Check your ego at the door • Egos are short lived and fragile• Leaders I have come to admire,

guarded their egos; kept it in check

For as many times as you state your opinion, ask twice as many questions• You’re too young to know it all

Now’s the time to ask questions• Listen for the answers and filter them• Go broad and deep for sources of

those answers

Be bold. You can afford early mistakes• Youthful vigor is a good thing • Trying the impossible will surprise

even yourself• When you fall short, put yourself

through a filter and press for lessons

Cherish your client relationships• Nothing may be more valuable in

your career as the client relationships you develop

• He/she who has clients is king/queen• Develop vibrant business development

skills and use them daily• Don’t let go of your clients; ever!

Watch the balance in your life• It may not be what you want to hear,

but early in your career inbalance may be necessary

• Just be sure to level out as you get established

• In the long haul, I have found that balance wins out

You are in competition with your peers• Pick out your absolute best peer, and

go outwork them• Compete with class and act like you

have been there before

Grab onto a mentor or two• A humble youthful associate looking

for sincere guidance is quite endearing• Many experiences can be learned

without having to repeat someone else’s lessons

• Don’t underestimate the need for someone to pull you along in your career; to push you at opportunities; help clear politics and hurdles; give yourself a fair chance to get out from under the “hardened upper crust”

Be brave enough to be collaborative • You don’t have to be the source of all

the answers; foster the ability to lead a team in search of those answers

In my experience, this is a skillset few are born with, but may be the single most overlooked element of success. Develop it and do it early

Seriously consider your image and don’t overlook its impact• Consider every facet of your

image; fashion, office appearance, handwriting, promptness, language, social life, reliability, etc.

• Everything you put your name to is a direct reflection on you

Focus on what you like to do, BUT don’t forget the things you hate to do• Follow your passions. That is likely

where your strengths lie• Don’t forget about the things you

don’t like to do, because those may be your unraveling

Don’t be afraid to take the job nobody wants• Anybody can perform in a safe job• May be an opportunity to make a

name for yourself, possibly as the “go to”

• Jump on early travel opportunities

Establish a clear essence of your soul• What is it that you truly stand for?• Draw that line in the sand, and

make a stand unquestionably for those values

LASTLY, PERFECT YOUR PEOPLE SKILLS! • It is a relationship business and

always will be• Clients, peers, supervisors want to

work with people they actually enjoy interacting with

• Don’t be afraid to show gentleness and kindness

• Embrace diversity in your cones of influence

For what it may be worth to you, I am sharing what I feel to be critical bits of life experiences I gained over the last 28 years in this industry, which I simply feel may be beneficial in the infancy of your career.

What I wish I knew when I graduatedby L. Joe Boyer CEO of Atkins in North America

L. Joe Boyer was named CEO of Atkins’ North American business operations in March 2013. He previously spent a total of 10 years at Shaw Environmental and Infrastructure (acquired earlier this year by CB&I), most recently serving as president of Shaw’s Federal division. Before that, he managed several of Shaw’s business units and directed some of the country’s top environmental and engineering projects. Boyer is based in Austin, Texas, and can be reached by e-mail at joe.boyer@atkinsglobal.com.

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