January 10, 2019 | Business News, Thought For The Day

 

1) Know who you are and what shoes you need to wear

Do you have a plan then what will it matter if you get ahead or not!

It doesn’t need to be a full-blown business plan, start with a vision board, then work on developing some cash flow projections. Carryout some market research then review everything with everyone that you can before you start investing lots of time in business planning.

The banks have excellent business planning formats that you can follow. Don’t reinvent the wheel, use theirs. Invest wisely in getting expert advice and guidance in making your plan a reality. Make getting ahead part of your mantra of success.

 

 

2) Market Yourself, No One Else Will

Are you uncomfortable marketing you? – If you are it’s time you got over yourself and start to become comfortable marketing YOU. Nobody knows you have achieved great things, worked for great companies or what your greatness is if you never tell them!

Do this subtlety, by taking time to list the top 8 things you have achieved in your career, the 8 top companies you’ve worked for, the 8 best pieces of work you have undertaken and the 8 things that inspire you to do your best for your customers. Then when you get or create the opportunity to blow your own horn you can do this in a very inconspicuous way, which can be almost subliminal in it’s effect.

So the tip here is to make sure people know what your contributions and accomplishments are, and do it in the most subtle way possible. But make sure YOU DO IT!

 

3) Do The Right Work

It’s hard to be passionate and committed to doing work that does not utilise your natural talents and your personal competitive advantage. So make sure you are doing the right job, working for the right organisation, running the right sort of a business and if you are not then you might need to make some radical changes in your life, career and business.

 

 

4) Make Sure You Make Money!

It’s so easy to take our eye of the ball of actually making money from what we do. We need to get the basics right, like:

Terms and Conditions of Doing Business
Developing a pricing, invoicing and debt management system that actually works
You have a system for tracking work in progress, stock control and customer feedback
Monthly accounts are prepared, evaluated, reviewed and that bank accounts are carefully scrutinised
Be aware of what you spend your money on, do you really need that?

 

 

5) Never, Ever Disagree in Public or Discredit Your Competitors

Disagreeing and discrediting anyone outright in front of other people can be so damaging. Often we can get so caught up in what we think, we can totally discount someone else and the contribution of a different perspective on the same issue.

We already know our own opinion and the ‘why’s’ behind it, so listening to others, respecting their opinions and considering different options can always add value to an argument or a consideration.

If possible wait until you two have a private moment and then explain your viewpoint. Then, at the end say “Thanks for listening to me. I really appreciate the opportunity to be heard and I hope you will respect I might have a different viewpoint from yourself that would work better for me”.

If you really want to get ahead, anticipate future issues and possible disagreements and discuss them in private, ahead of time. In this way you become a trusted advisor to those you work with.

 

6) Become An Entrepreneur at Work

Studies found that 58% of managers are either very willing or extremely willing to support entrepreneurial employees.

What does this mean if you are an employee and want to get ahead? – You will need to take on projects outside of your job description. If you see a new opportunity that your company could take advantage of, or you see something that can be improved, come up with a solution. Do research, develop a presentation outlining the opportunity, and present it to your management. Before you engage in any entrepreneurial initiatives, of course, you have to master your current role and prove yourself — because no one will invest in you unless they trust you first.

What does this mean if you are the owner of the business – You will need to be actively seen as supporting the entrepreneurial spirit at work with the people you employ. Think about how the above looks in action in your business. How will you be seen as encouraging it, recognising it, rewarding it and publicising it to you internal and external stakeholders?

 

 

7) Develop your soft skills.

Entrepreneurs, managers, and even recruiters, value soft skills over hard skills: 61% of managers believe that soft skills are most important. The most important soft skills for employees who want to get promoted are the ability to prioritise work, communicate effectively, and work well in a team. If you want to develop these skills, you need to actively pursue situations where you can both interact with other people and get feedback so you can improve.

 

8)Become a subject matter expert.

If you want to stand out at work and gain visibility and recognition, you need to be an expert on a particular topic. 65% of successful leaders and managers say it’s either important or very important to become a subject matter expert when it comes to advancing at work. When the press or media need help or advice in that area, they will come to you every time and you will become more valuable as a result.

 

Written by:

Cheryl Bass
I AM WOMAN

www.iamwoman.biz