In my last post I talked about the importance of getting on the radar screen
with key people in your department’s food chain as the best method for erasing
the “new guy” stigma. This is one place where determination and career success
do actually go hand in hand.
In 1976 I had been working for Data Terminal Systems for a few months and my
boss’s boss still thought I was an unnecessary piece of overhead.
One day I overheard a heated discussion between my boss’s boss and the plant manager. All overtime had been canceled on the factory floor and shipments were going to get backed up. They had this new tool that would dramatically speed up circuit board production, but no one knew how to use it and everyone was going home at 4:00 because overtime had been cancelled.
Even though I worked in the production planning office, I volunteered to stay late and operate the new equipment without pay. In a few hours I cleared a week’s slippage in the production schedule and got things back on track.
The next day I trained the folks on the production line on how to use the new tool – more care and feeding for the food chain. With that one simple gesture, I went from the new guy to a top young candidate for promotion. My determination clearly drove my career success and I ended up on everyone’s radar screen.
That’s one example of my proven method for career management -- get on the radar screen with the key people in your food chain, but there are many more.
You can also read articles from Dave Horne at www.careersecretsauce.com
9 Critical Strategies for Building a Winning Career
Dave Horne
