If you aren’t executing you’re failing. Strategic thought should go into everything you do!! You think your boss is an idiot? Think the leader of another team you need to support is an idiot? Great, but they still control YOUR destiny. Maybe you’re surrounded by idiots? You might be the bigger idiot for not figuring that out during the interview process. Business is about results, being right but not driving results doesn’t count.
Working for "the Man or Woman". Second, remember the golden rule. He/she who has the gold, makes the rules. This is really simple. You have to make sure your boss and those above are happy with your work product. They make the rules and they decide what is right. There’s a saying that the truth is somewhere in-between two people’s version of what happened. That’s true unless it is your boss, then it’s their way or the highway. Spend time understanding your manager's goals, meeting them and above all view it as a partnership. The more you help your manager, the more your manager will invest and trust in you and as they grow you will find growth opportunities too.
If you have a challenging manager the above still applies but you also need to find ways of coping with the pressure and ultimately an exit strategy.
If you have a challenging manager the above still applies but you also need to find ways of coping with the pressure and ultimately an exit strategy.
Set Your Priorities. Third, set your North Star. At this point you might think I’m talking about EDM, but I’m not. The North Star was used before we had GPS and cell phones to navigate. It was always there. I’m telling you that you need to find your North Star. That being said what do you want to be/do when you grow up. Will it change? Possibly, but either way having a North Star will help you decide what job to take, what to work on, what to read on your commute, etc. Maybe your North Star is to figure out within 5 years what you really want to be when you grow up. If that’s the case, what’s your plan to achieve this?
In summary, get stuff done, remember who’s in charge, and set your long term goals.
For more of my columns see "Don't Dream Retirement. Start Saving Today" and "Retirement Saving on Steroids".
In summary, get stuff done, remember who’s in charge, and set your long term goals.
For more of my columns see "Don't Dream Retirement. Start Saving Today" and "Retirement Saving on Steroids".
Rob Deichert is Founder & President of Deichert Consulting LLC ("DC") a boutique firm specializing in digital marketing, advertising and publishing. The services that DC offers range from Strategy and M&A through to Change Management, Organizational Design and Operational Excellence. Prior to founding Deichert Consulting, Rob held executive positions at AOL, Criteo, Rubicon Project and The Weather Channel.
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