Josh Walker isn’t in the business of burning bridges.
(Source: LinkedIn)
The esteemed accountant has worked with several reputable organizations throughout his career. Interestingly, he’s even returned to old workplaces after time away!
While previous generations placed immense value on working for one company over the course of a career, tides have changed. In fact, some business models are not set up for workers to stay forever, and that’s okay.
In a recent conversation with Chris Thomson on our Leaders of Tomorrow Podcast, Josh makes the case that loyalty isn’t defined by how long you stay at a company, and that there are many ways to climb the corporate ladder while exploring different opportunities in your field.
Here are Josh’s tips for getting ahead in your career, no matter where you end up:
Raise the Benchmark
Josh is a firm believer that there’s no better way to showcase your value to your employer than by raising the benchmark on your responsibilities.
“One thing I always did from a young age was that I always put myself in the other person’s position. I’d put myself [in my bosses] shoes [and ask], what would he expect? If you do that you can really start thinking about what they want to see from you and you can just use that to your advantage and you can just raise the bar and do it better than anyone would expect. If you keep doing that, it gives them no choice but to bring you on their team and to use you, because you’re obviously out-performing everyone else and you can then jump in and be the star of the show from such a young age,” he told Chris.
Foster Strong Relationships
It’s a long life, and career! There will be times when another opportunity presents itself that’s too good to ignore. But when it comes to leaving your job, Josh highly advises against burning bridges on your way out the door.
The fact of the matter is, just because you’re leaving an organization doesn’t mean you abandon all the connections you built during your tenure there.
“One thing that I’ve always valued is making sure that whenever you leave a company you give them ample time as a heads up to let them know you’re moving on. The last thing you want to do is burn a bridge and as you’ll see, I ended up back at the same company a couple times. That shows a little bit of a testament to making sure that you’re having that open communication, those open conversations, and that people understand why you’re leaving. There’s no hard feelings, it’s just that at that point in your career you need something different,” he explained.
Are you a student looking to further your development as a leader and enter the exciting world of entrepreneurship? Check out more stories from Student Works participants and alumni on our Leaders of Tomorrow Podcast!
