If you really want to move fast up the Corporate Ladder, you must know and apply the Insider Secrets of the Corporate Machiavelli.
The following are simple but essential tips that can get you whatever you want; make you visible, admirable, progressive and powerful in your workplace, company or organization. Not for the squeamish. Enjoy it!
First, you must be excellent at the job you were hired to do. Be diligent, proactive and resourceful. Be the best at the things you are assigned to do. That way you make yourself difficult and stressful for the company or organization to do away with. When given an assignment, be sure to always give adequate feedback on your progress or even lack of it. Always give results, so you never have to give reasons for failure.
Cultivate a positive, friendly and cheerful personality. Learn to share what you have. Look-out for opportunities to assist others, especially at critical moments when it could make all the difference to their well being. That way you create lasting positive impressions in their minds that make them wish you well, and want to see you move ahead. You ride on their goodwill!
Do not forget to pay genuine and sincere compliments to those who deserve them. Always say nice words and show appreciation when others look good, get promoted, win prizes and awards, or do you a favour. Be sincere and courteous. Courtesy costs you nothing, but it takes you a long way! Make yourself visible, desirable, and admirable and a great pal to work with.
Always dress well (clean, smart, and for your job) because first, it makes you positively visible: you never have a second chance of making a first impression. And secondly: the way you dress determines the way you are addressed.
Be a man or woman of quality. Always look neat, smart and full of energy. Cultivate an above average knowledge of fabrics, colour combinations and styles. Abide by your company’s dress code, if any; otherwise dress the same way the senior boss man or woman or the top management staff in your organization do. That way you identify with their personality, and they will not fail to notice you!
Be prepared. On a personal level, adopt a program of continuous self-development as your secret career policy. That way you are prepared and ready when any opportunity to move up the corporate ladder knocks. Look ahead in your company, organization or industry, and prepare yourself for opportunities and positions that may become vacant, available or in hot demand in the near future. The better prepared you are, the luckier you get! Time and chance happen to us all.
If possible, get your boss to be your mentor. But please, keep to the rules of mentorship. Do not waste your mentor’s time or bother him/her with your financial problems. Rather, get close by asking him/her to recommend books and articles you can read, or audio CDs you can listen to. Give your mentor some feedback on what you gained, and then request for more. That way you indirectly communicate to your boss that you are a protégée, eager to learn and grow; and that you look up to him/her for success within the organization.
Get to understand the power structure within your organization, and play accordingly. In most cases, the organizational chart or organogram does not give a true picture of the power equation within an organization. Find out the really powerful persons within (or even outside) the organization, who are responsible for most decision-making.
What many workers do not know is that many boards and committees meet just to ratify decisions already taken by a few powerful individuals within the organization. In many cases, there is a big difference between the visible corporate Table of Organization (TOO) and the invisible Table of Power (TOP). You must therefore discern the real power brokers within your organization and align yourself accordingly, while making sure that your loyalty to everyone above you on the corporate ladder (TOO) is never in doubt. Play smart!
In the power games of the corporate world, others can destroy you either because they hate you or they fear you, or both. Therefore, be wise and play safe. Be courteous. Bury your pride! Avoid flaunting your abilities and talents in such a way as to arouse resentment and envy in your superiors or peers. Otherwise, you may unknowingly lose their support, and immediately become a target for a PHD (pull him down) award. Whenever necessary, protect yourself by feigning ignorance or even daftness. But don’t overdo it! No power player is a fool.
Finally, be smart! Always obey the first Law of Power: “Never outshine the master”. Always make those above you feel comfortably superior. In your desire to please or impress them, do not go too far in displaying your talents and abilities or you might accomplish the direct opposite: inspire fear and insecurity. Make your bosses appear more brilliant than they are and you will attain the heights of power!
Watch out for Corporate Machiavelli 2, coming soon. As a Prince of the Corporate Wars, you will not only enjoy it, you will certainly USE it, to your greater advantage. Don’t miss it! See you at the top!
© Jay Onwukwe
Copyright 2010 by Jay Onwukwe.
Jay is the Author: The WEALTH SECRETS
A motivational speaker, writer, teacher and friend of Youths, Jay is the founder and sponsor of Before40 Youth Empowerment Foundation for Better Citizenship, a private initiative to educate, motivate, inspire and empower our Youths towards legitimate Wealth, Wisdom, Prosperity and better Citizenship. He lives at Aba with his family, and enjoys reading, writing and flower gardening.
His recent work: “The WEALTH SECRETS You Must Know Before40″, is a must-read for every Youth and everyone! And you’re just a click away from getting your own precious copy from Amazon.com. See link above.
Please visit his WEALTH & WISDOM membership website: http://www.before40.com for great motivational, inspirational, and spiritual eBooks and articles. Not to worry, most of it is FREE!
Stay Smart, Wealthy and Wise!