Be kind. Be coachable. Be competent.
I recently spoke to a group of students at a middle school career day. One of the things we discussed was what it takes to be successful in the profession I was representing. What’s interesting, I believe, is that the same qualities are required for pretty much any profession: Be kind. Be coachable. Be competent. Be kind. Others have to enjoy working with you. If they don’t, the situation won’t last. I once worked once on a team of brilliant high performers that had a stated “no asshole” policy. Being kind means treating others with respect, being honest, trustworthy, dependable, of generally good character. Just be a decent human. Or as they say on Breaking Bad, DBAA. Be coachable. As the saying goes, hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. Most experienced coaches and leaders will take a hardworking individual who doesn’t make excuses and seeks to improve over a talented but lazy, egotistical or defensive individual. Everyday and twice on Sunday. Be competent. This one