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Hey đđŒ
Howâs your week been so far?
Last week, I shared 10 career lessons from my good friend, Funso Okejimi which was positively received. Iâm contacting some of my professional networks to tap into their unique perspectives. Iâll be sharing this in future posts. So, be sure to subscribe.
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Planning your career growth can be overwhelming & confusing.
Should you go for an MBA? Part-time or full-time?
Get a professional certification?
Online, self-paced, or cohort-based program?
Continue with your current company or change jobs?
Amidst all these questions, itâs easy to feel confused & spread thin.
What if you could identify the 20% effort that could lead to 80% of the result?
What is the 80/20 Rule?
The 80/20 rule, also known as the Pareto Principle, originated from the observations of Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto in the early 20th century.
Pareto noticed that approximately 80% of the land in Italy was owned by 20% of the population. This principle has since been extrapolated and applied to various fields, including business, economics, and productivity.
In the context of career growth, the 80/20 rule suggests that roughly 80% of outcomes result from 20% of efforts.
In other words, a minority of activities yield the majority of results.
3 Ways to Apply the 80/20 Rule to Career Development
1. Identify High-Impact Activities:
Take stock of your responsibilities and projects, identifying those that contribute most significantly to your professional growth and success.
Hint: these might not be the most glamorous projects/tasks
Itâs easy to get dragged in many directions by many projects demanding your attention. Most of these will have little to no impact on your long-term career growth.
Be intentional and give more attention to your high-impact projects.
2. Look Beyond Technical Skills
If youâre new in your career, its tempting to focus more on technical skills. These are what you need to get into the room.
Now that youâre in the room, itâs time to start focusing on soft skills. These are what you need to continue to stay in & grow in the room.
The common high-impact soft skill for most jobs is communication!
Do a self-assessment here. Do you need to sharpen your oral or written skills? Both?
Start now!
3. Network
As the African proverb says âIt takes a village to raise a childâ, it takes much more than you to have an amazing career.
Believe in yourself but find managers who believe in you too. Find peers who support you and you in turn support them.
If youâre looking to ask someone to be your mentor, this article I wrote for Inc Africa magazine would be helpful.
As you network to find people to support your career growth, remember:
Networking is not transactional, even though there is an exchange.
Networking is a TWO-WAY thing. Itâs give & take; not take & take. Recently, I asked someone to be my mentor and I offered to support any charity of his.
Networking is like insurance. You âbuyâ it before you need it. Network before you need to network.
âYour career success depends on both your individual capabilities and your networkâs ability to magnify themâ
~ Reid Hoffman & Ben Casnocha in âThe Startup of Youâ
Job Openings: Apply & Share with others!
Graduate Trainee Program of Coronation Merchant Bank. Expires April 12th, 2024. Apply Today!
Credit Direct is looking for (i) a .Net developer (ii) QA (iii) a Node.js developer (iv) Sales roles (v) HR role (vi) Strategy Associate
Apply here. Different expiry dates.
McKinsey & Co. is looking for Junior Associates to join their Lagos office. April 1, 2024 deadline
Good luck.
Until Next Week,