Before you can really take control of your career, you need
to devote some time to getting yourself organized. This
type of organization goes beyond traditional steps like
setting up a filing system; this is transforming your life
instead of just your desk. Your efforts to move your career
forward will be useless if you don't know where you're going, so you should
begin by developing a clear idea of where you would like
your career to go. Next, you want to create some goals to
help you get there. These first two organizational steps
give you a basic plan. Once this plan is in place, you can
start breaking things down into manageable steps and concrete
tasks. After these components are in place, you have everything
you need to organize your time for maximum efficiency.
Having a plan to execute can make a huge difference in how
effective you are in your position. As you begin to implement
this plan you will develop momentum and find yourself accomplishing
a surprising amount. Having a well-defined outcome is the
surest way for you to really put your career on the fast
track to start making more money and fulfilling your professional
dreams. Finally, having a plan gives you a concrete roadmap
to follow and means you won't waste time and energy wondering
what to do next, you'll always know your next logical step.
Master Your Environment
To be truly successful you have to have an in-depth understanding
of the company you work for. A good first step towards really
developing a comprehensive view of your company is to recognize
your value to the organization. From that starting point
you can go on to understand the value of all of the other
parts of the organization. Another critical step in mastering
your environment is figuring out all of the unwritten rules
that are present in your organization. One very helpful
way to both determine your value and learn the unwritten
rules is to seek out mentors with different perspectives.
Once you're truly aware of how your employer really operates,
you'll know what it will take to put your plan into action.
By understanding the forces that make things happen in your
environment, you will have much more control over how you
spend your time. By having a clear view of how your company
works, you will know exactly what to do to keep your job
safe in the lean times and position yourself for promotions
in the good times.
Connect with Others
It's not enough to fully understand the corporate environment
and your place within it; you also need to be able to take
advantage of this information through effective communication.
It is vital for you to be able to express yourself in a
variety of contexts and to a wide range of people. Once
others understand what you are doing and why you are doing
it that way, you need to take the further step of marketing
yourself effectively so that you get maximum recognition.
With polished communication skills at your disposal, you
will be able to execute your plan much faster than you would
expect. Through good communication you can earn the trust
and respect of others and more easily get their cooperation.
In fact, it is possible to develop your communication skills
to the point where you can control just about every interaction
you have during your work day. The benefits don't end when
you leave the building at the end of the day; when you extend
these skills to a robust professional network outside of
your organization you'll also have access to many additional
people's expertise.
Make Breakthroughs Happen
In order to make major contributions to any organization,
it is necessary to be truly innovative. You can develop
these skills by learning to look at problems and pursue
solutions in new ways. You also need to learn to help your
colleagues think in different ways. The only way to get
the rewards and recognition that you want is by making truly
original contributions.
Once you have developed the ability to be innovative you
will not only be in a position to make really big contributions
to your company, but you will also be more creative in finding
a way to execute your plan. Coming up with and developing
inventive approaches to the issues that your company is
facing is the quickest way to be respected and admired by
everyone you work with. Your impact becomes further magnified
by being able to effectively sell your ideas to others in
your company by using your finely honed communication skills.
Gary Lavine, PhD - owner, www.thesuccessfulscientist.com
How This Scientist Discovered Strategies to take his career
to the next level. Receive science career advice from someone
who has been there. Dedicated to helping scientists find new
ways of approaching there old problems. Learn to organize,
innovate and communicate in bold new ways to boost your career.
http://www.thesuccessfulscientist.com
