How to be a Savvy Professional; 5 Tips from Four Experienced Pros

Intoday’s work environment, professionalism is absolutely essential. However, being able to stand out from the crows takes strategy and purpose. It is imperative that as you hone your skills, you also get an edge by inspiring confidence, and communicating value. At a recent Career Communications Group event, four experienced pros from the electric services, shipbuilding, and global cosmetic industries sat down to share their thoughts on how knowing your worth helps you earn more money, influence, and success.

Here are 5 tips to help you unlock hidden potential

These tips will not only help you be professionally savvy, but they will also usher in happiness, fulfillment, competence, and confidence in all your business and entrepreneurial endeavors.

1. Develop Your Personal Brand

Creating your personal brand is all about being authentic, bold, and positive. Unfortunately, it is not something many people take enough time to consider seriously. Rather, they tend to go about their lives and hope people make the right perceptions of them. Doing that allows people to make up the brand they think fits you. The goal of your brand is to be known for being yourself, not anyone else. It’s not until we show up as ourselves that people will start to notice the spark within us.

2. Be Authentic

Authenticity will help you stand out and open doors you never expected to open. When you show up as your authentic self, your professional endeavors will not feel like a “job.” The comfort of being who you naturally are prevents exhaustion and promotes genuine creativity. When you try to become who you think people want you to be, what you do ultimately becomes a task and limits opportunities of growth in front of you. Be confident in who you are and have the courage to stand alone.

Here’s an unknown fact: When you stand alone, you’re usually standing with someone who was afraid to stand up first. Know you are never truly alone.

3. Know Your Self-value

Own and cement within yourself that you are capable of doing whatever you set your heart and mind to do. You bring skills and strengths to the table no one else has. Allow your self-confidence to guide you to your best performance. Within you is the power of influence. That means in every situation, your thoughts, ideas, and work are necessary to challenge and change the next level of improvement for your team or organization.

Cornelia Butler Director DTE Energy

Cynthia Lee Gallo Sales Director DTE Energy

Sondia Christian Business Integration Director Huntington Ingalls Industries

As an influencer, you are a mentor, sponsor, and champion for your community and others. Your charisma causes people to believe in what you do and the direction you take. Take a vested interest in the people around you, and sincerely care about them. They will return that to you 100-fold.

4. Do the Work

Always be prepared. Practice, train, and build your knowledge base. Have a growth mindset, and take the time (and money, if needed), to invest in your craft and skills. Never automatically tell yourself no. If you do ultimately say “no,” let it be on your terms, not anyone else’s. Also, always let people know your vision for yourself so you’re not placed in areas someone else thought would be good for you. This is your life and career, not theirs.

5. Believe in Yourself at All Times

The only responsibility to yourself is to BE yourself. You are skilled at so many things. Know what those are and where you stand tall in your knowledge. Resolve any internal insecurities because that is the beginning of self-confidence. Also understand you’re not perfect. Everyone has room to improve, so be aware of when and where you should lead, and when you should follow. True leaders remove excuses and learn from their mistakes, but they also give themselves grace to know the past is in the past. Forward is the only direction of progress. 

Jesseca Dupart Chief Executive Officer Kaleidoscope SoulFed