Thread by @paddymoogan

A few ways to advance your career in digital (or any industry I think) faster than others, which are nothing to do with learning digital skills.

Everyone can learn digital skills, that's table stakes. Here is how you can stand out and move quicker:

1) Take ownership of problems, as well as solutions.

Be the person that puts your hand up to help solve problems. You don't need to know all of the answers, but just show that you're prepared to find them.

2) Be your own biggest advocate and your own biggest critic.

Don't be afraid of telling your manager and those above you that you've done a good job. Balance this against always wanting to hear feedback, improve and learn more. None of us are perfect.

3) Ask hard questions to those above you, especially owners and founders.

I love it when I get asked questions that make me think differently and challenge my thinking. It happened recently with a new hire and it immediately made them stand out.

4) Play to your strengths, don't fixate on weaknesses, just manage them.

Spend most of your time and energy enhancing & playing to your strengths. Spend a much smaller amount of time on managing your weaknesses.

You were hired for a bunch of strengths, don't forget about them.

5) Go to your manager with ideas that they can just say yes to.

Make it easy for them to say "yes" or "go ahead", show that you've thought about things and thought about their concerns/questions in advance.

6) Go to people with solutions, but know your limits and ask for help.

"Bring me solutions, not problems" is well intended, but broken. It stops people from asking for help. So don't do this, bring solutions but think about your blind spots and experience gaps.

7) Think about how to be an *effective* team member, not just the most skilled or knowledgeable.

The best people I've worked with haven't necessarily been the most intellectual, academic or knowledgeable. They just know how to remove blockers and get things done.

8) Support those around you in their careers.

Give feedback to them, help them with their blind spots, tell them if they made a mistake and help them fix it. Help them make the case for a promotion, not everyone is good at selling themselves.

Good managers will notice.

9) Show that you care about the role and company.

People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.

Caring about doing a good job can mean as much (maybe more) than being the most qualified.

10) What got you here, won't get you there.

Going from an Intern to a Junior isn't the same as going from a Senior to a Team Lead. Progression and learning aren't linear, be prepared to adapt and change your thinking with each step you take.