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Mar 07, 2013
Written by
Mellissah Smith
Forget what you have always been told about how people get ahead in the workforce. No, you don't need to sleep with your boss or your clients for that matter. No, you don't have to be "Mr Nice Guy" 24/7, and you certainly don't need to play office politics.
There are ways to improve your chances of landing that dream job - and it's not as hard as you think.
1. Engagement:
Being an engaged employee means that you know a thing or two about the business. You have definitely learnt the art of listening to those at the top of the pyramid and those who are just starting in the mail room. You read every memo from management and you participate at every level in the organization without complaining that "there are too many internal memos" or that "the social club puts on crap events". You listen, learn and comprehend the value of engaging people around you and having them remember who you are.
2. Competitive:
Contrary to popular psyche testing on how to be the best employee in the office, a little bit of competition is healthy. If you are looking to spearhead your career and take that top job or a dream job in the Executive team, then you need to have a competitive spirit to be the best. That doesn't mean stomping on the person beside you to "win" nor does it mean that you need to spruik your successes from the rooftop. What it does mean is that you need to set benchmarks for yourself and your team, and ensure that you are reaching it and you have the drive and competitiveness inside that won't stop until you reach the goal you have put in front of you. Some people fear competition and some misuse it. The trick is to compete with yourself and the benchmarks that have been set before you.
There are ways to improve your chances of landing that dream job - and it's not as hard as you think.
1. Engagement:
Being an engaged employee means that you know a thing or two about the business. You have definitely learnt the art of listening to those at the top of the pyramid and those who are just starting in the mail room. You read every memo from management and you participate at every level in the organization without complaining that "there are too many internal memos" or that "the social club puts on crap events". You listen, learn and comprehend the value of engaging people around you and having them remember who you are.
2. Competitive:
Contrary to popular psyche testing on how to be the best employee in the office, a little bit of competition is healthy. If you are looking to spearhead your career and take that top job or a dream job in the Executive team, then you need to have a competitive spirit to be the best. That doesn't mean stomping on the person beside you to "win" nor does it mean that you need to spruik your successes from the rooftop. What it does mean is that you need to set benchmarks for yourself and your team, and ensure that you are reaching it and you have the drive and competitiveness inside that won't stop until you reach the goal you have put in front of you. Some people fear competition and some misuse it. The trick is to compete with yourself and the benchmarks that have been set before you.
3. Learn:
No-one ever became successful without knowing a thing or two about what they do, how they do it and what is going on around them. Keep up-to-date with the latest in your industry, community, news and techniques on how to do your job and communicate with others. Understand trends and become a regular subscriber to blogs from industry experts and people of influence. if you are in marketing, you would subscribe to: seth godin, mashable, jim janz, nytimes, inc magazine, forbes, fast company and marketing eye!
4. Body Language and Cold Reading:
It's not for the freaks as you may once have thought. Body language and cold reading are ways you can get ahead in the game of business. A billionaire that I am friends with has every book imaginable on body language and cold reading and he has gone from $0 to $1 billion in 10 short years. His job is to read people and make sure they are not lying about their financial and management performance. When you are in a meeting or in the workplace, pay special attention to not; touching your hair, leaning back in your chair, leaning forward in your chair, breaking eye contact when speaking to someone, crossing your arms and fidgeting. All of these things are dead giveaways to anyone who has taken a cold reading class or read a book on body language.
5. Communication:
If you can communicate, you can rule the world. Ensure that you hone your skills in becoming a strong, well-rounded communicator verbally and in the written form. It's amazing what these skills will do for your career and people's impressions of your competency levels and ability to be a good leader of the future.
6. Deadlines:
Everyone has heard the saying that "if you want something done, give it to a busy person" – right? Well, that cannot be truer to than when you have a star employee who get’s stuff done, every time. They usually come with a clean desk, empty in-tray and are organized in everything from what they are ordering for lunch to their meeting schedules a week in advance. They value their time and that of others and never leave anything to the last minute.
7. Proactive not reactive:
Great leaders think ahead, preempt change and keep the ball rolling. Their ability to think about things before they came up, is paramount to keeping them ahead of the game and the entire business in good shape.
8. Culture:
Fit culturally but not like a glove. Gain respect from your peers and leaders in the business, but don’t be their best friends and drinking buddies. That is old-school and the person who stands out is the one that goes to a function, meets people, doesn’t drink and goes home before the event or social function finishes.
9. Professionalism:
This goes without saying, but some people for some absurd reason think that professionalism is just wearing a good suit and tie. Think again. Being professional is ensuring that your conduct is always in line with that of professional leaders and is inclusive of the way you dress and the way you act. It is imperative that you always control your poker face when communicating with others, because if you want to get ahead, then you need to always be in control of how people view you and your work.
10. Confidence:
Be confident, even if you are not. Ever noticed how when a speaker walks into the room, everyone turns and looks even if they have never seen the person before or that one person who stands out from the crowd? Being confident is about how you hold your shoulders, look ahead and give yourself a “pep talk” before you enter a room or meeting.
11. Energy:
Feng Shui your workspace, control sinus issues, have an allergy testing to eliminate foods from your diet that suck the energy out of you, eat berries (power antioxidant), wear bright colors, keep some lavender oil on your desk, wake up the same time every day, drink water, exercise and eliminate stress. If you have energy, you can do anything and be anyone. The rest is easy!
Mellissah Smith
Mellissah Smith is a marketing expert with more than 20 years experience. Having founded and built two successful marketing companies internationally, she is well recognized as a industry thought leader and innovator. Mellissah started her career working with technology and professional services firms, primarily in marketing, public relations and investor relations, positioning a number of successful companies to list on the various Stock Exchanges around the world. She is a writer, technology developer and entrepreneur who shares her thoughts and experiences through blogs and written articles published in various media outlets. Brag sheet: #2 marketer to follow on Twitter (2003), Top 150 Marketers to Follow (2015), Top 10 innovative marketers (2014), 60K+ followers on Twitter with 97% authentic.
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