How to stand out with brilliant people

Yesterday, I had 30 minutes to meet with six Directors and my GM.

I was there to share my experience, career goals, and ask for guidance.

It’s called career council.

I started the session on script, but chose to flip it.

“I’ll share about me” I said, “But if you’re game, I’d like to do this a little differently”.

“Oh?” said my GM.

“I want to ask you three questions” I said.

This small moment led to vibrant discussion, and I listened to every word.

I asked “How has a failure, set you up for later success”, I couldn’t get them to stop sharing.

It was inspiring. I’m surrounded by great leaders. Great people.

They shared they failed, and what they learned from those failures.

Adaptability is a superpower.

And that is something I can apply to my career today.

I thanked them.

“There should be a failure book”! said one Director.

I agree.

If you can put enough smart coworkers in a room together,
and focus them on a quality question,
you have unlimited potential.

Most employees forget this.

The key to a great career is building relationships.

Surround yourself with people smarter than you.

If you like each other, bonus.

If you’re honest with each other you can multiply your results by learning from each others mistakes.