Rising in any career — as well as in life — takes determination, perseverance and adaptability. And It’s generally best if you can remain grounded in humility and gratitude, acknowledging the opportunities that have come your way.
It also takes resilience and courage: the courage to turn the wheel and embrace life’s myriad twists and turns. When I reflect back on my own career, I often think about the advice I took to heart, such as from the motivational speaker Zig Ziglar.
He said just get started in any direction, and once moving, then it is easy to turn that wheel in the right direction.
Here are 7 proven strategies that helped keep me moving throughout my career and rising to the top. I am confident that they can help you as well:
1. Never place a lid on your own thinking
If you’re familiar with Zig Ziglar you may know about his flea parable. As the parable goes, when the flea trainers placed fleas in a jar and left the top off, the fleas jumped up and out endlessly, escaping the jar.
Once they covered the jar with a lid, the fleas jumped high, hitting the lid over and over creating a limitation they learned they couldn’t overcome.
After time, once the trainers took the lid back off, the fleas could not jump out. The limitation was now set in their mind, even if it was no longer there in reality.
2. Don’t expect a seamless career
My Dad sold insurance, and as a boy I sometimes followed him door to door. I know there were times when he wanted to just go home. But he needed to keep going, and he did. That was my introduction to the world of business.
As I embarked on my own career, I made sure I wasn’t just doing what I wanted, but what I needed to do. It may not have been as well-planned or seamless as I’d hoped, but the truth is, no career is.
You’ll be given opportunities — and it’s up to you to recognize them, conventional or not, and take full advantage of them.
I’d already visited and worked in the United States but hadn’t yet decided to settle here. I was still a young man when I received a prestigious scholarship from British Leyland Motor Corporation (BLMC) — manufacturer of iconic brands like Austin, Jaguar, Morris, MG, Triumph and Rover.
In my position there, I got the chance to experience work at almost every level of the company, from the production line to sitting in on senior management meetings.
But I saw how even this impressive brand and leadership team couldn’t surmount the broader fault lines in British society at the time. The company was crippled by confrontational labor relations, and I knew there were no easy fixes.
Instead, I decided that to keep moving forward in my career, I had to make the move to America. I never looked back.
4. Find your niche
I realized I loved the sports world — I had played semi-professional football (soccer) for Oxford City Football Club when I was still in England. I also loved helping organizations grow.
So, I combined them into my own niche, focusing on revenue generation and fan community building for start-ups and turn-around situations, and helping sports organizations refocus, build and drive — on the field, court and ice.
That included the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Colorado Rockies, the Denver Grizzlies, the University of Denver athletics department, the National Basketball Association, and the Atlanta Hawks, Atlanta Thrashers and Philips Arena.
When I founded my sports marketing firm, The Aspire Group, I acted first as CEO, and later as Chairman. I knew I wanted it to keep growing and all my decisions were based on that objective.
Aspire became one of the leading outsourced revenue-generating firms globally in the space and generated more than $125 million in new and enhanced client revenues per year, and over $1.75 Billion for our over 300 iconic clients globally.
When I sold Aspire to Playfly Sports in May 2023, I knew it was the best way to keep Aspire growing, since Playfly is the fastest growing company in sports multimedia rights, marketing and technology.
6. Seize challenges as opportunities
This is a simple one, but it’s an important mindset shift. If you have a goal or a dream, go for it. For instance, if you want to rise in the corporate world, you need to be willing to climb the ladder, no matter how slippery it might be.
When you face a challenge, see it as an opportunity, and go for it.
7. Just turn the wheel
Back to Zig Ziglar, whose wisdom taught me so much. To move forward takes change. Sometimes you are going to have to turn the wheel, even when there is no momentum.
Being able to decide on the direction you must take does not have to be the starting point. If you cannot decide, just start anywhere — you’ll be able to adjust to the right direction once you’re moving.
There are always consequences for every action, and every inaction. But with that initial action, that first step, even if it is not in the exact right direction, it is often the key to success.
I’m at the stage where I’ve shifted my focus from growing a career to making a difference. But I’m able to bring the lessons learned over time to this new endeavor, and I’m able to make a difference because I have the track record and success to propel me forward.
That’s the bonus to guiding your own career with care. Once you acknowledge that you are ready, then you can use your experience, power, and confidence to help others as well.