Anyone seeking information on career management has surely encountered the mantras: Respond to change with flexibility; Develop team-based interpersonal skills; Take risks. These are unquestionably major steppingstones to career success. As we step into a new year, here are some additional bits of career management insight to reflect upon as you chart your career path.

The beginning of a new year places time at the forefront of our thoughts. Time is a very valuable resource, yet it is often undervalued on a daily basis. A simple way to monitor this resource on a personal level is to fill in the blank in the statement below.

If my life were to end today, I would wish
I had spent more time ________________.

Acknowledging the value of time also prompts a look at the world around you. Viewing the world from a business perspective, global factors dominate strategic plans. According to recent reports, a snapshot of the earth's population shrunk to a village of exactly 100 people would look like this:

• 57 Asians, 21 Europeans, 14 North/South/Central Americans and 8 Africans.
• 70 of the 100 people would be people of color, 30 would be white.
• 70 would be non-Christian, 30 Christian.
• 70 would be illiterate, 30 literate.
• 50 of the 100 would suffer from malnutrition.
• 80 of the 100 would live in substandard housing.
• 1 of the 100 would have a university education.
• 50% of the entire village's worth would be in the hands of 6 people, and all 6 would be citizens of the US.

Where are you in this snapshot?

As you define your place in this global snapshot, consider these lessons from the past. Andrew Carnegie urges us to "Go beyond what is required." Former president of GM, Alfred P. Sloan, Jr. recommends that you "Manage by allowing individual initiative." So "Climb out of your rut" as Henry Ford suggested, and enter a life-cycle stage of continuous learning. Learning is the confetti of career success!