5 Tips to be Excellent at Anything

Be passionate in what you do

Ask yourself the big question. Do you love what you are doing now? If you don’t, find yourself another job. If you are a research student and do not like the project you are doing, go tell your supervisor now and not after a year of doing the lab work! One of the tips which Steve Jobs gave when talking about achieving success is to do what you love. Those who are excellent in what they do, enjoy what they are doing. If you complain and grumble a lot in your current job or undertaking, then you should consider leaving. Remember, passion drives excellence.

Practice, practice and practice

The old adage that says ‘practice makes perfect’ has never been proven wrong. Even if you have the good genes, you need the knowledge and practice to enhance the expression of that gene. Without the practice and hard work, you will still be a low achiever even if your IQ is 150. Top musicians and athletes practice more than 4 hours a day perfecting a piece of music or a particular shot or move. It is said that to reach a level of excellence at something, whether in sports or music, one needs to practice more than 10,000 hours. How many of us are willing to go to those limits? For the young scientists and students, my advice is to read as much as you can. Strengthen your basic knowledge, learn the principles, and read one journal paper a day. Practice your writing skills by writing a page a day, whether a manuscript, a chapter in a book or even just your own personal journal. Never ask someone to write a manuscript for you especially if it is your own work. I have seen this happening in a faculty where lecturers take the easy route by contracting out their manuscripts to a particular writer. This is bad practice and it will only kill the passion to write among our young scientists and lecturers. I have seen lecturers promoted to professors but with very few first or senior authorship in their resume. Practice your lab techniques by being in the lab and running experiments. Polish your presentation skills by rehearsing repeatedly. Even the best of orators and speakers practice once or twice before they go on stage.

Find a good mentor

To be excellent at anything, you need someone to guide you and also to give you the honest and expert feedback. Those who have good mentors will progress faster in their careers. I have seen lecturers who returned with PhDs from the top universities in UK or USA, but fail to perform mainly because they don’t have good mentors. Having a PhD from Oxford or Harvard does not mean you will produce Nature papers easily. Some young lecturers even choose to work alone as they feel that their areas of expertise are new (and the latest of its kind) and that none of the seniors are capable of guiding them. My advice is simple. If you can’t find a mentor in your own department or faculty, search elsewhere. Join a research group early on in your career and enrich yourself from the guidance and interaction with other group members. This strategy will also increase your publications quickly. Always ask for an honest feedback. Better have a tough mentor than one who always says that you are doing well when actually you are not.

Ritualise practice

In my younger days, not so long ago, I dedicated an hour each morning for writing and an hour in the evening for reading. Writing means either writing manuscripts or proposals for research. I used to paste a ‘do not disturb’ sign on my door to prevent distraction either from drug salesman, other lecturers in the department or even friends. After months, this practice became a ritual and eventually a habit which became rather addictive. Try it out. To be even more effective, invite others to join in. I was told recently by a friend in another faculty that they have designated November as their faculty’s writing month. My immediate response, why not a writing hour (e.g. 0800-0900hrs) every day for everyone in the department or faculty!

Don’t say NO too early on in your career

 At the early stage in your career, learn to look for opportunities. Learn from the best and be part of their team. Volunteer to do things for those who are at the top, even if it means offering to make a cup of tea for them. Just kidding. Even Wayne Rooney once washed the boots of the senior players when he started out in the junior team at Everton. I have seen a young lecturer (at the DS45 scale) who came back from the UK and just refused to do much and instead complained a lot about her not being offered a higher salary scale (DS51 scale). The reason was she had failed to publish even one publication from her PhD. What a sheer waste of public money indeed. I have seen young lecturers avoid accepting additional responsibilities, committing extra hours at work or in the lab or taking new challenges. Don’t shy away from challenges and don’t say no when your bosses assigned you a formidable task. Tell them you will give your best shot. If you say no at such an early stage, your bosses will presume that you are just an average staff member and do not want to go the extra mile. Trust me, by doing this you have immediately put yourself way down low in your bosses list in terms of his/her priority to guide and nurture. escortbayan.xxx/istanbul

 Remember, excellence is something you have to consciously target and will need passion, focus, knowledge, skills, practice and mentorship. Don’t just be average in all the things that you do. Aim to be excellent at something.

Professor Datuk Dr. A Rahman A Jamal