35 Ways to Stand Out in a Crowded Workplace

Whether in a workplace of 15 people or 15,000, it can be an overwhelming experience and one in which you feel like you’re doing everything you can to earn a place at the table – but to no avail. What you must understand is that there’s only room for a few at the top. The rest are left looking up and wishing they had done something differently at which point they often accept their fate and never achieve the career goals and aspirations they once had.

At the end of the day, it comes down to mindset and willingness to take action. 35 Ways to Stand Out in a Crowded Workplace presents you with various calls to action, not all of which you need to adopt. In fact, you don’t even need to adopt more than a handful. Any action you take that is incremental to the average employee will put you at an advantage and begin to develop your mindset to one in which you’re constantly seeking out opportunities to gain a competitive advantage and stand out. Over time you’ll strengthen the gap between yourself and others.

Success is a choice. You have the decision to take immediate action to differentiate yourself in the workplace or bypass it, putting yourself on the same path as everyone around you. There are undoubtedly trade-offs and things you’ll need to sacrifice in order to climb your way to the top, but what else would you expect? Nothing comes easy.

So it’s up to you. Which path will you choose?

You may be fresh out of college and looking to kick-start your career or have 15 years of work experience and need inspiration and direction to break through to the next level. Regardless, there’s one message that you must understand. This book, or any book for that matter, will not get you your next promotion or put you on the fast track to success. If that’s a surprise to you, then stop reading, log onto Google.com and search “Why am I so lazy, tired and unmotivated?” No book, no article, no video and no seminar will serve as the silver bullet you’re looking for. You must have an unrelenting, maniacal drive and focus on differentiating yourself in order to achieve your career goals. You must seek out every opportunity to stand out and gain a competitive edge. If you’re willing to put in the time and effort, dedicated to becoming better each and every day and have a keen focus on delivering and driving results, you already have a significant advantage over those around you. What’s left is to understand actionable methods to supplement that mindset in order to truly stand out in a crowded workplace.

Age doesn’t mean %^#&

Judging a person’s value in the workplace based on his or her age is like judging the value of an NBA coach based on his ability to shoot 3-pointers. It’s irrelevant. What matters is one’s dedication, work ethic and intelligence. No one should have an advantage because they have a certain amount of experience or are of a certain age. I’d prefer to work with an individual with sheer dedication and willingness to outwork and outlearn everyone than a mediocre worker with 5-10 years of experience, almost every time.

It’s not about how long someone’s done it, it’s about how well. So think twice before judging one’s ability based on their age and stop believing that if someone is older or more experienced than you that their seniority equates to greater value. Experience can always be developed, but it’s the foundational mindset of an individual that determines true value. Train your mind first and the experience will come naturally.

About the author

Brandon Edelman is a 23-year old marketer for Motorola Solutions, based in Schaumburg, IL. Since graduating from the School of Business at the University of Illinois in 2014, he has been committed to developing himself professionally through his experiences in the corporate world. He published his first book, 35 Ways to Stand Out in a Crowded Workplace, in June 2015 in order to share his lessons learned with a broad audience and in hopes of instilling a mindset of continuous improvement to both those entering the workforce and those who have many years of experience. His pragmatic, yet thought-provoking style has captured the attention of his readers and put him on an early path to great success, despite his youth and inexperience.