The Top 10 Traits
of People Who Advance in Their Careers
Want to move up the
ladder? These 10 traits may be the key to your success.
In
these competitive times, advancing in your career is far from automatic. Those
who sit back and wait for things to happen for them often end up frustrated,
disillusioned, and burned out. In contrast, those who look for opportunities
and seize them seem to have "better luck" than others. Of course,
it's not luck at all.
If
you're looking to move ahead in the workplace, you'd do well to learn from
those who seize the day and seem to advance easily. Here are the top 10 traits
of people who advance in their careers:
1. Enjoy a Challenge
Too
many people, when faced with a time-consuming project or a lengthy assignment,
try to shirk their responsibilities or "delegate" them to others. But
those who advance don't shrink away from challenges and adversity. They see
these times as opportunities to learn and grow--a new project, a new boss, or a
new office are all chances to grow in a new way.
To
advance in your career, embrace challenges instead of shrinking away. Not only
will your skill set come out stronger as a result, your manager and other
company higher-ups will see you taking the initiative. Remember, rewards come
to those who stand out--not those who blend into the background.
2. See Failures as
Opportunities
Dealing with failures as a professional is
very difficult. You feel as if you've let yourself and your colleagues down.
However, those that advance in their industries see failures as opportunities. Rather than blaming
others or beating themselves up for making a mistake, they learn from their
experience and focus on doing better in the future.
When
you see failure as an opportunity to grow, you'll be less prone to the
emotional upset associated with it and you'll advance in your career more
quickly.
3. Possess Confidence
It's
amazing how an aura of capability makes people think you really are capable.
Those who advance quickly possess confidence--in themselves, their work, and
their career plan. This confidence helps others trust them, which helps them be
seen as leaders.
As
you pursue your next promotion, remember to build and exude confidence. Even if
you're a naturally shy person, you can learn to change the way you hold
yourself, your body language, the tone of your voice, and more with consistent
practice.
4. Are Optimistic
No one likes to be around a co-worker who
constantly complains and sees the negative in everything. Those who advance
quickly are optimistic, seeing solutions instead
of problems. They aren't unwilling to admit to challenges, but instead, they
look for ways to overcome them.
To
advance more quickly in your career, try looking on the brighter side. If
optimism doesn't come naturally to you, practice at home by writing down three
to five things a day that you're grateful for. These can be small things--like
the fact that you hit a green light at a busy section. No matter what you write
down, learning to see the good throughout your life will carry over into your
performance at the office.
5. Are Open to Feedback
Being
coachable is a major part of succeeding in business. Those who are promoted
rapidly take feedback well, and are able to learn from it and implement
changes. Instead of seeing feedback as criticism of your work, see it as constructive--you'll
be on the path to moving ahead quickly.
If
criticism tends to throw you--leaving you either angry with rage or teary with
disappointment--learn to take a few minutes to compose yourself before
responding to the feedback. Try saying something like, "I appreciate the
feedback, but I'd like to take a few minutes to reflect on it privately. Can we
discuss this further in an hour?"
6. Look for a Mentor
Having someone on your side who can advocate
for you is a big part of being promoted swiftly. Those who are successful seek out mentors whom they can learn
from. Then, they also benefit from that manager or leader advocating for them or
pointing out potential opportunities to take on new responsibilities.
Look
for a mentor in your company who can help get you on the fast track, but don't
take the mentor-mentee relationship lightly. If a senior manager offers to
assist you in this way, either in a formal or informal mentorship capacity, be
respectful of his or her time and do your best to repay the favor whenever
possible.
7. Are Flexible
While
succeeding isn't about giving up all your nights and weekends, being flexible
has its advantages. Sometimes being flexible isn't about more hours at
all--it's just as much about being willing to head up a project when you
expected a quiet month in the office. To succeed in your career, do your best
to be more flexible with the changing demands of the business. Your boss will
notice.
8. Focus on Results
In business, it's not about whose job a task
is--it's about getting the task done. Those who advance quickly focus on results--their own, their department's, and the
company's. They don't waste time with blaming or shifting responsibility. They
dig in and get the work done. When you do this in your work, you'll be
positioning yourself well for success.
9. Aspire for More
Sometimes,
the only difference between someone who gets promoted and someone who doesn't
is the "want it" factor. When you make it known that you aspire for
more from your job and company, you'll put yourself out there as someone who's
available for additional responsibility and promotion.
Of
course, you'll need to be careful with this one. Gossiping openly about how you
deserve a better title isn't going to do you any favors, so learn to show, not
tell. Make it clear to your immediate supervisor that you're interested in
advancement opportunities, but also prove that you're willing to put in the
work to be worthy of them.
10. Are Good at Negotiation
It's
no secret that it's hard to create win-win situations on the job. Often, no
matter how hard you work to avoid it, some people feel short-changed in a
situation, while others feel they won. Those who succeed quickly are those
who learn to help everyone feel great about a particular outcome and stress the
positive points for everyone involved.
The
good news about all 10 of these traits is that they can be learned and
developed. Don't feel like those who advance rapidly in their careers are
somehow better than you. They've simply mastered these 10 traits and used them to their best advantage. With a
little practice, you can too.
BY SUJAN PATEL
http://www.inc.com/sujan-patel/the-top-10-traits-of-people-who-advance-in-their-careers.htm
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