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Guest post by: Stephen Blakesley Become an Author

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That's right, I have never known anyone to begin a job with failure in mind. Yet, many fail and most are only mediocre. Why, would be a good question?

Even better would be a good answer to that question.

While I cannot be absolutely certain about all the reasons people fail, I can be certain about some. Here are those that come to mind:

• Beginning a job without a clear understanding of SELF. Failing to be Self-Aware is like trying to find a target in total darkness. You know there is a target, but if you find it, it will not be because of your skills, it will be, simply luck. Are you willing to trust your future to luck. I am not. Know Thy Self!
• Taking a job because it is a job and you need one. To increase your chances of success, look for and accept a job that cries out for your talents, skills and experiences. Don't think you will develop new talents or skills. You will likely not have time to do that before accountability time comes. Know the Needs of the Job.
• Being given no direction or encouragement when beginning a new job. Ask about the companies "On-Boarding" and "Career Path" processes. If they do not have at least a powerful "On-Boarding" process, your chances of succeeding will be slim. Know what support you will be given.
• Little or no coaching or commitment from your direct supervisor. If you are a direct report to a manager who has no commitment to develop his/her people, guess what? He or she will not be committed to helping you. Know something about your supervisor.
• No clear picture of how your performance will be judged. If you can not see clearly, how you will be judged, chances are you will have to depend upon being liked by you supervisor. Most wish to be judged on how well they did the job. Know what is expected of you.

Success is not a result of talent alone, many very talented people have failed in their jobs because they failed to pay attention to the "little things," like the five points above. Finally, I do wish to point out that if there were only one thing you could do to enhance your success at work. It would be "work hard.." Hard work beats Talent every time. Want to Succeed at work? Start with a commitment to work hard and make certain that as many of the five (5) steps have been met or verified, as possible.

Then begin your new job with success in mind!

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