9 savvy habits that will accelerate your career:
1. Make People Feel Important (SHR Method) Your formula to be charismatic: Seen • Give eye contact • Offer a specific compliment Heard • Ask good questions • Be interested, not interesting Remembered • Follow up • Remember name(s) • Recall something you discussed
2. Hone Your Body Language (7-38-55 Rule) People will like/dislike your communication based on: • 7% words • 38% tonality and face • 55% body language Stand up straight, pull your shoulders back, make eye contact, smile, give a firm handshake... You will be dangerous.
3. Master the 4-Bullet Update Powerful people are busy. (They might not remember what they asked you to do.) Give an update with this outline: • Here’s what you asked me to do • Here’s what I did • Here are the risks/blockers (if any) • If given more time, I'd do this
4. Record and Study Your Speaking The best communicator I know told me her secret: She records her calls. Then she replays them, studies them (like an athlete watching game film). You’ll cut ‘ums’ and ‘likes.’ 99.9% won’t do this. Be the outlier.
5. Ask Rapport-Building Questions Your network is your net worth. Build bonds with these Qs: • What neighborhood are you in? • Do you have any siblings/kids? • How'd you meet your partner? (if mentioned) • Any fun upcoming trips? Simple, but most people miss this.
6. Send ‘Friday Highlights’ If you're new to a team, do this to build trust. Every Friday, send your supervisor(s) a short email. Two parts: 1) Highlights from the prior week • Big tasks completed • People networked with • Extracurriculars (like affinity groups)
2) Upcoming activities for next week • Forward-looking big tasks and networking --- Friday Highlights will help you: • Build trust • Hold yourself accountable • Tactfully self-promote (perception is reality) • Have everything you need for self-reviews
7. Don’t Complain or Gossip. Ever. Nobody likes to hear complaining. So why do we do it ourselves? (Respectfully standing up for yourself is different.) Separately, when you talk bad about others, people wonder if you talk bad about them too. Just don’t do it.
8. Remember ALL the Names A person’s favorite sound is their name. I have a theory about their 2nd favorite sound: The names of their loved ones and pets. Whenever you hear one mentioned, write it down. Later, ask *by name* about them. You will stand out.
9. Give Yourself a Personal MBA I recently wrote a popular thread on how to give yourself a personal MBA (in 6 months). All it takes to finish? Read 30 mins daily. Get a knowledge advantage:
TL;DR Savvy Career Habits • Make people feel important • Hone your body language • Master the 4-bullet update • Study your speaking • Ask rapport-building questions • Send Friday highlights • Don’t complain/gossip • Remember all the names • Give yourself a personal MBA
That’s all for today! Accelerate your career by adding just a few of these habits. If you enjoyed this thread, please RT the first tweet and follow me @SystemSunday This account exists to help you: • Learn systems and mental models • Become your best self Cheers, Ben
