Win the racing war

As difficult as it may seem to win the battle at the front of the race, it really is a game of good timing, great strategy, and powerful allies (intelligent networks). Consider the following tips:

1. Reprogram your mindset

Sally had a lucrative job at a professional development company. Despite a comfortable salary, a luxurious office and enviable flex-time benefits, she found herself dragging to work every morning. After a few career counseling sessions, she realized that she was in a profession that she was in tune with your interests and talents. What was missing then?

Many people approach their jobs with an “I need the job to pay my bills” attitude, not a winner-take-all approach. Adhering to the employer-employee dynamic, reminiscent of the 19th century, provides very little motivation to the workforce. Work becomes a forced effort with such a mindset and there is no desire to make a difference or go the extra mile. The byproducts of this approach are minimal career growth and a lack of satisfaction.

What if perspective was reprogrammed?

Let’s envision a scenario where the employee is a self-employed independent consultant selling professional services to the employer. The relationship now undergoes a dramatic transformation due to the intense desire to please the customer (employer), outperform the competition (peers), [constantly] update services (professional development) and offer the best possible service (translation: performance). Such employees will always find creative solutions to satisfy and benefit the client (employer) and therefore themselves.

Sally adopted this attitude and soon found herself energized and motivated. empowered by her [self-imposed] promotion, it became an “idea machine” constantly generating new ways to improve efficiency and profitability. She worked with her superiors to launch several new programs and was soon promoted to a better and more important position.

2. Set goals and develop a game plan

Jim was a business analyst at a leading pharmaceutical company. He was receiving a comfortable salary and was very happy with his work until he realized that, despite all the hard work, he hadn’t grown much in over three years. He knew something was wrong and immediately started on a honest self appraisal.

The first result of the exercise was the realization that Jim was not working toward a clear goal. Subsequent work revealed his interests in a brand management position. Once the goal was defined, the next step involved developing a game plan, a roadmap that involved working overtime (on a voluntary basis) with the brand team, and a detailed strategy for developing brand management competencies. He developed these skills by participating in numerous projects and taking training programs and MBA level courses. Jim is now interviewing for positions with branded teams.

3. Build powerful allies

I may be alone at the top, but those who got there did not walk alone. Networking is a crucial component of any professional success campaign; From growth prospects to new job openings, opportunities are always knocking at the doors of the well connected.

Start building alliances within the organization. Supervisors, peers, team members, vendors, customers – these are all potential networking contacts. Even better, each of these contacts can meet many others, and if one were to access this “friends of friends” group, the list of allies could grow to considerable proportions in a very short period of time.

In addition to internal networking, the opportunities to network outside the organization are virtually endless. From subway riders to industry association presidents, almost everyone is a potential ally. Serious professional warriors know this secret and will not miss the opportunity to make friends. They will be ubiquitous at networking events.

4. Fire the PR ammo

Gone are the days when public relations strategies were the exclusive domain of business firms. We live in times when people can also use public relations tactics to their advantage.

With a plethora of publishing and speaking opportunities, it’s easy to increase your visibility and establish your image as an expert. Blogs, articles, trade magazines, teaching opportunities, seminars, webinars, conferences – these are all great ways to showcase your professional expertise and generate some buzz.

5. Effective position

During my MBA program, our marketing professor introduced us to a very powerful mantra: “To be successful, be different.” Almost all successful brands would use his words.

Speaking of brands, have you ever wondered why popular brands are more successful than their competitors? It is no secret that these brands have worked very hard to position themselves as unique and above the competition.

Great lessons for career stalwarts eager to develop their own positioning strategies.

To stand out from the crowd of professional “me too” warriors, you need to carefully assess and understand your distinctive strengths and leverage them to develop an effective positioning strategy. A manager, for example, may choose to position himself as a “growth-focused team leader who specializes in turning around failing divisions.” An administrative assistant can, on the other hand, be positioned as an “extremely efficient administrative ace who can ensure the smooth running of highly complex multi-million dollar organizations.”

Success in professional warfare (it is like war, after all) is a carefully planned endeavor in which the rewards come to those who patiently, yet intelligently, persevere in the “right direction.”