Early Career
Hone your skills and build a reputation for being a good teammate. Resist the urge to specialize in exchange for exposure to the broadest array of work. Find strong mentors. Join forces with the people who challenge and fuel you with the most positive energy. Embrace the activities most aligned with your natural strengths. Keep your curiosity in a state of continuous discovery.
Mid Career
Build a network of talent and resources. Use the respect you have earned as a platform for making impact. Elevate your craft with a peer group of collaborative specialists. Insist on meaningful work and healthy workplace culture. Capitalize on your influence and be a good steward of your rising responsibilities.
Late Career
Strategically deploy the rich network of connections and tools you have accrued over decades of investment. Be willing to take a risk and change direction. Find a way to give back in appreciation for all that has been given to you. Teach, mentor, advise, counsel, and consult. Memorialize your accomplishments by passing them on to the next generation.
Everyone is at some stage of beginning, middle, or end. Depending on your place in the team’s lifespan, build your skills, play nice in the sandbox, discover your strengths, grow your network, finesse your resources, try something new, return a favor, share some wealth, and leave the world in a better place.
