Have you noticed that some workers receive more promotions and greater pay than do their colleagues? Why should some people get ahead when others – who seem to be working harder, and even longer hours – get passed over for promotions and additional rewards?
To be a great success, it’s important not only to be good at what you do, but also to be perceived as being good at what you do. Human beings are creatures of perception. It is not what they see, but what they think they see that determines how they think and act. If someone is perceived as being “promotable,” then it’s likely that person will receive more responsibilities and more money, even though there may be others that can do a better job, if given the chance.
Fortunately, there are things you can do to increase your visibility and accelerate the speed at which you move ahead in your career.
Develop Competence
Determine the parts of your job that are most important to your boss and your company, and then make the decision to become very good in those areas. You must be perceived as being very competent at what you do. The perception of excellent performance will open up opportunities for greater responsibilities, higher pay and better positions. Becoming good at what you do should be the foundation of your strategy for gaining higher visibility and rapid advancement in your career.
Pay Attention to Your Overall Image
How you appear to others makes a real difference. A recent survey of personnel executives found that the decision to hire or not to hire is made in the first 30 seconds. The way you look on the outside is a representation of the way you see yourself on the inside. It’s a good idea to dress the way the senior people in your company dress. Dress for a position above your own.
Join a Professional Association
Research professional associations connected with your business or field. Attend meetings as a guest to assess whether or not an association can be of value to you. If you decide that becoming known to key people in the association can advance your career, become a member and get involved. Identify the key committee that is most active and influential in that organization and then step up to the plate and volunteer for that committee. Attend every meeting. Take careful notes. Ask for assignments, and complete them on time and in an excellent fashion. This gives you an opportunity to perform for other key people in your profession in a non-threatening environment. Show them what you can do and what kind of a person you are. Effectively expand your range of valuable contacts and the people you get to know through an association can become extremely helpful to you in your work and in your career.
Join a Well-Known
Charitable Organization Become active by donating your services to an annual fundraising program. You may not be wealthy now, but you do have time, and your willingness to give of yourself will soon be noticed by people who are higher up. Many men and women with limited contacts and limited resources have risen to positions of great prominence as the result of getting to know the key community leaders who participate in charitable organizations and professional associations.
Be Able To Set Priorities
Learn how to separate the relevant from the irrelevant when facing the many tasks of the day. Managers place very high value on a person who can set priorities and move quickly to get the job finished. Dependability in job completion is one of the most valued traits in the American work force. When your employer can hand you a job and then walk away and never worry about it again, you have moved yourself onto the fast track and your subsequent promotion and pay are virtually guaranteed.
Upgrade Your Work-Related Skills
Continually look for ways to keep your skills current and make sure that your superiors know about it. Look for additional courses you can take to improve at your job, and discuss them with your boss. Ask him or her to pay for the courses, but make it clear that you’re going to take them anyway. Also, ask your boss for book and audio program recommendations. Then follow up by reading and listening to them and asking for further recommendations. Bosses are very impressed with people who are constantly striving to learn more in order to increase their value to their companies.
Develop a Positive Mental Attitude
People like to be around people they like and tend to promote them. A consistent, persistent attitude of cheerfulness and optimism is quickly noticed by everybody. When you make an effort to cultivate an attitude of friendliness toward people, they, in turn, will go to extraordinary efforts to open doors for you.
In the final analysis, taking the time to become an excellent human being will raise your visibility and improve your chances for promotion.
Brian Tracy is the author of “The Psychology of Selling.” He can be reached at 858.481.2977, or visit www.briantracy.com. Special offer: Visit www.briantracy.com to receive your free copy of “Crunch Time!”
