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[Image above] In hindsight, I wish I had more foresight. Credit: Timothy Appnel; Flickr CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Hindsight is 20/20, so we asked ceramic and glass experts to proffer their best advice. While they’re leaders, advisors, and role models now, they started somewhere. So listen up—their advice might help you in your own quest for success.

First up is John Mauro, senior research manager of glass research at Corning Inc. and ACerS Fellow.

  

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John Mauro receives his Fellow Award from ACerS then-President Kathleen Richardson at the ACerS Awards Ceremony at MS&T15 in Columbus, Ohio. Credit: ACerS

We asked John one question. Knowing what you know now, what’s the best advice you’d give yourself if you were starting out in your career?

“Here are my top ten pieces of advice I would have liked to receive when I was just starting out in my career:

  1. Recognize and be at peace with the fact that you can’t please everyone all of the time.
  2. Speak up when something is bothering you—it is much better to address issues head on rather than let them fester.
  3. Embrace people who are willing to give you candid feedback. They are your best friends for helping you grow as an employee and as a person.
  4. Don’t worry about things that you can’t control. Instead, focus on the things that you can control and where you can make a positive difference.
  5. It’s okay to make mistakes. The important thing is to learn from them.
  6. People development is key to the success of a company. Embrace being a mentor and helping others grow however possible. Remember we are all on the same team.
  7. When communicating results, be sure to know your audience and adjust the presentation style and level of detail accordingly.
  8. It’s okay to say “no.” While it’s certainly not easy to say “no,” at some point it becomes necessary to make a priority call about what we really should and should not be working on.
  9. Be happy. Happiness is a choice. Don’t sacrifice your happiness for the purposes of career growth—it will only make you miserable.
  10. Work-life balance is key to having a long and productive career. Don’t burn yourself out by working too hard over a short period of time. Remember that your career is meant for the long haul.”

-John Mauro

 

Do you have an insightful nugget of advice you’d give to your early self? Let’s hear it!

 

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