This article is written for those beginning a working career or have been working for sometime but do not understand why this far they have not been successful.
The basic consideration is always PERFORMANCE. You must achieve a minimum good or outstanding performance before management notices you. However, performance is not the only criteria. Basic performance allows you to keep your job. For promotions or advancement, management considers a whole list of other virtues or criteria that you must possess or has the potential of being developed into.
Most important of which is ATTITUDE. Attitude you display toward yourself, other people, colleagues, customers, company guidelines and management styles, your work, your peers and subordinates. Why attitudes? Simply because your attitudes always determine your actions and your performance and your own potential of being developed for the future.
The next is a personal DETERMINATION to succeed. This has many manifestations, some of which are initiative, drive, hardworking, and a sense of urgency in completing tasks on time, and a strong desire and self-discipline to achieve perfection in what you do. It is not enough to just possess this; you must show that you are doing everything within your means to succeed in a task. This immediately comes under notice by many people whom you interact with.
Next, you must also be a good COMMUNICATOR, verbally or in writing. Not everyone is born with good communication skills yet company, business and job requirements demand a high standard of communication capability from everyone, and therefore, one needs to develop such skills. In fact, when you write reports, letters or when you are talking or even making a presentation, it is the best opportunity for you to market your communication skills and everybody present immediately notices this. A good communicator always develops a two-way communicative relationship with other people, and is capable of having meaningful and effective discussions and conversations with others. If you have global ambition, a good command of other major commercial languages ( English, Mandarin, French, German etc if that is not already your natural or learned language) is certainly a huge advantage.
TEAMWORK with people of diverse background is also a prime consideration. In our society, there are different ethical, moral, business, religious standards practiced by different people and the ability to compromise, develop a well balanced personality without extreme emotions, be open-minded and constructive in these areas is a strength. A willingness to help others - whether it is subordinates, peers, colleagues and others is immediately noticed.
Having a strong sense of RESPONSIBILITY and COMMITMENT is always evident in the eyes of other people you interact with. Again possessing this qualities and keeping to oneself is not adequate; demonstrating responsibility and commitment in your work interaction with other people and having the discipline to fulfill commitment is very much needed to create the image of a responsible and reliable staff.
You must be FLEXIBLE and possess the desires and be prepared to take on added responsibilities. Your flexibility can be in many forms eg special assignment, new product, new territory, undergo training and a desire to learn new things, unafraid to be creative in opening up gray areas and being accountable for it. Prepared to do more for the Company than the basics - in fact when you are given added responsibilities, it is a recognition that you have done well in your present areas of responsibility and therefore, is ready for new responsibilities and challenges as part of your overall career and management development. Which manager in his right mind will give an important new responsibility or task to you if you can't hardly cope with what you already got?
Equally important is to ensure that added responsibilities are performed to company expectations is a very positive sign that the man is capable to handle responsibilities at higher levels when the time is ripe. It is always a good strategy to posture oneself in a ready position rather than to be in STILL UNDER TRAINING or STILL NEED TIME classification because opportunities don't wait for people. It just happens and when it happens you must be READY in the minds of your superior for it ~~ you can be at the right place at the right time but is you are not READY, you won't make the cut
Last but not least, another important consideration is MANAGEMENT MINDEDNESS - you must demonstrate that you think and act management. Your are responsive and supportive of the Company's management styles, ideas, programs, goals, results to be achieved etc. in short, you consider yourself a full member of the Company's management team and act and promote team spirit in which every member direct his effort to realizing his maximum potential for his own success as well as the Company's. You must avoid unprofessional behavior or acts, and earn trust and confidence of your superiors.
To summarize, management look for people who wants to be a professional. A man whom the company thinks has not only contributed through good performance in present position but has the potential for further development and advancement.
These are of course not the full list of values that you need to develop in order to achieve career success but good enough to give you a great head start over others have to find out the hard and long way by trail and error over their career .. sadly many will retire without knowing why they haven't been as successful as their fellow colleagues.
Wishing you every success in your career.
David Ng