The Secrets to Achieving Success as a Student!
Savvy University students always have a couple of similar burning questions which get brought up from time to time.
How do I get ahead of the other 3000 people graduating at the same time as me?
How do I differentiate myself in a saturated market?
How do I get access to the hidden job market?
The old adage was to source a mentor to coach the wee grasshopper to greatness. This mentor will identify your hidden inner passion, then find and match companies to your inner passion to ensure a cultural fit whilst then going forth and opening the hidden doors to these companies.
Here comes the reality check. The likelihood in this day and age to find the one mentor who will fulfill all your personal and professional prerequisites and that they are available and willing to help you out is slim to nil. Sad but true.
But don’t give up hope. Rather then looking for some hybrid of a soul-mate/mentor how about your own Personal Board of Directors?
To thrash out this concept read this article from the Harvard Business Review by Priscilla Claman and then come back for a few more pearls of wisdom. Click Me!
HRockstar: Thanks for coming back to finish reading!
Now it may take some time to find the right balance between your board members and I can ensure you that my board is still forming and I envisage that it will be constantly changing as my demands constantly change.
But before I let you run away to go form this personal board it’s important to think about the concept of reciprocity. It would be naïve to think that the people who sit on your board are doing this for nothing in return. They are doing it as it gives them a chance to pass on their knowledge and experience to somebody else. This gives them great satisfaction and lets them reflect on their journey to date.
The reason they are so nice and generous with their time is because I can assure you that they have their own board or set of contacts that are helping them along in their journey and creating a wide circle of reciprocity. So rather then the normal mutual exchange between the two parties you are creating a wide circle of reciprocity and exchanges.
So regardless of where you are in your personal or professional journey take a second to sit back and reflect on the knowledge, experience and stories that you can share with others. Because I can guarantee that there is somebody out their who is searching for their own board of personal directors and they want to hear what you have to say!
Happy knowledge sharing!
Damon Klotz 
6 Responses to “The Secrets to Achieving Success as a Student!”
Great post Damon!
As a student myself, these are career questions that I ask. I’ve managed to score myself a great mentor, but I do see the added benefits of developing a Personal Board of Directors in helping you that little bit more. Two heads (or in this case even more) are better than one, right?
And on a side note, it’s great to see someone as young as yourself so passionate about their work. You’re quite an inspiration for young people!
Thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment Micaela! I appreciate the kind words.
The more people you can call upon for advice the stronger your board will be. Keep putting your name out there and your hand up when opportunities arise and before you know it you’ll be on your way to developing a whole room full of contacts.
An excellent post Damon!
It does look at the concept of mentor and coach in a new light and with so much information and networking available today there is no excuse for not having your own personal board of directors.
It might be helpful for young people to provide them with (via your blog) somewhere to start with this idea – how do you identify who you need on your board? How do you source your members? Maybe some of your own personal experiences and examples would be helpful here…
Thanks for the comment Judy.
Your comment has triggered an idea and I think I have my Christmas period project lined up. I’ve been playing around with the idea of writing an e-book to put up on my website but I wanted to ensure that it would a. be of value and b. be something that I can comprehensively write about.
So I’ve started drafting some ideas on on publishing an e-book on how to source mentors and other forms of support. I’ve already got a rocking title for it but will release that at a later date.
I’ll be looking to get guest contributions from a range of people who have benefited from having great support. (If you are one of those people please get it touch damon dot klotz at gmail dot com)
I’ll keep you posted on my progress.
Damon
Bogusky wrote a piece last year where he basically has a conversation with himself about defining success. It’s the information he wishes someone would have told him as a student – might be worth a read!
http://fearlessrevolution.com/blog/defining-your-own-personal-success.html
Thanks for popping by Adam. This post is generating lots of interest.
Loved the article for the following reasons. He talks in third person which is something that Damon likes to do quite often I’ve heard.
He also has a rocking last name. Bogusky. He just sounds intelligent doesn’t he.
Maybe one day Klotz will have that same affiliation with intelligence.