Harness your maximum potential

This post came out from The Straits Times (4 February 2016)
Title - Harness your maximum potential - How to supercharge your growth

Some pointers that I've got are:
1. Create a timeline
2. Find a runner
3. Be the future of the business
4. Identify your natural acumen
5. Keep simplifying

On Create a timeline

• This means forecasting your milestones. Giving yourself a timeline of what you intend to achieve within the first two years in the organisation is key. 
• With the map drawn up, you will have greater clarity on how you are going to get there. Identify projects you like to be involved in and ask for bandwidth from your supervisor, and let him or her know the career direction you would like to move towards.

On Find a runner

• Get a partner in the workplace to monitor your progress. This person should be either your boss if he or she is open about coaching you to succeed, or a friend in the workplace. It can even be a friend who is working in another organisation in a similar industry. 
• The idea is so that both of you can work together to pace each other. A good analogy is like a runner pacing another runner to keep in step and achieve significant milestones within a time frame. This will boost your motivation and energy during tough times.

On Be the future of the business

• It is not about the years of experience that define your market value, but the number of good experiences that define you and your market value. Organisations are looking for dynamic individuals who have good business acumen and are creative and innovative.
• Even if such individuals fail, they are willing to learn about what works and not repeat the same mistake. This is one of the critical factors that will help a business strive in the future.

On Identify your natural acumen

• Have there been times when you could do something relatively easily and naturally while others failed? A strong sign of acumen is when you are able to do something effortlessly while others struggle to get the hang of it.
• Think about the skills you have that fall into this category and develop them further.

On Keep simplifying

• What is gravely missing today is the ability to simplify one's message during presentations and meetings. The more senior an executive is, the more he or she needs to simplify things.
• The more simple the message is, the easier it is for us to understand something and be convinced by it. But often, we end up dumping data on others and lessening our credibility. 

Yours,
Something Small Thinking Big