Career Development Advice From a Cute Little Bunny
Do you believe that “anyone can be anything?” That’s my favorite quote from the recent Disney movie Zootopia. If you watched the movie, I’m sure you loved Judy’s confidence, diligence, and self-awareness.
Whether you are a graduate fresh out of college or a corporate veteran who feels they have reached a ceiling in their career, there are three things we can all learn from Judy about career development.
- Know what you want and believe in yourself
Consider this fact: Our research shows 42 percent of entrepreneurs have determined they want to own their own business before the age of 12.
Since she was a little girl, Judy wholeheartedly believed she would become a police officer. When her parents told her that a rabbit has never been a police officer, she didn’t consider herself crazy. Instead, she replied: “Maybe I will be the first one.”
There will always be people, maybe a lot of people, telling you that you are crazy and shouldn’t bother to achieve your goal. Think about Judy, and tell them you are going to be the first one.
The bottom line is: you need to have faith in yourself before other people can believe in you.
- Don’t give up, work harder towards your goal
Yes, I mean work harder, not just hard. Especially when you come across a long learning curve. Have patience and persevere.
Judy’s path to becoming a cop wasn’t easy at all. She had to put in extra effort to make up for her disadvantages. Behind the scenes, Judy trained on her own when her friends were not around.
We all have unique talent and skills. Therefore some of us are not the greatest fit for certain roles. But it doesn’t mean you should stop pursuing the job of your dreams. With a little extra effort, you can still attain your dream job.
- Collect resources and reach out for help
It’s important to let your friends and your network know that you need help. Most people are happy to help you with a connection to a job or a tip to help you achieve another goal.
Judy was very unhappy at the beginning of her career. Assigned to parking duty, she felt undervalued. The tipping point came when she gained support from assistant mayor Bellwether on a string of disappearance predator cases. Judy reached out to Nick and with his help, finally cracked the case.
During training of a fundraising job I had as a student, my boss asked our team, “Why do beggars get what they want? Because they ask!” If we are too shy to ask, we probably will never receive help.
Step out of your comfort zone and reach out to the people in your network who have the connections and resources you need.
Many of these same lessons apply to our personal and professional development. Anytime we veer from our journey of achieving something in life, we must be honest with ourselves about our primary goals. Work hard for your goals and pay attention to those who can help you achieve them.
Get help to develop your personal and professional goals with a free assessment using TTI SI’s Science of Self.
