Have you ever wondered when your career is going to take off? Or when you will finally get the recognition you deserve for the work you do? Have you ever wondered why some people are able to generate a lot of attention and accolades for their professional achievements while others don’t? I have theory that a successful career is like a jigsaw puzzle: all the pieces should fall into place at once if you have done the following: (A) You have to put yourself in the right place at the right time (right company culture, right career path for your skills and personality, right mentor), (B) you have to figure out how to be a self-promoter without being arrogant, and most importantly (C) you seek out The One.

What is The One? The One is the one opportunity, the one boss, or the one project, that you have to grab in order to enjoy the perfect shining moment that launches the next stage of your career. The One can occur more than once in your lifetime – it’s about the right opportunity at the right time.

If you ever read interviews with successful actors there is always a point in their story when they found The One. The one director, producer, publicist, script, or opportunity that launched the rest of his/her career. The same is often true in corporate America and, of course, with entrepreneurs. How do you seek The One and how do you know when you have found it? In some ways I suppose that knowledge is what separates those who are well known for their achievements and those who aren’t. If you can’t grab the brass ring when it presents itself perhaps you will never rise above the crowd and be recognized for what you do well.

There are a few points in my career when I found The One and taking advantage of it launched my career to the next level. I have changed directions in my career several times so for me The One usually has represented that point when my latest career has taken off. Based on my own experiences and the experiences of people who are much higher achievers than I am, here is a list of tips for finding The One in your career:

1. Listen.
Pay attention to the cues in your organization and look for opportunities. Listen to what those above you in the hierarchy are concerned about and find solutions to the problems that keep them up at night. Once, I was assigned to a project near and dear to the CEO’s heart and one that no one seemed to care about. For reasons that I never understood the CEO had been pleading with one department to lead some organizational changes and they just never stepped up to the plate. When I had the opportunity to lead the project that no one wanted, I carefully listened to what was needed, created a strategy, calmly and patiently built buy-in, and ultimately made things happen. That was The One for me at that point and time. Guess what happened? I became the go-to person for the CEO when certain kinds of issues arose and suddenly I was given a different level of access in the organization. I got promoted and had the opportunity to take on great projects. So listen carefully to find out what problems need to be solved in your organization and then come up with solutions.

2. Play nicely with others
If you want the opportunity to distinguish yourself in your career you have to be the kind of person with whom others like to work. We often hear stories about mavericks who take the board room by storm but that only works for a few unique people. In reality, if you want to be successful in any job you have got to build alliances with others. If co-workers are threatened by your attitude, don’t trust you, or just plain don’t like you it’s probable that even when The One presents itself you may not get the opportunity to be a star.

3. Don’t be a fool
Be pleasant to work with but beware of those who try to encroach on your turf. Once you find The One or are on the path to success rest assured that someone will try to sabotage your project, take it from you, or make your life difficult. I call the people who do that sort of thing weasels. There is always a weasel watching and waiting for The One – the difference between a weasel and an achiever is that the weasel steals someone else’s idea to get ahead and seldom adds any real or unique value of his/her own. If you let a weasel steal your project out from under you then you will be just another also-ran. When you run across a weasel, remain calm and don’t panic or show fear. Play smart. Weasels look for opportunities so just make sure you don’t give him/her one. Show up to work on time, stay within budget, document progress on your project, communicate with everyone who needs to be in the loop on the project, be professional at all times, and don’t give the weasel the opportunity to throw mud at you for some miniscule offence. Also, don’t share any information you don’t have to with weasels. I have known so many nice people who have gotten their careers derailed by weasels and it always makes me sad when I hear their stories. You have to learn to make yourself a formidable adversary while not giving weasels any room to shoot arrows at you.

4. Build the right connections
When you find The One make sure to take every opportunity to meet and cultivate relationships with new contacts whom you meet as a result of the new project/opportunity. I have written numerous articles about the importance of networking when you don’t need anything from anyone so I won’t reiterate all the reasons you should do so in this one. When things are going well in your career it’s time to pay it forward – cultivate new contacts, make sure to reach out to colleagues who have helped you along your way, and offer your assistance when you can. Even when you find The One there will be tough times ahead….everything in life is cyclical and you can bet that you will be in a career slump at some point in the future. You never know which of the people you help when your career is thriving will reach out to you in the future when it isn’t.