Steve jobs, co-founder of Apple just passed away a couple of hours ago. He’s the epitome of a true Top Contributor, and one of the most creative and successful business men in this country. I’d like to remember him by posting his famous speech at Standford University: ‘You’ve got to find what you love.’ It’s so inspiring and it shows where he got his motivation.

=============================
“I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I’ve ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That’s it. No big deal. Just three stories.

The first story is about connecting the dots.

I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around (more…)

So, being a Top Contributor is not about climbing the corporate ladder, it can also be about building your own company and making it to the top there. Yes, it will be 1000 times more difficult. You will have to work insane hours at first, and there will be millions of obstacles in your way, but if you make it, you will make it big.

I read the article From Unemployment to Startup at CNNMoney and loved some of the ideas these entrepreneurs had to start their own companies. I specially liked the one about ticketkick.com. After getting 3 tickets in a week, Greg Muender founded this site to offer people legal advice to get their tickets dropped. This is such a simple idea and yet so great. He barely opened this company last year, and he’s on track to break a million dollars this year.
So, whether your idea is to build online videos, online apps, or name new products, go for it. Start small, and dream big.

Given the current economy, there’s a great possibility that your company has gone through some layoffs within the last year. You may not be able to stop the layoffs, but you can definitely defend your job, and make sure you’re not the next one to go if they do occur. Between 2002 and 2003, I got laid off twice due to company restructures when the economy took the detour south after the 9/11 attacks. Luckily, in both occasions, I got hired back exactly the same day I lost my job by another business division. At the time I did not fully understand all the reasons why I was offered a job right away while some of my colleagues did not, but I’ll tell you that story another time. Below are some of the things I’ve learned since then which will keep your job safe.

1) I’m great! Do you think I’m great too?

You should always know what you manager thinks of you. You might be surprised to find out that even though you might hold the biggest stats in your team, and you meet all the business metrics, your manager may not think of you as one of the best employees. The easiest way is find out is to simply ask: How am I doing? Am I exceeding your expectations? Some employees feel intimidated to ask this question directly. If you are one o them, get over it, and ask it! You may think you are doing a fantastic job, but in the eyes of your boss, this could be different. You should never wait to the end of the year to get a performance review to find this out. Through the year, you have to approach your boss and ask: Am I on the right track? If you are, well great! But, if you are not, you have a chance to work and fix whatever the problem is. In your manager’s eyes, you have to be a Top Contributor, and the last person he or she would let go in the event of layoffs.

2) Merlin’s Crystal Ball:

(more…)