In order to get ahead you must increase your value and this in itself will make you more marketable. Have your ever wondered how the elite within certain organizations elevated themselves to the levels they have attained? How did the CEO’s, supervisors, department managers, directors, and presidents get to where they are? Compiled below is a list of ten things which will help elevate your career to the next level.
1. Attitude. Attitude is everything. It determines your altitude not your aptitude. It’s the first thing people notice about you. A positive mental attitude is a generally optimistic and cheerful way of greeting people and problems and events that you encounter throughout your day.
2. Set goals. You must set goals and have a plan of action in place to achieve those goals. First you must know what you want. What is the next position you want to be promoted to? Find out everything you can about that position; the duties of that position; things that are expected of someone in that position. Also find out how that job interacts with other departments within the company.
3. Get a mentor. A mentor is someone with a vast amount of experience, expertise and knowledge, who is willing to share ideas with you on a regular basis. Choose a colleague whom you trust and respect, and ask that person to be your mentor. Then request regular feedback. Sometimes it will be someone within your own organization and other times not.
4. Interview successful executives. Find out what their habits are. What places do they frequent? What do they read? What qualities or attributes. Do they feel are key to getting ahead? Make a list of individuals you respect and who have already achieved outstanding success. Set a goal to invite each of them to lunch or set up an appointment to meet them at their office. Use a notebook to write down all their ideas.
5. Hardwork/worksmart
You must get the results. There is no substitute for hard work and working smart. Always look for ways to implement process improvements, which will enable a job or function to be performed more efficiently and effectively. Make sure you mention your ideas to management. Always do the things that losers don’t like to do. Come in a little earlier and leave a little later. Plan your day the night before so you can hit the ground rounding instead of wasting valuable time setting up.
6. Self-image. Your self-image is how you see yourself. How you see yourself determines your productivity and your work ethic. When you see yourself as a winner
then you begin to act like a winner. Your output increases and you become more effective and efficient.
7. Read. Leaders are readers. Build you own library. Read inspirational and motivational material. Keep up to date on current events. Always invest in yourself. Explore other self-development activities. Listen to motivational tapes. Read the biographies of successful individuals. There is a host of information about the successful steps they have taken to achieve their status. And you can too.
8. Study the competition. Know something about the competition because you may be able to save your company some money based on what the competition is doing; or it can help you get a process improvement implemented. This can also help your organization to hold on to its competitive advantage and market share based on analyzing the strategy of a competitor. Your customers may love your organization with the exception of the one service or product a competitor offers. Suggest to management that that product or service be added to your organization. This could result in an increase in market share and thousands of dollars in new sales.
9. Do the things failures won’t do. Sometimes circumstances will require you to work longer hours, but in the end the payoff will be well worth it. You may have to make 100 additional sales calls. It comes down to going above and beyond the call of duty. The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.
10. Team player. Always be a team player. Look for ways to help the team achieve its goals. A large part of your success is dependent upon your ability to get along well with others. Establish good sound relationships with co-workers and take an interest in their
job duties and functions. Share your best demonstrated practices with your co-workers when they excel so will you, as will your boss or supervisor and everything will eventually point its way back to you as the one who spearheaded it all.
To Your Great Success
Mel Richardson - CEO
VisionStar Enterprises
http://www.aftercollegebeyondgreatness.com
