Career advice from a manager of rural programs

What’s the best advice you ever received? What tips did you wish you knew earlier? How did this help you on your career journey?

We’ve spoken to members of the Apolitical community to share their top three pieces of career advice with us. In this article, a manager of rural programs explains why self-awareness is the most important leadership skill in their role.

Your first piece of advice:

"You've got to work with all kinds". A former executive director said this to me once in passing in the bathroom (of all places!). She was in a bit of a rush and I was grumbling about a staff person I had to work with. She uttered the words off the cuff as she hurriedly walked out and I thought, she's right (!) ... I just need to get over myself and get along with people. We rarely get to choose who we get to work with but we do have a choice as to how we work with them. We can always CHOOSE to approach challenging experiences as an opportunity to learn, to try new communication techniques or even in some cases move on to something else. We need to accept where we have choice points and where we don't. It's freeing to approach life this way. We waste less time stewing and worrying about other people's behaviour and we keep our personal power where it belongs - inside ourselves.

Your second piece of advice:

The four agreements - 1) Don't take anything personally. 2) Don't make assumptions. 3) Be impeccable with your word. 4) Always do your best. ... boy oh boy if we only focused on these 4 things our workplaces would be so much clearer and cleaner.

Your third piece of advice:

Self-awareness is the most important leadership skill. If you don't work on this you will never be successful as a leader.

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