You look in admiration to those who seem to scale mountains every day. How do they manage to achieve what you can't -- or could you? While part of your success rests on your natural abilities and interests, much of your success also rests on your work ethic. If you work like a boss, you'll work up to being the boss if that's where you want to land - here's how.
Take Initiative
Seth Godin says that you must step forward and take on the opportunities that await. Don't wait for others to delegate these opportunities to you. "Once you understand that there are problems just waiting to be solved, once you realize that you have all the tools and all the permission you need, then opportunities to contribute abound."
When you want to work like a boss, discover the problems in your field and become the solution-maker. For example, if you feel like you can create the best infographics to explain scientific topics due to your unique background in science and digital marketing, step forward to solve that problem. You don't even need to work for a company to do this: develop your own skills and work as a freelancer.
Seek Out Opportunities for Growth
Whether you're in school or working in your first digital marketing position, being tenacious and constantly seeking out opportunities for growth will help you move forward in your career. If your personal growth can also add value to the company, you'll help your workplace improve at the same time. For example, you can focus your energy on developing a business blog or ebooks for your company, honing your writing skills and drawing in new customers.
Be Responsible
Whatever you do, you must own your work and take absolute responsibility. It's all right if you're sick sometimes or you're too busy to take on a project, but you need to make this clear to those you work with. If you make a mistake, be honest, try to fix the situation, and learn from it so that you can do better next time. According to Forbes, great leaders "admit that it was the collective insight from bad decisions that taught them invaluable lessons and how to see opportunities in everything and anticipate the unexpected more quickly." If you're aiming for a leadership role, know that leadership comes with more responsibility and many more opportunities to make mistakes -- yes, opportunities, because this is how you'll grow.
Inspire and Serve Others
As an aspiring leader in your field, your job is not just to grow your own career, but to help inspire and serve others as well. Simon Sinek says that "to be the leader, you have to belong to our tribe. We have to feel like you serve us, and we would happily serve you." As you grow in your career, look for opportunities to help others. If you're able to work magic with your graphic design skills and you notice your copywriters are struggling to explain a concept, offer to develop their idea in a visual medium. Create a team that you can all belong to, and you and your team members will work to support each other.
When you're looking for opportunities to expand your digital marketing career, you need to work hard and work smart. Learn more about digital marketing and how to land a job in the field by downloading the free ebook Nailing the Job Hunt.
