Welcome back to the third and last part of the Keys to Your Career article series. Here is what we covered in the first two parts:

Part 1:

Break new ground. Be visible; get out on the floor, walk around the office; stay in touch with the people who take care of the daily happenings.

Utilize the unexpected and concrete. Have a concrete way of conveying your vision; use a tangible example.

Encourage risk-taking. Encourage risk taking in yourself and subordinates in order to get less predictable (read: high visibility) results.

Part 2:

Remember who the boss is. Whether it is shareholders, employees, Directors or peers, we all have someone to answer to, even when we have just been given the corner office. Remain open to answering whoever happens to be in the "boss" role today.

Decide to decide. Don't get caught in the "contemplation loop of decision making. Gather information, analyze it, seek counsel as appropriate, make a decision and MOVE ON.

Learn to bounce back. Failure happens to everyone. Glean any key learnings from the situation and forgive yourself.

And here we go; the last three "wisdom tactics" of this series, that, when kept at the front of your mind, along with the others, will help you reach that next level of performance and polish in your career.

Develop your personal brand. This tactic applies to the "brand" you attach to your name outside of the company as well as your internal personal brand. Think o f your "external" personal brand as a seamless image that you present when you are at any public events as well as the image you build with your internet presence. Your internal personal brand is simply an extension; your work and communication habits should smoothly coalesce with what you present to the outside world.

Keep the long term in mind. The decisions you make today should always have one foot in the future. That is to say, the organization you work for will be more likely to move you ahead if it is reassured that you are not just putting out fires, but are able to see down the road to fire prevention planning itself.

Trust others to do their job. This can be a difficult one, but is very important. If you are uncomfortable with trusting others to do their part and find that you fall back on micromanaging, arm yourself with a "stewardship" approach to delegation. Give staff members increasing amounts of responsibility, so they are able to prove competence at each level, follow it up with clear instruction, and success criteria. Build in check points. This way, when you have questions about how things are going, you don't have to feel as though you are "checking up" on their progress. Use the scheduled update meetings to pursue any loose ends.

Regardless of content knowledge or technical acumen, sophistication, sincerity and candor are the hallmarks of people who supplant the masses. Make it your goal to be one of those who can handle any situation with grace, clarity and a clear sense of direction.