The corporate world is a tough place to be, and you have to be tougher than most if you want to climb the ladder of success. Here are some tips to help you get ahead.
Set Goals
You are not going to get very far unless you set yourself some goals. That way you know where you are going, and you can measure your success against the things you want to achieve. Look ahead and decide where you want to be in a year, five years, and ten years’ time and put some plans in place to help you get there.
Be Open About Your Goals
Nobody can help you to achieve your goals if nobody knows what they are. Be upfront and honest about your career ambitions and you will get ahead. You may find that your manager is more helpful than you think they will be, and they can set up opportunities for you to learn new skills or recommend you for projects. That way you will be able to get the experience you need to get ahead. Think about who you most admire in the workplace and why. Don’t be afraid to ask this person to mentor you. It may be a bit nerve-racking, but it might be the best decision you ever make.
Qualifications
Consider whether you need to gain more qualifications or if it would increase your promotion prospects if you returned to studying. A course such as an online dba with Aston University will put you way ahead of the competition and you can study in your own time rather than having to take time away from work for it.
Know Your Competition
In any industry, there are the same few names that come up repeatedly. These are the movers and shakers of the corporate world or the up-and-coming faces who will be a big part of the industry’s future. If you want to compete with these people, then you are going to have to find out about them and perhaps even get to know them. That way you will know what their strengths and weaknesses are, and you can show a prospective employer or promotion board the reasons why you are better than your competition without naming names. Knowing what you are selling yourself against is a great way to get ahead.
Network
It shouldn’t all be seriously competitive though. You might find that some of your peers can provide you with a great network to work with. Keep the competition friendly and you can come together to pool ideas. Once you get to a certain point in your career, moving up can be a case of who you know rather than what you know and keeping in touch with key players in your industry can take you far.
Practise Your Soft Skills
It is one thing knowing how to do your job brilliantly and having fantastic technical ability but if you don’t have great soft skills, you will hold yourself back. Soft skills include things such as leadership skills, confidence, communication skills, and flexibility. Hiring managers need to know that you can lead a team from the front and that people will follow you, and that’s where your soft skills come in. If you think this might be a weak area for you it might be a good idea to brush up on these skills before you apply for a management position.
Recognise Opportunities
If you can recognise opportunities as they come along you will get ahead in the corporate world. The opportunity might not be obvious, and it may not be part of your five-year plan, but if you can get involved in a project or take on some additional responsibilities then you might be able to learn a lot from the experience. If you think an opportunity is right for you, don’t be afraid to volunteer for it. This will make you look like a good team player, and it might bring you to the attention of senior management.
Accept Failure
If it is broken, fix it. You may think that you have the best idea ever but if for some reason it is not working, drop the idea and move on to something else. Failure doesn’t happen when you fall; it happens when you can’t get back up again. There will always be things that don’t work out too well for you – bad ideas, or false starts – but the ability to move on from that and come up with the next great idea will keep you ahead of the competition.
Be Adaptable
Nobody likes change, and many people aren’t comfortable with it. However, the business world is always changing, and you need to be able to keep up if you want to get ahead. It may be a new system that you have to learn, a new process, or a new CEO who wants to change everything. Whatever it is, you need to be adaptable and make the necessary changes quickly. To be recognised for the work you do, it is often better to toe the line than to stand out for the wrong reasons.
Under Commit and Over Deliver
The corporate world is full of people who promise others the earth. This could be their clients or the hiring boss during the interview. Whoever they have made empty promises to is going to be angry when their promises don’t come to fruition and their reputation will be tarnished.
It is always better to under commit and over deliver if you can. Of course, you still have to convince others that you can do the job and be competitive but if you don’t promise what can’t be done then nobody can be angry with you. If you then deliver a better job than you said you would, they will admire and respect you for it and you will find it easier to get ahead.
Use these ten tactics to get ahead in the corporate world and you may be surprised at how quickly you can progress.
