If I may ask, how many of you do really enjoy their current jobs or occupations? I mean without faking a thing about it. Do you work because you have to, or because this is what rhymes with your being?
I bet that a great majority of you are miserable in your workplaces. Fear of the unknown keeps you from challenging your work systems or opting out.
I submit to you that unless you do something about it, you’re better off not being in it. And a lot of times people aspire for greater and challenging responsibilities, yet fear keeps them confined to monotonous routines.
Employers can only promote individuals if they see growth in them, which comes through having a built-in brand. How do you present yourself to both colleagues and managers? If you were the man in charge would you promote someone like you?
Or what would you have improved in the individual like the current you? Build a positive image, but it will cost you determination and discipline.
Dr. Rob Yeung in his book on Job Hunting and Career Change assets that getting recognition at work is all about helping others see what your unique contribution is. You may feel that selling yourself and your skills is egotistical, especially if you tend to be naturally modest about your achievements.
Perhaps you tend to hide your ‘light’ and find that over time you begin to feel a little resentful that people don’t always notice or appreciate your good work.
Do you realize that you can’t afford to just flow with current systems if you’re ever going to make it in the workplace? Time is moving and you have no time to waste. Shape up and show the co-workers what you’re made of and get that promotion. Stop fretting about those who seem to succeed and start preparing yourself for the next big thing.
Be mindful of your associations, they’ll either help you become better or worse. In as far as success in the workplace is concerned, associations you keep say a lot about your future as an employee.
You may take the opposite view and grab the limelight as often as you can, only to find that those around you push you back down into place. Getting the balance right is tricky.
You may feel that you have to adopt a different work persona and play office politics in order to be successful, but the truth is that most people hate spin, and the last place they want to have to deal with it is at work.
Think of yourself as a business. What are your unique selling points? Yes, you have skills, but how do you package and present these skills to the world in a way that is unique to you? Getting used to thinking about how you project your personal brand can help you to develop versatility.
After all, you are uniquely your brand and you can also change that brand as you wish, according to the ‘market’ you’re in. So you may choose to display your more extrovert image in a meeting or you may let people see your reflective, thoughtful side, depending upon your audience and what’s required.