Three ways to excel at work, in business, life | February 25, 2009

One way you can take what you are doing to a higher level is to learn more about it. When you’re just starting out, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed and wonder just where to turn to learn what you need to know. When you are experienced, it can be tempting to become complacent and stop looking for ways to grow. So whether you’re just starting out, or you’ve done all right for yourself, always have a learning attitude.

In my work as a personal development author and even in my role as an entrepreneur, I am often amazed when I speak with people who have an interest in a certain area but are making no moves to learn more about it, yet want to be successful in it. How can you produce top-quality results if you don’t know what it takes to get there?

Here are three ways you can learn about your chosen career, business, creative pursuit or other path:

Find a mentor. I shared this tip with some college students when I conducted a Greatness in You leadership program at their school recently. The mentor may be someone you know well or someone you only know of, through her work. A mentor can show you the ropes, provide a little guidance and sometimes, even help you connect with others. Spiritual Life and Leadership Coach Carolyn Townes shares some tips on how to engage a mentor.

Find good examples of work. Look for examples of the work you are engaged in and study it. For instance, if you are into photography, check out the work of photographers. The Internet has made this a lot easier. Web sites, blogs and forums can showcase examples. Here is the blog of a very good photographer I know named Greg Pearson. When you start to study good examples of the work you want to learn more about, you will begin to notice what makes different types of the work very good. This is an excellent exercise for any field — music, books, business. For example, I read Good To Great by Jim Collins last year and saw case studies of several great companies, all in one place.

Connect with others. If you want to get better at whatever you are doing, then look for ways to be around others who are doing it. Join an association, online community or create your own site for gathering, sharing or collecting information. Robert Trudeau does this by showcasing the work of local writers, artists, musicians and others for our city of Shreveport, Louisiana.

Which of these three tips will you use today?