Yahoo's Chief Revenue Officer has a few words of advice on how to progress in one's given job: take risks and always be prepared.
Lisa Utzschneider wrote in a Fortune article that staying comfortable and allowing yourself to be controlled by uncertainty will get you absolutely nowhere. She also adds that you must always know your stuff, always be prepared, so that when a time comes wherein you are caught off guard without your key notes or your flashcards, you can make an impression.
Take risks.
Be a daredevil when it comes to career decisions; take risks. Lisa writes that she was unsure of whether to take on a new job seeing as it would drastically affect her personal and professional life.
Everyone around her advised her to refuse the job offer but she took it anyway, stepping out of her comfort zone, and in the process learned things about herself and her career. She also writes that taking risks can include opening up to superiors and colleagues, suggesting business ideas or improvements, and acting on them.
Get all the necessary information before taking on that big, scary step. Is it going to be worth it? Will you be able to handle it?
If the answers are leading more on the negative scale than the positive, be wise enough to refuse it. Lisa says that knowing when to take a risk is more important than taking it itself.
Be prepared.
Putting it simply: know your stuff. This means not relying on a powerpoint, flash cards, or notes. This is so that in the event that your prepared presentation does not work, you can still get on with the show, writes Lisa.
Knowing your work in and out would give the impression that you are confident and knowledgeable about what you do--because you are. Before every given event, always ask yourself if you can answer the questions properly and sell the subject matter convincingly.
