Career success is fascinating to me. Why are some able to go higher in their career and get there faster than others? What exactly are they doing better than most?
 

I especially like success stories that involve slow starters or underdogs who are overlooked in the early stages of their career. They start out in less-than-ideal situations. Overtime, however, they’re able to achieve outstanding success, passing over many others with far better credentials and more opportunities early on. You can learn a lot from such people. In two of my career development books, I highlight the impressive approach that many of them have towards pursuing their success.
 

Here are three significant characteristics that particularly stand out among them:
 

Jessie Zhang went to a 2nd tier university. In his first job, he did repetitive, basic work. He wasn’t viewed as a high potential by his company so wasn’t targeted for many development opportunities. Yet, from this beginning, he rose to become a senior executive in a major multinational company. When I asked Jessie how he managed to do this, he said, “I realized early on that nobody was going to care about my career development and future more than me. So I knew I had to stay positive, look for opportunities to do more, and make sure I did work that impressed others.”
 

Those who are able to turn their situation around do not have a victim complex. They don’t complain a lot or blame others for whatever it is they want, but don’t have. They’re mature, realistic, and clear-minded about their situation and what they need to do. Ultimately, they’re able to focus their energy and attention on finding ways to improve and show their capability.
 

Jessie went on to say, “I knew that nobody was going to pull me out of my situation into a better one. I needed to do this for myself.”
 

Those who are able to attract and get into a better situation also don’t sit around waiting for others to tell them what they should be doing to make that happen. They don’t wait around for something or someone to save them. Instead, they’re proactive about self-assessing, self-developing, and self-managing their career. This do-it-yourself (DIY) approach includes figuring out their development gaps and needs, building key skill sets and expertise, and seeking out better opportunities.
 

Highly successful people who come from modest situations are able to get more out of less. They seek and ask. They engage and get involved in situations. They find ways to capture moments and opportunities, even ones that aren’t directly presented to them. Although they have less access to resources and opportunities, they don’t waste the ones that they do have.
 

In his first job, Steven Song says he was “the guy who did everything that nobody else wants to do.” To change his situation, he volunteered to do very tedious translation work. His purpose was to better understand his company’s products so his management would consider him for a sales position. It worked. He was made a sales assistant and went on to become a top performing sales executive for a global telecom leader.
 

Judy Chen began her career as a secretary. One day, she heard about an upcoming senior management planning session. She asked her boss if she could coordinate the meeting, including recording notes in the meeting. He agreed. While it increased her workload, it gave Judy the chance to see how senior executives planned and strategized, developed solutions, and made decisions on key company issues. This big picture view raised her own ability to approach situations and add greater value throughout her career.
 

Judy also tells how she did a lot of data entry work for her boss, who was a finance director. But she didn’t just blindly input numbers. She looked for chances to ask her boss how they were determined. This is how she learned basic accounting. This not only helped her better support her department, it also became relevant when she later managed budgets as a Head of HR. In each case, Judy and Steven identified something that could benefit both themselves and others in their situation. They then took the initiative to do it.
 

For slow starters and underdogs, sometimes, it just takes one key break to set you on a completely different career track and career trajectory. You just need a better situation to learn, an opportunity to show your capabilities, or a chance to get closer to excellent people. Those that breakthrough have a basic orientation that allows them to find ways to make these things happen for themselves.
 

Even if you have a great boss and/or access to good training resources and opportunities, however, these three characteristics will greatly benefit your ability to achieve your success. A proactive, DIY mindset and approach helps you to better drive and manage your career development. Regardless of your situation, this will help you attain what you need to reach your career objectives faster.
 
 

How about you? Do you have any good examples where you or someone you know was able to achieve impressive success starting from a low or very modest situation early on? If so, please share it! This is part of RIZZARR’s Millennials X Mentors series.
 

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