哪些人的职业发展速度最快？

    《财富》500强内部网络作为一个内部社区，《财富》500强公司的高管们将在此与读者交流思想，并提供领导力建议。本期，CenturyLink公司人力资源执行副总裁斯科特·特雷齐斯将回答下面的问题：回首往事，你会给年轻的自己提供哪些职业发展建议？

    我很高兴在CenturyLink经历重大变革的关键时期，担任该公司人力资源执行副总裁。但我得到这个职位并非一蹴而就。回首职业生涯，我是多么希望在初入职场的时候，就能知道下面这些事情。

    我给年轻的自己提供的第一条建议就是要努力且聪明地工作。人类代代相传的经验是，好东西总是属于肯努力的人。尽管当今世界变化更快，但努力工作依旧是不变的真理。然而，除了要努力工作之外，在这个时代，我们还需要聪明地工作。我们要学会利用日新月异的技术，尽可能提高自己的工作效率和绩效。

    第二条建议是，要保持求知欲。抓住每一个机会提出问题。大多数人喜欢他人向他们提问——因为这让他们有机会分享自己的观点，打动听众。但通过问问题，你不仅可以获得知识，还能向周围的人证明，你有学习的欲望。求知欲会挑战现状，进而为你创造一条更快将事业做大做好的途径。

    而要保持求知欲需要具备敢于与众不同的勇气。我的第三条建议是，成为第一个提出问题，挑战现状，自愿接受最困难工作任务，勇于提出不同意见的人。勇气让少数人有别于普通大众。虽然这样做会让你感到害怕，但却能给你带来巨大的回报。

    第四，要有分析思维：用事实和数据说话。我记得一位老上司曾对我这样说过：“斯科特，你是一位出色的辩手，但只要我是老板，如果你我都有各自的主张，你就应该听我的。”这是一次很宝贵的教训。任何人都可以有自己的观点，但只有数据和事实才最有说服力。今天，取得成功的是具有分析思维的人，他们能够整理海量的可用数据，并将它们浓缩成几个具有说服力的要点。

    最后也是最重要的，保持乐观。哪些人的职业发展最快？是那些对工作来者不拒的人，是那些相信自己能够高标准完成任务的人。乐观精神不仅能给自己带来更好的结果，并且乐观是可以传染的，可以提高其他人的效率。乐观精神可以让工作变得更有趣，但最重要的是，乐观的工作态度还可以影响一个人的个人生活。一个人越乐观，个人生活就会越幸福，也就更有可能取得更大的职业成功。

    译者：刘进龙/汪皓

    审校：任文科

    The Fortune 500 Insider Network is an online community where top executives from the Fortune 500 share ideas and offer leadership advice with Fortune’s global audience. Scott Trezise, executive vice president of human resources at CenturyLink, has answered the question: Looking back, what advice would you give your younger self about career development?

    I’m happy to step into my role as executive vice president of human resources for CenturyLink at a time when the company is making big changes. But it took time to get here, and there’s a lot I wish I knew before starting down my career path.

    The first advice I would give my younger self would be to work hard and to work smart.For generations, people have learned the lesson that good things come to those who work hard, and despite a world that changes faster every day, working hard remains a constant. In today’s world, we not only have to work hard, but we also have to work smart. We need to be able to leverage today’s changing technologies to make ourselves as effective and efficient as possible.

    Second, I would say to be intellectually curious.Ask questions at every opportunity. In most situations, people love being asked questions — it gives them the opportunity to share their perspectives and impress those who are listening. By asking questions, you’re not only gaining knowledge, but you’re showing those around you that you want to learn. Intellectual curiosity challenges the status quo and creates a path for things to become bigger, better and faster.

    To be intellectually curious requires courage — courage to distinguish oneself from the masses.My third piece of advice would be to be the one who asks the first question, be the one who challenges the status quo, be the one who volunteers for the toughest assignments, and be the one who has an opinion that’s different than others.Courage separates the few from the many. It can be scary, but it can also have a big payoff.

    Fourth, think analytically: Speak with facts and data.I remember one of my senior leaders telling me, “Scott, you are a great debater, but as long as I am boss, if you have an opinion and I have an opinion, my opinion wins.” That was a great lesson. Anyone can have an opinion, but it’s data and facts that carry the most weight. Today, it is the analytical thinker who consolidates the massive amount of available data and synthesizes it into just a few compelling points who wins the day.

    Finally, and most importantly, be optimistic.Those who can distinguish themselves by having a can-do attitude are those who grow their careers fastest. Those who believe they can get things done, get things done. Optimism not only breeds better individual results, but it’s also contagious and makes all those involved more productive. Optimism simply makes work more fun, but the most important aspect of professional optimism is that it ends up bleeding over into one’s personal life. More optimism leads to a happier personal life and greater career success.