Career Success Guide: Comprehensive Personal Skills to Gain Professional Advantage: Comprehensive Personal Skills to Gain Professional Advantage

Author: Jay
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-07-01
Features: What kind of pursuit do you have? We all have many pursuits in our work. Perhaps you want a promotion, or maybe you want to close a substantial deal, or simply want to have harmonious relationships with your colleagues. You might also have the following pursuits: · Actual work rewards (e.g., salary increase, promotion, or extra bonuses); · Satisfactory work results (e.g., strong sales performance, accepted suggestions, or improved systems); · A relaxed work environment (e.g., good interpersonal relationships, advanced office equipment, or suitable working hours).
Have you noticed that some people seem to achieve what they want with little effort, while others work hard but get little in return? That’s because you need to use the right techniques appropriately to fulfill your desires. Since your pursuits vary greatly, the skills you need should also be diverse. Like most people, you may excel in certain areas and reap significant rewards. You might have excellent relationships with colleagues, enviable achievements in your career, or smooth sales skills. However, we all have skills we haven’t yet mastered—this is where this book comes in.
In this book, you will find all the skills you need to achieve your goals—whether actual work rewards, satisfactory work results, or a relaxed work environment. Once you learn these skills and put them into practice, integrating them into your daily work life, you’ll find that you can achieve your objectives most of the time. This alone is enough to ensure your dreams come true. When dealing with important matters, you’ll need to pay closer attention and use these skills more effectively.
Set Your Goals
First, you must set a clear goal for yourself. For example, don’t just tell yourself, "I want better rewards at work." You need to be specific about what kind of reward—such as a high-end office, a higher position, or a salary increase? How much more? Only when you clearly define your goal can you focus your efforts on achieving it.
Are Your Goals Realistic?
Once you have a clear goal, ask yourself if it’s realistic. If you’re not qualified for a salary increase, daydreaming won’t help. Can you find reasons for a raise? Or will you be able to do so within six months? Similarly, don’t expect to close a ￡500,000 deal with a client who has never done ￡50,000 worth of business with your company. Make sure your pursuits are realistic, or find ways to make them so before you expect to achieve them.
Plan Your Strategy
Think about how you can achieve your goal. What do you need to do? Who do you need to talk to? For example: If you’re honest and admit you don’t have a case for a raise, but you can justify it if you increase sales in the second half of the year, what should you do? Suppose you really want to improve your relationships with colleagues—should you talk to them? Should you change your behavior? In other words, how can you start now and gradually work toward your goal?
Go All Out
Once you know what to do, put your full effort into the techniques described in the following chapters until you succeed. Follow your plan and monitor each step’s progress to ensure you reach your goal. Build alliances (Chapter 3 will tell you how), so that as you work toward your goal, you’ll gain friends rather than alienate others. If you don’t earn others’ support, you’ll never succeed.
By learning the necessary skills and setting clear goals, along with a plan to achieve them, you’ll be well on your way to victory and success in everything you do.
About the Author:
Ross Jay is a freelance writer and editor who has written a series of articles on business topics, specializing in marketing and communication skills. She has also contributed to and edited company journals (both print and online). She is a senior partner in the Direct Selling Association. Her other best-selling books include: Fast-Thinking Manager’s Manual, How to Manage Your Boss, How to Get a Pay Rise, How to Build a Great Team, and How to Handle Tough Situations at Work.