Success and caring go hand in hand.

Being passionate about what we do, making and keeping commitments, and fulfilling personal and organizational potential–all these require caring deeply, not just for a while, but on a sustained basis.

Caring fuels how we think, how we act, and what we achieve. Our daily work decisions and behaviors reflect how deeply we care. And these decisions and behaviors set us on a path for achievement or disappointment.

Yet as managers and employees, we observe people not caring deeply. We see it when someone is doing just enough to accomplish a task rather than trying to create the best possible result. We see it when someone doesn’t want to take responsibility for work.
We see it when someone is only thinking about getting tasks done rather than thinking about possible consequences and next steps.

Clearly, not caring creates a variety of problems. An uncaring employee is more organizational bystander, unproductive baggage, than significant contributor. Bad habits and attitudes can develop and spread. Work can become minimized, avoided, and, rather than accepting responsibility when work is not accomplished, blame is assigned to others. Careers and organizations may stagnate. So what might we do to sustain and deepen how we care?

As an employee:

• Assess your interests, goals, and progress. Common sense says that we care more deeply about things we like to do, particularly if they help achieve something important to us. Create a list of what you like and don’t like. Evaluate goals in light of this list and then assess what has worked and what has not. By strengthening the link between interests and career goals and by assessing progress, you strengthen your focus and understanding of what you need to do.
• Link your job to interests and career goals. Your job is a building block from which your career is built, even if it is not directly related by function or industry to where you want to be. Find tasks and projects in your job that better match your interests in activities and skill development. Communicate your interests with your manager and volunteer to work on these projects. Building an understanding of how your job can help achieve career goals will help deepen caring for the job.
• Connect your job to organizational goals. Understand the value you contribute and how your day-to-day tasks fit in. Know that you create value not only by accomplishing relevant results, but also by how you work, your attitude. By doing this, you will be better able to do your best, not only on the interesting tasks, but also on the boring, if not painful, work. Find work to do that helps the company achieve its goals and discuss them with your manager. When we know our efforts are important, we understand the importance of caring.
• Be tolerant and patient: Understand that your company and colleagues will not be perfect. And you will not always agree. Don’t let imperfections destroy motivation and distract you from accomplishing your work. Setting reasonable expectations for mistakes and disagreement will help nurture and sustain caring.

As a manager:

• Translate company goals into priorities and day-to-day actions that are relevant to employees’ jobs. Define and communicate a departmental vision that helps employees understand how they create value in the context of the company’s mission and strategy. By linking employees’ jobs to the company’s purpose and vision, workers’ level of care is enhanced through a better understanding of the importance of their work.
• Be an effective–not just efficient–communicator, particularly when delegating work. Reduce the inevitable misunderstandings by taking the time to listen and communicate.
• Be a manager with heart. Be a role model. Having heart demonstrates that you care by taking the time to understand the individual differences, aspirations and needs of employees. Having heart means treating employees the way you would like to be treated. It is caring about employees as people and not treating them like machines. When you know someone is genuinely interested in you and cares about you as a person, you will more likely care in return.
• Managers also need to be tolerant and patient.We know that imperfections exist, that disagreements will occur and that misunderstandings are inevitable. Strive to create an environment where employees feel comfortable in sharing ideas, concerns, and interests. Nurture a caring environment where we understand that mistakes will happen, and respect each other’s individuality. Demonstrate to employees through actions that their development is a vital management responsibility.

Caring deeply is scary. Any commitment is, whether it is to a personal relationship or a job. We make ourselves vulnerable to disappointment. It takes a lot of energy. And caring deeply inevitably involves tough decisions where personal sacrifices are often required to achieve team goals and career success.

But without deep, sustained caring, we can not achieve our potential. Our careers will not have the meaning or success we desire. Connect your interests, job and career. Put passion into your commitments. Care deeply and achieve.

It’s time to take a quiz! Answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the following questions:

• You are not part of the less than half of young adults who currently think they have the education and skills necessary to advance in their career.
• You are the subject of headlines like ”Study: Many College Students Not Learning to Think Critically,” ”Average Is Over,” and “How Technology Is Eliminating Higher-Skill Jobs.”
• In the last 4 years, you’ve felt like it was going to be difficult to get another job if you lost the one you have today.
• You lowered your career standards, whether in money or position, to pay your bills.
• You’re putting off marriage, holding on to living with your parents, and/or stretching your comfy college career out to delay stepping into the world of work.
• You are drowning in college debt.

If you answered ‘yes’ to multiple statements above, odds are, you’re a lucky member of Generation Y! You will struggle in the world of work today and are predicted to continue struggling for higher wages, benefits, and a stable job for an undetermined amount of time.

When you answered ‘yes’ to any of the above, did it make you feel particularly “optimistic” about your future? In a recent NPR story, Mark Mather, an associate vice president at the Population Reference Bureau said:  ”I’m surprised young adults remain so optimistic. The research points to long-term economic problems for young adults. But many of the trends we are seeing among young people — postponing marriage, living at home, staying in school longer — can be viewed more as short-term ways to cope until the economy picks up.”

What do you propose we do instead, Mark? Would it be a better long-term plan to learn how to curl up and cry in our parents’ basement closet? No. Turn the doorknob, stand-up, and dust yourself off.

Out of 20,000 new hires, 46% of them failed within 18 months. Ouch. Out of those who failed, 89% failed due to attitudinal reasons and the rest for lack of skill, according to the Forbes article “Hire for Attitude.” That’s good and bad news.

The good news is you don’t necessarily need to go back to school to be a more attractive hire and your lack of employment may not be due to your tragic critical thinking skills, your 3.0 GPA, and your inability to work an Excel spreadsheet. The bad news is, if you failed due to attitudinal problems, a good attitude might be harder to come by than another degree. But, before you scoff at the idea of turning your cynicism into sunshine beams or clap your hands together that you’re already a cheery chap, know that a “good attitude” is relative to your ideal working place.

If you’re surly, there’s a place for you. If you’re perky, there’s a place for. If you’re apathetic, there’s a place for you. “Technical proficiency, once a guarantee of lifetime employment, is a commodity in today’s job market,” says Mark Murphy in the Forbes article. “Attitude is what today’s companies are hiring for. And not just any attitude; companies want attitudes that perfectly match their unique culture.”

The next time you are interviewing for a job or trying to hold on to the one you have, assess your surroundings. What kind of attitude will make you successful in your working environment? Consider your coworkers. What behavior seems to fly and what doesn’t? What can you do to stand out as having an optimal attitude for your work place? If none of it seems to work, look around. Do you need to pursue another work environment that better fits your personality?

If you’re still optimistic about your career, good for you. I say, keep up the optimism, get a good attitude, hang on, and never stop looking for your ideal career. What else are you going to do? Don’t let a statistician tell you that you’re a fool for dreaming of work, but you should work to show them they are wrong.

Hurray for Generation Y! The future has promise. The future is here.

Recently, I met two outstanding employees: Kate, a recent college graduate, and Jordan, a college senior working as a summer intern. It wasn’t years of experience that distinguished their work. And it wasn’t deep technical skills, although each demonstrated competence in the technical aspects of their work.

What made their work noteworthy was that Kate and Jordan had a “can-do” attitude, the ability to think critically, terrific interpersonal skills and a team approach to work.

This is not rocket science, nor are they things we haven’t heard before. So, why is it so refreshing?

When people behave this way, they distinguish themselves. They light up the room with their energy, solutions and spirit. And we, colleagues and managers, cherish them.

Clearly for these two young people, school was not just a solitary process of memorizing facts or doing the minimum to achieve a certain grade-point average. What Kate and Jordan learned in college beyond subject matter is helping them move from college to work.

Here are several career tips that might help you, whether you are an experienced employee seeking advancement, a recent graduate about to start a career, or a college student searching for the path to a meaningful life:

• Adopt a positive, can-do attitude. Employers want energetic, positive employees who are willing to learn, roll up their sleeves and take the initiative to get work done. Nobody likes being around a person who constantly whines, complains or just looks for problems. The same holds true at work. We don’t want to bury issues, but we can still constructively voice concerns and illuminate potential problems. Simply put, a negative attitude can limit a career, even for those with outstanding technical skills.
• Be a thinking, problem-solving employee. Think beyond just getting tasks done. Consider how your “to-do” list fits with organizational priorities. Look for any gaps in those priorities so you can take the initiative in seizing profitable opportunities or avoiding potential problems. Instead of asking for structure first to accomplish an assignment, think first about what you can actually deliver, critical steps, timing and resource requirements. And don’t forget about identifying similar projects that might help you define relevant methodologies, techniques and potential issues. Those who advance do so because they think critically and structure their work. When they encounter the inevitable roadblocks, they find solutions instead of giving up. Good decision-making and problem-solving require critical thinking, which is one of the keys to career advancement.
• Seek excellence and don’t just try to get by. Embrace new assignments and avoid the dreaded “It’s not my job” attitude. Great careers are based on a foundation of outstanding work and not doing the minimum. Exceptional employees consistently seek to do more than is required and more than is expected. For example, provide analysis when just asked for data, make recommendations along with a request for alternatives, and suggest next steps after every assignment. Good employees seek to run with their managers, if not help set the pace, rather than having to be pulled along.
• Hone interpersonal skills. Career success demands more than great technical skills and deep subject knowledge; you have to be able to relate to other people. You might know an accountant, graphics designer or recent college graduate who does technically great work but whose people skills have limited that person’s career opportunities. Listening, knowing the appropriate means (such as face-to-face versus e-mail) and timing of communication, having the ability to resolve conflict, and empathizing are key interpersonal skills. How can we build and sustain trust if others can’t relate to us? What is the cost of misunderstandings because of poor communication skills? Will there be tolerance for the inevitable mistakes if we lack the interpersonal skills to build strong relationships? Knowing how to nurture relationships is essential for career success.
• Strengthen team skills. Think about the Lakers last year versus this year’s championship team. Organizations understand the need for teamwork. Through the synergistic math of teamwork, one plus one can equal more than two. And yet we all too often observe selfish or distrustful behavior, which means one plus one equaling less than two. Team skills, such as putting team goals ahead of individual success, willingness to incur personal costs for the benefit of the team, sharing information and resources, taking the time to communicate, and putting animosities aside and working through conflict are vital ingredients for career advancement. As with the other career tips, “knowing” and “demonstrating” team skills are two different things.

It’s not enough to recall facts, grasp subject matter and have strong technical skills. Success means doing your best every day, on every task; seeking solutions and not problems; and caring deeply about your team and teammates.

Let’s be a source of organizational energy rather than ballast.  Let’s do more than is required and more than is expected. Let’s create joy in the workplace and help propel our organizations forward.

I got goosebumps when I read the last line of the NPR story “For Nervous Seniors, Some Pre-Graduation Advice.” After spilling how being “overlooked” and “underestimated” is just “a part of life,” Professor Mitchell Zuckoff closes his speech to his, and the world’s, graduating students with some words of encouragement as they prepare to take fresh steps into the world of work:

Last, I tell [my students] to keep in touch, because I know how good they are, and how much the world needs them, even if no one knows it yet.

And then, I felt resentment.

I’m often reminded of the switch that went off on the last day of my college capstone class when I read articles about students getting ready to graduate (see above) and the struggling college graduates adjusting to life without school or work (If you haven’t heard, you can read about it here, here, here, etc).

In my last day of my capstone class, a counselor from the career center (I didn’t even know we HAD a career center!) came to give a presentation on the topic: “What you can do with a degree in English.” As we rooted around the online Occupation Outlook Handbook matching our literary skills with $30,000 salary jobs and figuring out if we would be out of debt in our 60s or 70s, I realized that even though I had fuzzy dreams of writing novels or articles for travel magazines or seeing my name roll by in the movie credits, I never thought about how to get there — and no one ever talked about it in college until this day, the last day of my life in college.

Whether you have your life planned out already or are still waiting for a little kick in the right, or any, direction, you should read Professor Zuckoff’s article to get some tough love and encouragement many college students are hungry for.

I also want to append his story with some practical steps that can help you graduate on time and search for employment while you’re still in school.

• Get an internship today: I had the good fortune of being required to have an internship for my journalism minor. I started working at LifeBound as an intern and now work here full time, writing, reading, and learning daily. When looking for an internship, interview at multiple places and pick one that challenges you to learn beyond what you’ve learned in school. For example: If you’re an English major, get an internship where you can use your skill and learn business skills. If you’re a biology major, pick a place where you can learn communication skills.
• See an advisor: You can never check to make sure you’re on track to graduate too many times. I lied a little when I said that capstone class was my last — I had to take a summer class because I was a class short from graduating. Our office manager at LifeBound was also a credit short. We aren’t dummies! Mistakes happen, but do your best to avoid them.
• Put your goals in writing: Don’t let your professional and personal goals get away from you. Your life will change when you graduate and it’s good to have little reminders of what makes you happy hanging around to keep you grounded. I recently made a dream board of everything I want to do. I just checked off “run a half-marathon” (brrr!) and threw “hike Mount Kilimanjaro” on there to keep me motivated.

Share your tips for graduating college students in the comment box below.

It can be overwhelming looking into your career-crystal ball. You are 40 sitting at the same desk you work at now…. Now, you are sitting on an exercise ball at Google’s headquarters playing with a dog…. Now, your current job doesn’t exist, and you see yourself working remotely from your office in your isolated mountain home….  Now, you’re living in your old room at your parents’ house… Now, there is a deep, dark, black hole of —- nothing.

Right now, students who are just entering elementary school are learning basic programming skills to design apps, develop websites, and make video games. In 20 years, the job you have now, or have your eyes set on, probably won’t exist (And the article I’m citing is from 2006, so it will more accurately disappear in less than 14 years). As I see the changes in education and the world of work, I can’t help but wonder: Am I at a perpetual disadvantage because when I was at the same age as these new, techie students I was learning to stick floppy disks into my home computer that only had the capacity to play Snake and Pong? To me, technology was never going to be a creative medium or career. Am I hardwired for an outdated world?

I also used to toy around with the idea that, unlike my parents, I would be in one of those forever careers with a savings account and a retirement plan. Realistically, this may not happen, and if I’m honest with myself, I might not want it anymore. So, looking at the changing professional world, where people are spending less and less time at each job, my trendsetting parents who changed from career to career as small business owners might have given me an advantage with their forever-never career attitudes.

What the future holds is unknown. However, there is a lot of speculation of my generation being “lost.” We’ve grown up on the edge of analog and digital in decaying school systems that don’t teach critical thinking skills in an economy where many have to create their own jobs to be employed and where we get reminders of how economically doomed we are on a near daily basis.

But, our futures might not be as bleak as the media keeps telling us. The exciting thing about the world is that it’s constantly changing. And, even though change can be unnerving, it’s our turn to be an active participant in shaping what the new professional looks like.

I recently read an article on Fast Company called “The Career Of The Future Doesn’t Include A 20-Year Plan. It’s More Like Four” that had a positive view on the changing world of work and directly addressed some of my worries for the future of employment. Some points of interest are:

• Recent stats show the median number of years a U.S. worker has been in his or her current job is just 4.4 years.
• Multiple instances of short-term employment can be positive on a resume IF they are either do to moving through promotions within a company or you can outline your intentions of moving from job to job. For instance, if I felt I needed to change jobs in order to learn a new skill or challenge myself, a future employer might see me leaving a company after a short period of time as a positive quality.
• Many Americans don’t desire the long-term job and there continues to be less and less of them.
• Technology is accessible and the logistics are easily self-taught. Humans are adaptable.

It would be easy to get stuck in your crystal ball and watch your job at the coffee shop get replaced by a robot who pulls a perfect espresso shot every time, but just because technology is shaking up the business world doesn’t mean our humanoid qualities aren’t desirable anymore.

In fact, being human is why people are still employed. Most people are very capable of making their own cup of coffee. They go to the coffee shop because they like creating relationships with the other humans behind the counter. Same example works for retail, financial advisers, web design, etc. Computers can file, remember, and organize, but “Social and emotional intelligence is what humans are uniquely good at,” says Marina Gorbis of the Institute for the Future (she also adds “at least for the next decade or two” but we don’t need to worry about that now.) Even though computers are taking away our menial tasks, we can bet that our originality, creativity, and humaness is still a valuable quality in the changing world.

So, as you explore the world of work as a new professional, prepare for your next interview by asking yourself:

• What is unique about me that makes me the only person for this job? (Think beyond answers like organization, punctuality, etc.)
• How can I show I am adaptable in a shifting world of work?
• How do I illustrate my desire to be a lifelong learner as an asset to the company?
• How does the combination of my computational and interpersonal skills make me desirable?
• How comfortable do I feel with technology and what am I willing to improve?

The holiday season can be a hectic time, but it can also be the perfect time for many of us to slow down. Students go on break (and most likely pick up more shifts at work. At least it’s a change of pace!), offices close up for extended holiday weekends, tragedy is replaced with “Top 10 Things to Buy Your Girlfriend” lists in the news, and we find extra pockets of time we didn’t know we had to catch up with old friends coming through town for the holidays.

As this winter solstice storm cloud rolls in, the temperature drops, and I turn on the space heater, I know that in the midst of getting ready to pack up and head west for home in a few days, all I really want is comfort, relaxation, and a little time to breath.

Whether you’re in the countdown to Christmas, Hanukkah (Happy Hanukkah!), Kwanzaa, Festivus, or another holiday, consider taking advantage of these frozen, shorter days and start getting charged for the longer, warmer days of the happy new year.

This week, I’m going to find peace by doing the following before heading into packed holiday traffic and dinner tables:

• Call a friend: After nearly three months of being disconnected from the world, my best friend officially became a Buddhist and has been reunited with her phone. Talking to her will be like therapy. Call someone you love who you won’t be able to see over the holidays.
• Make cookies, eat cookies: I think spending time in the kitchen is enjoyable. I also like eating cookies. Whether it’s whittling something from wood, picking up your accordion, or listening to your holiday playlist, do something little that lifts your spirit.
• Log off of Netflix and read: If I’m spending any long periods of time sitting, it’s going to be in front of a book, not a screen. Learn something besides what your favorite reality T.V. star’s wearing that you can use as a conversation starter with friends and family.
• Exercise: I will fight the sleepiness, stress, and cookies by keeping with my normal workout schedule, even when other schedules are tempting me not to do so. Do something that keeps that feeling of normalcy alive and well.

If you’re a new graduate who’s feeling the effects of losing their holiday breaks, give yourself a break, even if it’s for a few minutes. If you’re a student who will be graduating soon, take advantage of this time to relax — really, it’s okay to relax.