One of the best pieces of advice I could ever give a young person starting a career would be that they should always do three things:
- Show up a little earlier than the other guys.
- Work a little harder than the other guys.
- Never pass up the chance to learn something new.
That got me where I am, and I don't think I'm doing too badly.
The CEO of McDonald's, Chris Kempczinski, has some more good advice for people starting out in their careers. He warns that he may ruffle some feathers, but honestly, some feathers need ruffling.
In a video posted to his Instagram account earlier this week titled "Tough Love with the McDonald’s CEO," Kempczinski encouraged people to take full ownership of their professional journeys rather than waiting for others to open doors for them.
"The advice I would give is: remember, nobody cares about your career as much as you do," Kempczinski said. "So this idea that there's somebody out there who's looking out for you, who's going to make sure that you get that opportunity, who puts you in the right thing — great if it happens — but at the end of the day, nobody cares more about your career than you do."
I would have been a little more direct: "Nobody cares at all about your career but you." Operating on that assumption will never disappoint.
It's all about responsibility. If someone is unhappy with their career progress, the first thing they should do is look in the mirror. Nobody is responsible for anyone else's career progress. Nobody is responsible for anyone else's financial status. Barring parent/child relationships, nobody is responsible for anyone else.
Career progress isn't all that difficult. There is an apocryphal saying often attributed to Thomas Edison that states, "People often don't recognize opportunity when it knocks, because it usually shows up in overalls and looks like work." And perhaps that is part of the problem: We focus so much on "career" that we forget that the career is the outcome of work.
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Interestingly, this advice comes from the CEO of a company that was the first employer for millions. When I was in high school in the late '70s, it seemed like half the kids I knew either worked at McDonald's or had worked for McDonald's. This company was the first exposure to the work world for millions of teenagers across the decades, and now we even have a President of the United States who is a former McDonald's worker - well, sort of.
This may be the best piece of advice Mr. Kempczinski offers:
He added, "So you've got to own it. You've got to make things happen for yourself."
That applies not only to career advancement, but also to anything else. Unhappy in love? Look in the mirror. Unhappy with your job? Look in the mirror. Fat? Look in the mirror. Drunk, or addicted? Look in the mirror.
In 1854, a writer named Annie Louisa Coghill penned these lyrics:
Work, for the night is coming:
Work through the morning hours;
Work while the dew is sparkling:
Work amid springing flowers;
Work when the day grows brighter;
Work in the glowing sun;
Work, for the night is coming,
When man's work is done.
That's what it all comes down to. Work and responsibility.
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