Harvard career adviser shares 5 phrases most successful employees always use to stand out
Harvard career adviser shares 5 phrases most successful employees always use to stand out
Gorick Ng is a career adviser at Harvard University. He specialises in coaching first-generation college students and professionals, and teaches at the University of California, Berkeley. He is also the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Unspoken Rules: Secrets to Starting Your Career Off Right. Ng speaks and trains early career hires and their managers at Fortune 500 companies including GE, IBM, and Aon.
“I’ve trained thousands of early career professionals at some of the world’s most admired companies and heard senior leaders whisper about who they’re promoting (or not),” he told CNBC Make It. “So I know that what you say and how you say it can determine how people at work perceive you and where you end up.”
He added that for young professionals to succeed in their careers, their goal should be to demonstrate that they are competent enough to be trusted, committed enough to be invested in, and compatible enough to be a team player.
“Remember that doing your job is only part of your job, starting now and for the rest of your career,” NG said as he shared his top 10 favorite high-impact phrases used by successful professionals.
1.) What are your top priorities?
The most successful professionals figure out what matters to those who matter and then spend their time on what’s most “mission critical,” NG said. “Ask this question and you’ll show your manager that you’re committed to the same goals,” he told the publication.
2.) ‘How does __ work?’
Ng told CNBC Make It that several early career professionals go ahead with their tasks without understanding why they’re doing it. “The most successful professionals understand why things are the way they are — and find ways to get things done more efficiently. Ask this question and you’ll show your manager that you’re seeing the big picture rather than being consumed by a tiny part of it,” he said.
3.) ‘Would it be helpful if I __?’
Many early career professionals wait to be told what to do, but the most successful professionals find a way to be helpful, and get it approved by a higher-up. “Ask this question and you’ll show your manager that you can think for yourself and think on behalf of the team,” the Harvard career expert said.
4.) ‘Mind if I join?’
Another common factor among young professionals is that they wait for opportunities to come to them. The most successful professionals, however, pay attention to what’s happening around them and then invite themselves. “You won’t always get a ‘yes,’ but you will sometimes,” Ng said. “Ask this question and you’ll show your manager that you’re proactive about your growth and eager to create new opportunities for yourself.”
5.) ‘The context is … ’
“Most successful professionals begin with just the right amount of background information to make sure that others are following first,” Ng told the publication, adding that “many early career professionals jump straight into extended monologues”. “Get into the habit of starting with this line and the people around you will go from merely hearing you to actually understanding you,” he advised.