Career Wisdom from Tyler Perry

Tyler Perry, is a successful actor, producer, director, screenwriter, playwright, author, and songwriter; he’s one of the hardest working celebrities in Hollywood. Notice, I didn’t say “most talented”. He may be that too, but, according to an interview yesterday on Live! With Kelly and Michael, Perry would attribute his success to his work ethic. “Work ethic is everything,” he said. “So I learned how to do everything… If you want to be the boss, learn how to do everybody’s job. So, if they don’t work out, you can just jump in there and do it.”

Work ethic, the number one attribute of most successful people, not only helps propel you forward in the eyes of your manager, but it covers up mistakes. When a hard worker fails, her team will more likely overlook the issue once or twice. She’ll also have the opportunity to fix her own problem if, as she characteristically is accustomed to, she works hard to come up with a solution.

Millennial research has shown that young professionals have a different value system than those of generations past. They are interested in giving back, either through work or volunteer activities. They also pursue more balanced lifestyles than their parents might have. These are all worthy ambitions but excessive lifestyle focus early on could translate to less upward mobility or the necessity of harder work in the future when financial responsibilities mount.   One last benefit of working hard early in your career…you’ll likely advance faster and realize you really like your job. More authority is usually more fun.