10 Things That Can Give you an Edge in your Career

1. Certifications, graduate degrees, etc.

Many people don't want to keep learning

2. Connections with the right people

Sometimes all it takes is knowing the right people to unlock the doors to growth opportunities

3. Working well with others

It's hard to work at any organisation if you don't work well with others

4. Knowing what questions to ask

5. Working with ambitious friends or coworkers

They may bring you along in their rise up to the top

6. Working on related skills in parallel

If you want to be an executive, you probably need to know how to 'sell' so why not at the same time start a side hustle where you're selling a physical or digital product?

7. Be known as someone that gets things done

Nobody likes workers who have their heads in the clouds, they want to know that when they give something to that person, they can get it done

8. The school you went to

Although it's becoming less so these days, the school you went to can unlock opportunities that others may not have. E.g., going to Stanford -> Silicon Valley

9. Treating people well on your way up

Some people burn bridges all around them - not with companies but with the people they work with because they think a couple things: one, they probably won't work with the same people again, and two, these people aren't at the same level so their opinions don't matter. You never know who you're going to work with again and what influence they have.

10. Owning mistakes

Even more important than owning mistakes is owning the problem.