Developing an outstanding local, regional, and ultimately national or international reputation is an essential component of advancement and promotion in most academic departments. Medical students considering an academic career should try to match at an academically oriented department. Residents interested in academic careers should find mentors who will help them launch a successful academic career. For faculty members, it is important to join (or move to) a department that fosters the career development of its faculty—a department whose faculty attain reputations of excellence and where mentorship is supported and valued. Once faculty members discover their unique academic passions, they are in a better position to focus on activities that will bring them the most satisfaction, which is the foundation necessary for establishing a record of academic excellence that fosters recognition in one’s field of interest. This chapter focuses on the following principles to help early-career academicians best position themselves for academic success by fully availing themselves of opportunities while simultaneously avoiding obstacles. Important guiding principles are as follows: strive for excellence, not for reputation; be known as a good friend, classmate, and colleague first and foremost; learn to focus on what is most important to one’s academic passions and values, even if it means sometimes saying “no”; publish—often and well; network; volunteer; collaborate; and reach out to others, including to junior faculty, trainees, and the public.