Your Career is Not Linear: An Interview with Kurt Jansen
Meet Kurt Jansen
Your career is a marathon not a sprint
Kurt Jansen has been involved in all aspects of the customer experience for over 30 years. Now Senior Strategy Director at GMR Marketing LLC, Kurt develops client-centric solutions by leveraging critical thinking, teamwork, and a large dollop of his signature creative magic. By deftly ‘bridging the divide between insight, foresight and action,’ Kurt is able to provide world-class insights on trends, market analysis, and business dynamics to his Fortune 100 clients. In this Interview, we hear from Kurt on how to make the most of your career journey, as he reminds us that patience, humility, and sincerity can be your biggest strengths.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
If you focus on the 10% you will lose sight of the 90%.
Our search for perfection gets in the way. Accepting that there is no such thing is even harder. Trust your intuition where you are at in whatever it is you are working on, and the rest will come along. Trust me.
What is the best advice for your younger self upon beginning your career?
Your career is a marathon not a sprint.
Never want it too fast. Growth comes with time and time creates excellence. Be kind to yourself and to others.
How can young professionals excel in the workplace?
Understand your degree got you the job not the corner office.
Slow your roll, be humble, embrace vulnerability and learn the skill of listening – sometimes what you don’t say has more impact that a lot of words. Leverage learning and don’t be afraid to roll up your sleeves and do what someone else may not want to.
Best tips for those new to networking?
Networking is a lifelong effort. Think of it as building a community where similar interests and divergent thinking collide. Don’t network for networking’s sake and don’t leave it for when you need something. Make it meaningful and root it in people. I’ve built a diverse network of amazing, wise individuals because of my sincere interest in people, what they do, and what I can learn from them. Bottom line – it's not about you.
What do you wish the generation behind you knew?
Your career is not a linear journey.
Our world has become a different place. You cannot guarantee what you will be doing five years from now, much less three. Embrace today, and enjoy the ride, the people you meet and places you’ll go. If you’re open to that, it’s amazing where you may find yourself along the way.
Why is mentorship important?
People are important. When it comes down to it, it’s the people that matter.
I’ve been blessed to have guidance, support, and opportunity throughout my career. It’s because of those individuals who have taken the time to guide me along that way that I am where I am at, not because of how smart I was. Sure, I had grit and perseverance but without the efforts of others, much of it wouldn’t have happened. Always remember, there was a day when you were the new person on the block, where you didn’t know anything, and when you were sinking someone lent you a hand.
What does being a first generation professional mean to you?
Respecting where I came from and knowing I’ve broken a barrier, which provided a new and broader perspective for my daughter.
and finally, What do you love about Milwaukee?
The peacefulness of being down by Lake Michigan.
Find Kurt on LinkedIn.
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