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Most professionals spend their days focused on performance, deadlines, deliverables, and doing good work that gets noticed. Thats normal. But theres an overlooked truth about work (and life, really) that doesnt show up in job descriptions or KPIs. Work feels better, and often goes better, when its shared. Shared in the human sense: letting someone in, acknowledging others, and enjoying progress together instead of alone. That idea comes through clearly in a story Oprah Winfrey often tells about growing up in Mississippi and learning an early lesson from a candy bar. Im telling you, if you do something to make someone else happier, its almost like it comes back to you exactly 100-fold. . . . I learned for myself, even as a little kid, that the candy bar tasted better if I had somebody to say, Isnt this good? . . . All things in life get better when you share it, and when you do something for someone else, the benefit comes back to you as well as to them. Thats where I get my great joy. Its a simple story. Now, lets apply it to the workplace, where we spend the majority of our waking hours. Because most of us miss it. Work isnt meant to be a solo sport When people keep everything to themselvesideas, credit, stress, winswork becomes transactional and isolating. Thats a bummer by my book, and Ive been in these dreadful offices before. But when workers share, even in small ways, something shifts in the atmosphere. Trust grows. Energy increases. People feel less alone in the grind. So, what does this look like in everyday work? Sharing builds connection without extra effort You dont need a team-building exercise to create connection. Sharing context on a tough project, looping someone in early, or simply saying, Heres what Im working on, helps others feel included. It builds community. Inclusion, even informal inclusion, reduces friction and misunderstandings. Shared credit strengthens collaboration Calling out a colleagues contributionespecially when you dont have todoes more than make them feel good. It signals praise, respect, loyalty, and fairness. People are more willing to help when they know their effort wont go unnoticed. Helping others improves your own work This is the part Oprah points to that people often underestimate. When you support and serve someone elseby offering feedback, time, or encouragementit benefits you in many ways. It helps reinforce cultural values like empathy, generosity, and servant leadership. I would wager that most meaningful work moments for you may have involved other people. Those times when you were tasked to solve a problem together, laughing after a stressful meeting, and celebrating a small win. Work satisfaction rarely comes from achievement alone. It comes from achievement thats witnessed. None of this requires a title, authority, or permission. And its free. Ill leave you with a few ways to share with peers and colleagues on the fly, starting today: Share information instead of guarding it. Say thank you out loud; dont just think it. Invite someone into a win instead of claiming it. Check in when someone looks overwhelmed. Include others in daily decision-making. Share credit with the team. The candy bar tastes better when someone else is there to enjoy it with you. Work does too. This week, intentionally share one thing at workcredit, your help, context, or appreciation. Notice how it changes not just the other persons day but also yours. By Marcel Schwantes This article originally appeared on Fast Companys sister site, Inc.com. Inc. is the voice of the American entrepreneur. We inspire, inform, and document the most fascinating people in business: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters that represent the most dynamic force in the American economy.
Category:
E-Commerce
For two decades, I’ve mentored professionals at every career stage: first as a high school teacher and administrator, and presently as a university professor and corporate consultant. One pattern emerges across every career pathwaythe people who find strong fits for their talents aren’t the ones with the most impressive single credential. They’re the ones who understand how three things work together: Skills. Credentials. Network. The car mechanic who realized his hands-on skills weren’t enough as cars went digital. So he went to night school and earned his associate’s, bachelor’s, and MBA in four years. During the journey, he took advantage of every professional networking opportunity his job and college offered him. Today he’s a fleet director at a major construction firm. The product manager who wanted to transition into consulting. She started running experiments online and building an audience for her behavioral design work. That public learning launched her into a consultant role and, eventually, a managing director position at the same company. The mid-career professional who pursued an online masters degree in data science while aggressively expanding his network. Within two years: book endorsements, podcast appearances, and a transformed career. Three people. Three different starting points. Same solution: they each tended to the three corners of professional success. Skills. Credentials. Network. Here’s what each corner means: Skills: Can You Do the Work? This is the obvious one, but it’s more layered than most people realize. You need hard skills (can you code, analyze data, design a system?), soft skills (can you communicate clearly, collaborate effectively, adapt to changing circumstances?), and job sculpting skills (can you position yourself effectively through résumés, cover letters, and strategic outreach?).Furthermore, in a world where AI can replicate many technical skills, you need to demonstrate more than competence. You need to show you can apply skills in messy, real-world contexts that don’t come with clear instructions. This comes from years of solving problems and creating possibilities in collaborative, real-world contexts. Credentials: Can You Navigate Systems? Yes, the “skills-based hiring” movement is real. But credentials still matter, and not just for the knowledge they represent. A degree signals to employers that you showed up, navigated a complex system, and saw a multiyear commitment through to completion. As one hiring manager told me: “If you finished college, I know you can operate in structured environments, meet deadlines, and push through when things get difficult.” Credentials aren’t just proof of knowledge. They’re proof of persistence and the ability to navigate systems. Network: Does Anyone Know You Exist? This is the most overlooked corner and the hardest to measure. Stanford University sociologist Mark Granovetter famously called it “the strength of weak ties”: the acquaintances who know different people and have access to different opportunities than your close friends do. It’s about who knows what you can do, who vouches for you when opportunities arise, and who creates pathways you’d never find on your own. The number of LinkedIn connections doesn’t matter. It’s the depth of contacts and engagements you have with people in your field and adjacent fields that does. Professional associations, internships, alumni networks, mentors: these aren’t “nice to have.” They’re foundational. Why All Three Matter Here’s what I’ve seen so many people misunderstand: they’re crushing it in one corner but can’t figure out why their career isn’t clicking. Dazzling skills, impressive credentials, cool connections, yet nothing’s working. I had one mentee who applied to hundreds of marketing jobs. He had impressive skills but no network and the wrong credentials. No interviews came his way. From where he sat, it was maddening. From the outside, it wasn’t mysterious at all. A strong network may have been able to overcome the credential mismatch, but with neither in place he had to carefully reconsider his next steps. Meanwhile, often mid-career professionals considering a master’s degree forget to be strategic about all three corners. The best programs aren’t just about the credential. You’re bringing work experience, building new skills, and accessing a powerful alumni network simultaneously. Too often people enter programs with a narrow focus. I’ve seen professionals complete expensive degrees, ace every exam, and graduate with zero meaningful relationships in their cohort. They dont even think about using their student status to land an internship or fellowship at organizations they care about. They paid for one corner and ignored the other two! Here’s what makes this framework durable: the three corners reinforce each other. When you sharpen someone’s work, you’re building their skills. When you help them navigate complexity, you’re teaching system navigation. When you make introductions, you’re expanding their network. The framework works at every career stage because the fundamentals don’t change. The world is changing fast. AI disrupts skills, remote work reshapes networks, degree inflation is real. But employers will always need people who can do things well, navigate complexity, and work effectively with humans. Assess all three corners honestly. Where are you strongest? Where have you been neglecting? Invest there. Your next opportunity won’t come from one thing; it’ll come from understanding how all three work together. And while you can’t control luck, building all three corners means you’re ready when it shows up.
Category:
E-Commerce
If youre a CEO, entrepreneur, recruiter, or hiring manager, you know how important it is to hire the right people for the right roles. But hiring the right people for the right roles goes way beyond simply attracting the best and brightest of your industry. Just because someone is highly qualified, great at what they do and has impressive experience, doesnt mean they are a good fit for your organization or your culture. If you want your business to thrive in the marketplace, you need to filter out potential employees who may not be a great fit for your organization and attract those who are the most likely to thrive. Here are three ways to attract potential employees who are more likely to fall in love with your brand. Give candidates a realistic job preview According to LinkedIn, the biggest concern candidates experience when searching for a job is not knowing what its really like to work at an organization before they apply. If you truly want to give candidates a transparent look at your organization, including the not-so-glamorous side of the role they are applying for, consider adopting Realistic Job Previews as part of your recruitment strategy. Realistic Job Previews (RJPs), as the name suggests, are designed to give candidates a realistic peek behind the curtains of the role they are applying for so they can make well-informed decisions on whether the job is one which they will love and thrive in. Some companies, like Boston Consulting Group, allow candidates to take a 3D tour of the company and to register for a job simulation. Other companies, such as Marriott, use gamification to give candidates the opportunity to perform the digital equivalents of the tasks they would perform on the job if they are successful in their application. This gives candidates a close approximation of the difficulty level of the jobs they are applying for and can help them decide whether the job they are applying for is a good fit for them. If you simply dont have the budget for these high-tech solutions, an effective low-tech alternative may be to simply allow candidates applying for a job at your organization to spend an entire day in your workplace shadowing team members in the department they are applying to be a part of and speaking with any of your team members individually or in groupsunsupervised and without any intervention or interruption by any member of our leadership team. This allows candidates the opportunity to have a truly unfiltered and uncensored view of your business from the perspective of employees without management running interference. Candidates who like what they see will be more likely to apply for (and love) a role at your organization, while those who dont will look elsewhere for employment (saving you valuable time and money). This is RJP in its purest and most transparent form. Dont worry too much about scaring off candidates with the truth, because when you stop and think about it, if they join your team, it wont be long before they see both your strengths and weaknesses for themselves. Its much better to be upfront with candidates so they can make an informed choice rather than to hide the truth and have your new employees quit after a few months, weeks, or days after they experience your culture for themselves! Articulate an inspiring purpose Research by Gallup shows that employees with a strong sense of purpose in the workplace are 5.6 times as likely to be engaged in their jobs compared to those with a low sense of purpose. And research conducted by McKinsey indicated that 82% of employees believe its important for their company to have a purpose. Thats why its important to carefully articulate your purpose in a way that inspires potential employees who are aligned with your purpose to want to work with you. If your purpose is, for example, to help alleviate poverty, it will attract individuals who love the idea of helping people improve their quality of life. If your purpose is to create technologically advanced products that improve the lives of customers, that purpose will help attract individuals who genuinely love being involved in the process of technological innovation. And, if your purpose is to help preserve the environment, you will attract employees who are passionate about conserving natural habitats. If your company doesnt have a thoughtfully articulated and documented purpose, take the time to do so right awayit just might help you to attract individuals who will love working at your organization. Demonstrate that you value career development If you want your employees to love your organization, let them know upfront what career opportunities they may be eligible for across the organization beyond the role for which they are applying. Deloittes Explore Your Fit initiative does a good job of this by using technology that allows candidates to answer a series of questions about themselves, their experience, and their interests. Based on the responses, Deloitte will provide candidates with a custom digital guide to help them navigate career opportunities within their fit area. If you prefer a more personal touch, have a conversation with candidates that includes a review of your organizational chart, and what positions they may be eligible for if they excel at the position they are currently applying forespecially if your company has a history of promoting from within the organization. Some companies that value career development have even been known to create custom positions for high performers they want to retain even after they have outgrown the positions they originally applied forsomething you may want to consider if you want to ensure that you retain your top talent, even in roles you may not have previously envisioned. When employers demonstrate that they value career development, candidates are more likely to have confidence that their work will be meaningful and lead to future opportunities within the organizationhelping them make a more informed decision and more likely to fall in love with the jobs they have applied for. Of course, there are several other ways to attract employees who will love working for your organization, but these three activities are an excellent way to start the process of having potential employees who will fall in love with their roles in your organization.
Category:
E-Commerce
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