“If we must be a slave to habit, let us be a slave to good habits.”
-Og Mandino, Author
We all want to do well, get noticed, be appreciated and get rewarded for our efforts at work. Yet, too often, we see our peers getting promoted before us. They, in my words, have been selected to the employee All-Star Team. In some cases, we ask ourselves “what do they have going for them that we lack?” Is it that they’re smarter? Or, perhaps, are they better connected? Do they work harder? Is there some sort of nefarious conspiracy to keep you down? What the hell is their secret? These questions flash across our mind every time we read the Organizational Bulletin announcing the promotion of a peer. Well, after years of being in the corporate work arena, I think , just maybe, I have cracked the code. The Organizational Bulletin says nice things about the person, but rarely speaks to what they have actually done to earn the promotion. So, allow me to pierce the veil of secrecy surrounding what it takes to become an All-Star employee.
First, understand that the process an organization uses to identify an All-Star employee is not an exact science. In fact, the process is equal parts science and equal art. The art of identifying potential stars is based on a number of factors including personality, poise and presence. A person can be the undisputed subject matter expert in his or her field, yet exhibit a quirky personality. Similarly, the person might appear to be easily rattled under pressure. Personality characteristics that make colleagues and peers uncomfortable will always be a barrier to upward mobility. During my years of observing the potential All-Stars, I noticed that there was a quasi-science applied to making the determination of who should be in the pipeline for promotional opportunities. This quasi -science is based on observable and consistent behaviors demonstrated, over time, by the employee.
For purposes of discussion, I have reduced these observable and consistent behaviors to a list of 7 good habits one must develop and practice consistently. So, here are the 7 good habits to cultivate:
Habit #1: Develop Your Competence. Work on becoming really good at what you do—technically strong. Every day learn from your boss (read what he/she is reading), your peers, and outside experts about what “good looks like” in your profession or job. Read professional or technical journals, join professional organizations and remember that you must always strive to do your job right. Why is it that we “don’t have time to do it right, but we always have time to do it over.” Your next job depends on how well you do in your current job. As they say in professional football, “if, on every play called, each player dominates at their respective position, the team will flawlessly execute and win the game.” Being competent is foundational to success.
Habit #2: Speak Truth: Growing up Catholic, I learned a lot about discipline and how to comport myself in various situations. One lesson the nuns drilled into us was that a lie was a lie. In our little world, there were two types of lies—lies of commission and lies of omission. Either you admitted you did something (commission) or you conveniently forgot or chose to remain silent (omission) about some transgression. Forgetting or remaining silent would fall into the category of lies of omission. The dynamics of the workplace give us ample opportunities to commit either lies of commission or omission. Spin control is just another way of lying. Always speak the truth as you know it—based on the facts before you. The beauty in telling the truth is simple—you don’t have to keep track of truth. However, if you lie, you must remember who you lied to as well as when and where. Fudging or not disclosing key facts about a sales report or progress against goals is a form of lying. Truthfulness is a core competence.
Habit #3: Build Trust: Trust is the characteristic that allows people to believe in you, to rely on you and to have confidence that your word is, truly, your bond. While there are many behaviors that might annoy or irritate your coworkers, they don’t rupture a relationship. You can be habitually late or an occasional jerk and people will make accommodations for these shortcomings. These traits will surely slow down your ascent to the next level. However, the quickest and most sure fired way to derail your career is to be deemed untrustworthy. Once you are labeled as untrustworthy, people might still interact with you (because they have to), but never invest confidence in anything you say or do. You become an organizational leper—isolated and avoided. My mother had a saying about how she dealt with an untrustworthy individual. She would say, “I wouldn’t feed him with a long handled spoon.” Being trustworthy is an asset when being considered for a promotion.
Habit #4: Be Helpful: The workplace is made up of jobs, tasks and assignments. Each employee hunkers down and attempts to do the best job possible. Yet, if you are to be good to great at your job, you’re going to need help from someone else in the organization. At any given point in time during the day, we are either a supplier or a customer. In other words, we or someone either up or down the organizational structure needs something from us or we need something from them to complete a task or an assignment—or, put simply, to do our job. Real work is actually done in the white space between jobs. The potential All-Star employee is boundary spanning. He or she is willing to help and assist fellow employees to look good and do a better job. Helpfulness deepens the relationship bond between employees. It creates what I call relationship equity. While relationship equity is not transferrable to another company, it is real currency at your current company. When senior management in a company is considering who is ready to move up, your fellow employees view of you is a major consideration. Being helpful may not be a guarantee for promotion. Yet, not being helpful can be viewed a major negative. To be an effective team member, you must be helpful to others.
Habit #5: Network For Knowledge: Networking is more than seeking face time with senior management or kibitzing with peers and other co-workers. Networking is a conscious effort to seek organization knowledge. Effective networking skills will garner not only knowledge but, also, mentors and advocates. Mentors can be very helpful, if you come prepared with specific questions. Based on either their position and/or their seniority, they can serve as a sort of ‘Sherpa’ guide to help you negotiate potentially treacherous passages while climbing the organizational mountain. An organizational advocate is someone who has either influence or power. Specifically, an advocate is someone who speaks up for you when you’re not in the room. Advocates may or may not be mentors. Often times, the advocate has observed you from a distance. Perhaps, one of your mentors is a respected member of his/her team and shares with the advocate your potential. Whatever the case both mentors and advocates are shrewd investors with the time. If you stagnate or fail to grow, they typically will withdraw their support. It comes down to return on investment (ROI). In speaking to the concept of networking, Linda A. Hall, co-author along with Kent Lineback, of “Being the Boss”, says it best, “Who you know determines what you know and what you know determines how far you go.”
Habit #6: Act With Integrity: Years ago, the New York Times newspaper published a full page insert that stated, “If you’re good when nobody is watching, that’s integrity.” Integrity, according to the dictionary, is adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character. Peter Drucker, the wise business sage declared, “there is no such thing as business ethics—either you are ethical or you’re not.” Every day, our integrity is challenged. These challenges never cease. We can act with integrity 99 out of 100 times. Yet, one moral lapse can destroy an impeccable reputation that took years to build. To paraphrase the great football coach, Vince Lombardi, integrity is not a sometime thing, it’s an everyday thing. Some people put six figure jobs and promising careers at risk to cheat on their expense reports or as my father would say they are, “Stepping over dollars to pick up pennies.” Others manipulate data to hide embezzlement, steal from customers or take credit for another employee’s work product. Integrity is non-negotiable. If you want to be considered a safe bet, always operate with integrity.
Habit #7: Follow Your Personal Vision: A vision should be aspirational. It is a strong desire for something. Your vision should be clear, compelling and achievable given a consistent investment of time and energy. As they say, “if you can conceive it, believe it, you can achieve it.” So, before you get to your desired destination position you must mentally project yourself into that future state. Daily manifest your intentions. Expect delays, disappointments and detours. Your personal vision must have a stretch component built into it. You will have naysayers, doubters and detractors along the way. Although these types first appear as obstacles, they are really the incentive you need to persist in your journey. Nothing is more satisfying then proving doubters wrong. Remember, “obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off your goals.” Each day, meditate on and affirm your vision. Affirmations are belief statements about the future stated in the present tense. In other words, don’t say “I want to be a Director, VP or CEO—rather say, I am a Director, VP or CEO.” You must first unequivocally state your intent to bring about the desired event. There is something electric and energizing about an individual with a personal vision. She/he is driven and focused. If you are willing to work hard, others take notice and want to help you reach your stated goal. Treat failure like a temporary glitch on your screen of life. An old African proverb states, “To stumble is to move forward faster.”
Note: Talent Trumps is a trademarked entity of The Salter Group LLC.