Sometimes it’s hard, especially early in our careers, to recognize an opportunity when it’s right in front of us. It’s like we expect someone to shake us and tell us to our faces, “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Don’t screw it up!” Unfortunately, opportunities aren’t always so obvious.

When we are savvy enough to spot an opportunity, we often want to know ahead of time that the payout in the end will be worth the effort up front. But opportunities in the “working world” often don’t work this way. They will usually require us to take a leap of faith — putting in the hard work before knowing what the payoff (if any) will look like in the end.

My first job at Square was a contractor gig down in San Diego — a friend and I had thirty days to sign up as many merchants as possible. We saw this as a huge opportunity! Even though it wasn’t a full time job and even though the pay was pretty minimal, it was a foot in the door. We worked thirty days straight and went to every farmer’s market, swap meet, and food truck event in the San Diego Area.

After the thirty days were up, we were shocked to hear that the overall program had failed. Of the twenty cities where Square was running the experiment, only two proved to be worth the investment. The problem wasn’t the product — we were introducing mobile payments to people for the first time and completely transforming their businesses. The problem was the people hired. Where San Diego and Houston (the other successful city) had hundreds of sign ups after thirty days, other cities would have ten or five or in some cases, none. It was pure lack of motivation. People didn’t see the huge opportunity right in front of them and/or they weren’t willing to put in the hard work before being guaranteed a full time job. In the end, all three reps from San Diego and Houston received full time jobs at Square. We were given a small chance and we knocked it out of the park.

I tried to carry this mentality with me when I moved to San Francisco and started working in the office. Anytime anyone sent me a ping, I saw it as an opportunity to add value and prove myself to that person. You won’t recognize any payoff after helping one or two people. But after six months or a year of consistently knocking these small questions out of the park, you will start to see the snowball effect taking place. You’ll develop a reputation throughout the company for being reliable and someone who’s eager and capable to take more responsibility. More and more opportunities will come your way.

Neil Gaiman said (in his now famous commencement speech) that you only need to do two of these three things to be successful — be quick with your turnaround time, be great at what you do, and be a pleasure to work with. I think it’s important that we strive to do all three. Even with the seemingly menial pings you receive, you should always strive to provide thorough answers in a timely and friendly manner. The payoff won’t be obvious in the beginning, but the trust and respect you’ll build along the way will be worth your efforts.

Again, opportunities are often subtle and there’s no guaranteed payout. But if you start to recognize them and start to consistently knock these opportunities out of the park, I guarantee you will be rewarded in the end.

1: When you’re given a chance, knock it out of the park was originally published in Some things I learned at Square on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Square (like I’m sure is true for most startups out there) is full of young people. They are everywhere and there’s no way to tell who is who. Most are wearing T-shirts (or the proverbial Zuckerberg hoodie) and no one has an office. Yet behind this laid back, egalitarian front is hierarchy. It seems so obvious that hierarchy would exist, but when you walk in and see the smiling faces and open floor spaces, you forget. But don’t forget. It’s not a negative thing — you just have to know it so you can navigate it.

When you’re new and young and trying to figure it all out, always, always, always err on the professional side. Dress like a professional, even if you see people walking around in old T-shirts and no shoes. Those people have likely earned the right to dress like a slob! You haven’t. You just started. And be careful what you say! Even if co-workers are talking about their weekends and all the (work inappropriate) things they did, don’t lose sight of your professionalism. You’re just starting off and don’t want want to draw attention to yourself for the wrong reasons. This applies to any time you’re around co-workers, including breakfast or lunch or any work related event. In fact, the less formal the setting, the more important it is to keep your professionalism. I learned this the hard way.

It was literally my first day in the office and back then, everyone stayed for dinner. We ordered pizza that night and when it came, we all huddled around to scarf down our slices. I was loving it — I hadn’t felt that sense of comradery since college (which I missed dearly). I was also just so excited to be in San Francisco and in Square’s office. It was literally a dream come true.

I was coming off my thirty day stint running around San Diego and had a ton of stories tell. I had these guys laughing pretty hard talking about some of the crazy situations we got ourselves into down there — like working shifts on food trucks just to prove Square wasn’t a scam and sneaking into the LA County Fair to sign up more merchants. I had them going pretty good. And the more laughs I got, the more casual my tone and thicker my SoCal accent became. Lots of “dudes” and “bros” were being thrown around.

I thought I had killed it. A couple guys got up and left the table and when they did so, my boss gave me this glaring look that I’ll never forget. “Do you know who that was??” He said it like someone really important had just left the table. But I was confused — there was no one sitting with us that could have been more than a few years out of college. “That was the Head of Growth!” But what he really said was, “Dude, what the hell were you thinking?” I was nervous at first, but then quickly decided I didn’t care. I was just being myself and if he didn’t like me for who I was, that’s his problem.

It turned out to be my problem. Every job I wanted for the next year and a half was on the Growth team. And every time my name came up for consideration the response was, “Too young. Not enough polish.” I screwed up. And I don’t hold any grudges because being in his position, I would have thought the same. First impressions are so crucial and if you make a bad one, it’s so difficult to dig yourself out.

I’m not saying to not be yourself. Authenticity can be one of the most effective qualities in the workplace. But be authentic in a professional manner. Let others be the super casual ones and always hold yourself to a higher standard. You will be better off for it in the end.

2: Always err on the professional side was originally published in Some things I learned at Square on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

If you really want to move into a new role, just start doing it! Obviously you need to do a great job at your core work (never lose sight of what you’re being paid to do) but once that’s completed, start working on what it is you’re passionate about. You will be working two jobs and you’ll surely work nights and weekends. But if you’re truly passionate about this work, you won’t mind. In fact, you’ll feel better about things because you’ll be moving in the direction you want to be headed.

I was on the Chargebacks team but wanted to be in Sales — bringing Square to all the awesome small businesses around us. Selling Square was how I got my foot into the door originally and where my true passion lied. But we didn’t have a Sales team at the time and had a history of being against the idea of ever needing one. A friend and I set out to change this. We worked nights and weekends putting a project proposal together and went on a roadshow internally to get support for the idea.

The plan was this — we would get our day jobs done but in our free time we would sign up the next twenty multi-location, cool, hip, Blue Bottle-like businesses across the country. The only cost would be our travel, which would be limited because we had day jobs. Otherwise, we’d be bringing in Square’s next group of marquee merchants for free. Who would say no to that offer?

The project was a success and ultimately led to me moving off of Chargebacks and onto the Business team, where we started Square’s first ever Sales team.

It comes down to something Chris Sacca talks a lot about — providing value before you ever ask for it. There’s one approach where you can say “this is the new role that I want and here’s why I deserve it.” At that point, you’re pretty much just hoping something works in your favor. The other approach would be to actually get your hands dirty and do the job before it’s given to you, so that in the end, there’s no decision to be made. You are clearly the right person for the job.

Even if you don’t want to change teams, there’s a ton of ways to increase your responsibility and ultimately, move up on your current team. Look at your workflow today. Where are the inefficiencies? What opportunities are you overlooking? If you identify these gaps, come up with a solution, and do some of the work upfront, I guarantee your boss will listen.

If gaps exist on your team today, it’s likely that no one owns it. You can own it! As long as I was getting my core work done, I was never shot down for wanting to take on more. And with each task I took on, the more trust I earned across the company and more responsibility I was given.

Again, the work and the opportunities are out there. You are the only one that will hold yourself back.

3: You are the only one that will hold yourself back was originally published in Some things I learned at Square on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

About a year into my work at Square, I took on a seemingly unimportant project for our orientation week. The idea was that everyone who worked at Square should be able to sell our product. And since I was one of the few people in the office who had experience selling Square, they needed my help. At the time, I was on the Chargebacks team and so it literally had nothing to do with my core work. But it sounded exciting, so I agreed to help.

Each week I’d lead a group of new hires to Sightglass Coffee. I’d explain to them how Sightglass was using the product, what features they loved, and what features they wanted us to build. Beyond this scripted tour, the more important parts were the conversations and the relationships formed during those walks for coffee. I was meeting people on their first day. They were nervous and didn’t know anyone. I was one of the first people to tell them about Square, answer their questions, and essentially say, “Don’t worry. This place is awesome. You will be fine!” And people remembered that.

I can’t tell you how many connections I made along those walks. At the time, I had no idea how I’d interact with these people down the road. But more often than not, I would. And when I had a question or needed help on a particular project, it didn’t start with an introduction but rather a, “What’s up, Nick! How can I help?” And that’s the place you want to start from.

Mentorship programs might get tossed into this category of “unimportant stuff” as well — don’t let that happen! Having mentors can be one of the most valuable things you do at Square. And even if it’s not a formal mentorship program, pick out people within the company who you think are interesting and have the job that you want one day. Don’t set up “30 minutes” or ask them to get coffee. Ask them for lunch — everyone has to eat. Sarah Friar (our CFO) said that each week she tries to have lunch with someone new or someone within her network outside of Square. I challenge you to do the same.

Again, get your core work done, but always remember to get creative and get involved. The relationships you form will be invaluable to your effectiveness at Square.

4: The “unimportant stuff” can be the most important was originally published in Some things I learned at Square on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

When you do know what you’d like your next step to be — whether it’s people management, moving into product, or increasing your responsibilities as an Account Manager — make it very clear to your boss. Why? Because it’s your boss’ job to help you progress in your career. Any good manager will want to have a “plan” for each of their direct reports and help guide them in that direction. But managers are not mind readers! When you know what you want, tell them.

I think we shy away from having this honest conversation because we don’t want our bosses to think we aren’t interested in our current roles. But it’s not like you’re asking to change jobs right away — you’re just making it clear where you want to be in six months or a year or two years. By making this clear early on, your boss can start to give you additional responsibilities to help you prepare and keep an eye out for opportunities within the company as they arise.

Again, you shouldn’t feel bad about making this clear with your boss. If you’re killing it in your current role, your boss will want to help. And remember, if you succeed, they’re succeeding as a manager.

When I helped start the Sales team, I made the mistake of not making things clear with my boss. I knew I wanted to start managing people as we grew the team, but the two of us never had that conversation. I just assumed it would work out that way. It didn’t and I have no one to blame but myself. If I wanted to be a people manager, I should have made that clear months earlier.

Later, when I helped start the Account Management team, expectations were clear from the beginning. In fact, it was the first conversation I had with my boss. Nothing was guaranteed in that meeting, but my boss knew right from the start that I wanted to eventually become a people manager. He told me that if I worked hard and executed, we would grow the team and good things would follow. And that’s exactly what happened. We worked extremely hard and executed and by the time I left Square, I was managing the entire Account Management team.

I understand that deciding on your exact path can be difficult. It’s almost like asking someone to pick a passion when they’re not really sure what they’re passionate about. I don’t have a great answer as to how you can hone in on your path. I always just watched those around me and followed the people I respected the most and thought were the most interesting. I also just listened to my heart — as vague and cheesy as that sounds.

All I really know is that once you decide on what it is you want, make it clear to your boss so that the two of you can start executing against it. Otherwise, you will wallow with no direction and wonder why/how those around you are progressing in their careers when you are not.

5: When you know what you want, make it clear was originally published in Some things I learned at Square on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Square has done an incredible job at hiring people who are truly kind. When you’re sitting in a meeting and look around the table, you’ll likely see smiling faces and people you’re excited to work with. Never be a jerk and never hire jerks. Work is hard enough. Be kind and patient with those around you. Question the validity of their statements, but try not to get bogged down by questioning their intent. Everyone wants to make this company a huge success and the better everyone works together, the better chance we’ll have at making that happen.

During your time at Square, you will see success and the company will see success. Stay grounded and don’t let any of this go to your head. Remember who you were the day you walked in the door and hold onto that humility. I’m not exactly sure who said this, but I think about it often. Basically the saying goes, “When things are going bad, you’re not as terrible as they say you are. But when things are going good, you’re not as brilliant as they say you are either.”

It’s okay to be proud of what you accomplish, but always stay humble. And it’s okay to celebrate your successes, but always get back to work the next day. There are other people and other companies out there who are gunning for your success. Don’t get comfortable and let off the gas, or they will catch up.

And finally, always remain thankful for this amazing opportunity. Each morning when you get into the elevator and tap your badge for floor six and it works, pause to consider how incredible that is. You now work for one of the best companies in the world!

6: Be kind. Be humble. Be thankful. was originally published in Some things I learned at Square on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.