The goal for any employee is to climb the ladder, but that’s easier said than done. When you first start a new position, you don’t know what you don’t know and as you get deeper into your career you realize there is a large knowledge gap you have to make up in order to climb the ladder.
There is no single path to success nor is there a definite way to quickly gain a promotion in the construction industry, or any for that matter. However, there are a few skills you can learn that will help you grow quickly as an individual which in turn, will elevate your professional career.
Skill #1: Leverage The Experience of Your Network
Leveraging the experience of those around you to quickly gain an edge in your position is a fantastic way to quickly grow your knowledge in any industry. As we so often say on The Laying Foundations Podcast, “Listen, Learn, and Lead with Questions”. This is a foundation to who we are and what we do. By listening intently to every conversation, question, and meeting you can gain valuable insight and learn how people think, act, and believe. By constantly asking (good) questions you can expedite your experience gathering because you are learning from someone who has done it before.
As a bonus, people love talking about what they do and are very willing to share their knowledge! Keep in mind, you will not only learn what TO do in a conversation, but you will also learn what NOT to do.
Everyone has valuable experiences they have gathered, good and bad, so pay close attention and you might just pick up something you never thought of.
Skill #2: Have a Willingness to Learn
Another way to quickly show your professional value to any company you are with is to have a willing but curious spirit. You want to be one of the first people to volunteer for a task (especially when new) and do it to the very best of your abilities.
Now, there is a caveat to this. I say a willing but curious spirit. Do not simply be a yes man but with every task you take on, seek to know the “why” behind it. Anyone can do a brain dead task and never know why they are doing it. It takes another level of thinker to ask the question “why”.
One of our values at Laying Foundations is “Seek to understand, not to respond.” It is easy to quickly respond to something and say yes but it is a lot harder to truly understand someone or the task you are doing.
Step 3: Work Hard, Be Patient
Lastly, I think it goes without saying but work hard and be patient. Easier said than done right? So many people in the world have lost what it means to work hard, and they expect everything now, now, now. I have been very guilty of this and constantly must remind myself it is a marathon and not a sprint.
If you listen, learn, and lead with questions, have a willing and curious spirit, work hard, and be patient, you will have doors and opportunities open to you. Life is a fun and exciting journey filled with a lot of ups, downs, and stressful situations. Never let work be one of those situations. Make every day a challenge and seek to become 1% better at what you do.
If you do these things (and granted there are many more) I won’t promise you success but you will have a much better chance at “climbing the corporate ladder” a lot quicker.
As always, reach out to us for any questions you might have!
