This week I got chatting to Derek O’Kelly, a Business Owner, Author & Gentleman. Here’s some good advice to those wanting to fast track their career!

DC 220811 - FREE PIC Derek OÕKelly of the Waverly Hair and Beauty college pictured in Cork. Pic: Diane Cusack

How long have you been working within the industry?  I have been in the further educational sector for almost 25 years and the hair, beauty fitness sectors just over twenty

What is your typical day?  Untypical. Every day is different and can bring challenges and achievements. I would be good for planning and ‘to do’ lists but the best laid plans can go out the window because of the diversity of the business. Not for the faint hearted but I’ve managed ok so far.

How many hours do you work a week?  It depends on how you define work. I suppose I’ve been lucky enough that I made the choice many years ago to do what I love so I don’t view it as work. So to answer the question, I couldn’t really put a figure on it as most of my time is spent reading, researching, writing, developing, teaching and doing what I love

What particular changes have you seen in the beauty industry in Ireland within the last few years?  From an educational perspective there have been many but the main ones are:   The emphasis on having valid qualifications to carry out your role in the industry. If you don’t have a qualification that is valid you will find it hard to be taking seriously by employers or the general public. Technology has made a big impact on how education is distributed and consumed. It has enabled more pathways to learning and training and is one of the areas that I will be focusing a lot of energies on in the coming months and years. The standards for teaching has seen a major shift in recent years with government policy. Good teaching Is probably one of the most crucial elements of the industry, but for decades, teachers and schools have been left to their own devices. But there is a sea change and the willingness of a new generation of hair and beauty educators to ‘do it right’ and get a qualification is very encouraging. Teaching methods is something we have focused on for over twenty years and has probably resulted in us becoming the leading teacher training college in the country.

If you had a chance to start your career over again, would you do anything differently? I probably would have studied psychology and human potential much earlier in my career. Psychology integrated into much of what we strive towards, from achieving career goals to sales to customer service to management to business growth and to personal health.

What motivates you?  Helping others to develop through the medium of education in the adult education sector. In particular, those who find learning challenging. It stems from my own experiences and having to re-enter education at the age of thirty with low levels of literacy skills, dyslexia and ADD. I found learning very challenging and the ‘system’ didn’t cater for people like myself. However my shortcomings resulted in an obsession with education and trying to simplify learning for adults. Which in turn has helped me develop an educational company which understands the needs of adult learners by providing user friendly education.

How do you define success?  Doing what you love and making a living from it

What three pieces of advice would you give to anyone looking to fast track their way up the career ladder?
(A) Love What You Do.  Make sure you choose a career you love. It will be much more motivating and will propel your career progression. However, don’t think a ‘love’ for something will lead to automatic career success. Hard work and long hours are mandatory. Which leads to my second piece of advice

(B) Aim for greatness.  One of the best strategies to try and ensure success in your career is to aim for greatness. Those who aim for greatness are more likely to get noticed and progress quickly along their career path. Many experts agree that ‘mediocre’ no longer cuts it and those who achieve are those who want to be the best at what they do. Greatness requires a commitment to constant improvement and modelling yourself on best practice. If you go searching on the internet you will find lots of information and many definitions of what greatness is, but here are eight of the pointers that many of the experts agree upon: Greatness comes from within. It requires excellent knowledge. It will need many hours of practice .It requires a positive thought process. It needs a vision based on best practice. It requires a mind-set of focus and self belief. It requires constant improvement of skills and knowledge. It will need continual investment in yourself, product or service. In aiming for greatness, your enthusiasm and willingness to develop will be noticed by others and should result in an accelerated career path

(C) Understand how your mind works. The third and piece of advice is one I wished I had many years ago. It would have saved me a lot of time, money and energy. And I hope this doesn’t sound too philosophical but here goes:
Understand how your mind works.  The mind is the most powerful tool known to mankind and will get you from A to B quicker than anything else on the planet. It will fast track your career by helping you develop the confidence and resilience needed to succeed. It will help you deal with setbacks and stress. It will move you forward quickly, and will help you hone the skills of persuasion to get what you want. It will help direct your energies in one direction and develop a positive mind-set. Remember, your mind can be friend or foe, so learning how it works will make a big difference to your career progression.

Derek O Kelly
The Waverley Academy, Dublin
Education Manager & Author