At first, asking for help might sound like the opposite of creating your own opportunities. Opportunities are tied to personal relationships. Consider the Ben Franklin effect: By asking someone for a small favor, you endear them to yourself. The reason is that, when you help someone, your brain rationalizes your actions by assuming that you must like that person.

Ask for help

Don’t create unnecessary conflict with your co-workers, but don’t run from it, either. See it as an opportunity to better understand someone you’ll be spending 40 hours a week around. Chances are, the other person will respond the same way. Goodwill is taken for granted less often than you might think.

Embrace conflict

At every company, how management thinks things get done and how they actually get done are two different things. But while managers often have good reasons for pushing certain processes or products, sometimes they simply haven’t thought of the more efficient method.

Valuable discoveries

Every field has its standards. Once you’ve got the basics down, reach for a lesser known—but still needed at your office—skill or competency.

Specialize

As much as mentorship benefits the mentee, it can also be a professional boost for the mentor. Mentoring others develops leadership and communication skills: Spotting strengths and weaknesses, explaining things diplomatically, and giving supportive advice are key to mentorship as well as management roles.

Be a mentor

It's often said that patience is a virtue. At work, waiting for opportunities-especially those that feel like they're advancing your career-can be torture. Counting the months until your next performance review, only to be disappointed if it doesn't come with a bump in pay or title, is emotionally draining and likely one of the reasons the median time spent with an employer is declining.

Valuable discoveries

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