Get yourself ahead and act S.M.A.R.T
For a person to be SMART they are exhibiting a keen intellect, sharp thinking and a stylish mode of dressing. I thought it was a wonderful acronym for getting ahead.
By following these 5 steps, throughout your entire career, you will skyrocket yourself over and above your peers and competition.
Smile and greet everyone
It is important to greet everyone you come in contact with. Everyone has an opinion and the more people you are known to, the greater your star shall shine. Never presume yourself to be above anyone.
Make yourself known
You want to be the person everyone thinks of in relation to your area. You want to become the expert. This can happen by writing articles for your association, your company, your local newspaper, in-house newsletter and any other related industry magazines and papers. Getting your name in print will raise your profile and your credibility, and situate you as an expert.
Ask for feedback
The true professional is not afraid of critics. Asking for feedback will give you the advantage of knowing what you are a) doing well and b) could do better. Most people will appreciate the opportunity to give you what may turn out to be invaluable advice. A word of caution, this is not a platform for self-adulation: your critics can tell when your request for feedback is not genuine.
Respect yourself and others
It is important that you show respect to yourself as well as to those around you. Putting yourself down has the effect of giving you the martyr stance, where everyone has to disagree with what you say and bolster you up, which results in you appearing to have low self-confidence. It can also then give the necessary fuel to your detractors to bring you down. Never bring attention to your faults.
It is not necessary, nor is it wise, to badmouth colleagues or associates to others. If they are doing anything wrong it will come out eventually. I am a total believer in karma.
Take the time to get to know others
From the janitor to the CEO. make it your business to get to know the people you work with. This simple act alone can make you respected by everyone you work with, and you never know who they know.
I’d love to hear your stories of how this has worked for you. For more business tips I have the Personal Branding and Professional Success Strategies program available for both men and women. You can find more details here for women and here for men.
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