The views expressed in this article are his own and not necessarily those of KPMG.
It’s not about what you do, it’s about who you know. I’ve heard this statement mentioned so many times by different people in different walks of life and if this is partially or entirely true, instead of taking it so negatively, why not start asking the question, “How can I know people?” The answer is simple. Let people know you at your best – be a person that people would like to work with.
So how do you become this person that people would like to work with? Here are 7 steps that should jumpstart your career development.
- Set Goals with objectives
People have an idea of what they aim to achieve but never actually think of the various steps that need to be taken in order to achieve them. One may say “I aim to get a promotion at my workplace”. This does not give you any action points as to how that is to be attained. That’s where objectives come in. Objectives to getting a promotion may include the following.
- Report early for work, every day
- Submit all work before it is required
- Go above and beyond in any task I am assigned to
This gives you an action point and things to work on daily and if you fall short of your goal you have a checklist of items you can simply refer to and improve on.
- Take self-inventory
You cannot hope to make significant progress towards your goals if you do not know where you stand. Know your strengths and weaknesses. This may refer to your social presence, work ethic, extra-curricular activities and even your dress code. Your aim should be to humbly show off your positive attributes, making them more apparent and to reduce, if possible, stop all negative attributes. Nobody is perfect. Everybody has room for improvement and as such, this should be something you should continuously work on.
- Work diligently
It is highly unlikely that you will completely get along with all the people you work with or always agree to the course of action your superiors take. Work relationships are to be handled with utmost care.
A negative attitude, even towards your inferior may cost you more than you would expect. Your superiors are constantly evaluating your performance and any signs of negativity in the office, social outings and even on social media will affect their decisions. This also counts for Entrepreneurs. People will prefer doing business with someone with a positive attitude. Avoid saying anything negative about anyone even when it is justifiable.
- Do what you said you will do
Never set goals that are too ambitious unless you are almost certain you will achieve them well before they are required. Getting work from superiors with tight deadlines is inevitable, given the fast-moving nature of modern work environments. What’s important is letting your superiors know how much effort you intend to put into the work and how much time you think it will take you to finish but always try and finish before the work is needed. This gives you more credibility and as it is in many walks of life, so much depends on reputation.
- Go above and beyond
“A person that does more than he/she is paid to do, will eventually be paid for more than he/she does” (Napoleon Hill). Doing more than you are paid to do simply means keeping an open mind. Just because your contract says you are only required to do “ABC” doesn’t mean you should limit yourself to just that. Just because your contract says you’re only required to work until 5PM doesn’t mean you should always get off then. Doing only what you have been paid to do is ok if your goal is to simply keep your Job but to excel in your chosen career, you must be willing to put in extra effort and time.
- Never stop learning
“If you wish to go fast go alone but if you wish to go far go together” (African proverb). This African proverb states the importance of teamwork. Regardless of your work environment, your most important resources are your work mates. Always be willing to inquire when not sure about anything and never be too afraid to inquire about anything regarding your work regardless of how stupid you may think it is or how your work mates may change their opinion of you. One must be constantly assessing the “do Knows” from the “don’t knows” and finding ways to fill in the gaps.
- Take time off
A healthy mind is a productive mind. Time spent doing what you love or simply relaxing will improve your productivity when you need it. This also keeps you human. Only robots can dedicate their lives to work alone. Allot of people think they dislike their occupation but in reality, they are simply tired and need to rest. They never give themselves a chance to breath. Overindulgence in even the holeyest of things is a bad thing, a person can literally die from taking too much water (Coco Ballantyne).
In summary, connections are formed by being good at what you do. Knowing people and having a substandard work ethic or product will only heighten the number of people that are not willing to work with or hire you.
Follow the steps outlined, practice patience and marvel at how much progress you make in your career.