Plan your career and have a good idea of what’s next for you because bosses love talent that wants to go places.

By Anna Murphy

In the great career smack-down, your wits will serve you better than qualifications. Think of all the untalented people who have scrambled up the ladder ahead of you — what are they doing right? Why does the boss fall for their apple-polishing tactics, and why are you missing out?

When the panic and envy have subsided, what you’re left with is the fact that people go places when they can make their bosses believe they’re valuable and, the more successful they become, the more their superiors want to nurture and help them. The good news is that you too can attach yourself to the bosom of management, regardless of your bra size or place in the pecking order. Here’s how.

Know what you want
You want to look and sound like you’re going places. You have to be able to articulate to people in power what your intentions within the organisation are. For example, you may want to work your way up to move to another division or aim for a choice posting abroad. How are you going to convince managers to give you what you want if you don’t even know what that is? It’s your job and your future, so pick up the reins.

To do this, you need a well-devised career strategy that you have tabled with your manager either during an appraisal or at a meeting set up specifically to discuss your career. Share information about your career plan with your manager so that you both understand what’s at stake. Putting your career plan to work in a transparent manner shows your boss that you are in charge. This puts him or her on alert that you are capable, driven and possibly very attractive to other employers, too.

That said, don’t wave any red flags under the bull’s nose; this strategy has to be applied with subtlety. Do state for the record that your current job is important to you and that you are committed to it and not waiting to run off with the first headhunter on your doorstep. Of course you will, like everyone else, but there’s no need to play in the traffic here. Don’t advertise your game plan to all and sundry — the Force may be not on your side always.

Do important work
There’s work and there’s Important Work. The latter is what your boss considers important, and that’s all that matters. You practically have to read his mind here. Understand what concerns him, ask if you don’t know and prioritise your work accordingly. This may not make the best use of your time or talent, but being the boss’s right hand man puts you ahead of the game and in a place of power.

Be the genie in a bottle
Managers want a genie in a bottle, someone who can work magic for them. They only want to know how you can solve their problems and they don’t want to hear yours. When you get stuck, use your manager only as a last resort. Look for solutions elsewhere first. Be strong, independent and resourceful, or at least try and look the part. Don’t be a crybaby and don’t blame others when things go wrong. Bring only good news — let someone else deliver the bad.

See all, hear all
Stay one step ahead of your boss. Your job is to keep him above the competition within and without the organisation. That means being in the know with industry intelligence. Your boss must be able to trust you to feed him or her accurate and timely information to manage and improve business or avert disasters. The occasional piece of tasty gossip won’t hurt either. However, discretion is vital — learn when to speak up and when to shut up.

Get attitude
A positive, can-do attitude will go the distance, even when your knowledge or experience falls short. Your enthusiasm for work should invite others, not only your boss, to turn to you for help. Seeing how people flock to you will make you seem important and well liked. And this makes your boss look good for having you on-board.

Develop confidence
You need to sound confident when speaking and interacting with your manager. That inner confidence comes from knowing who you are, what you want and how to get it. Expanding your cache makes you more valuable and confident. Flex your marketability by constantly acquiring new skills and abilities. Now you have something to be proud of and talk about.

Do your own PR
You have to be your own public relations machine. If you don’t talk about your achievements, who will? Ask your colleagues and others about interesting work or activities that they may be involved in. This gives you an opportunity to get involved as well as talk about yourself. Again, delicacy is preferable to braggadocio.

Look for opportunities to offer a helping hand or key piece of information so that people know you not just as a high-flying person but a useful contact to have. This gives them an incentive to say nice things about you in their own circles. Sooner or later, your reputation will precede you and hopefully, reach someone influential. Having a high profile outside the organisation improves both your reputation as well as that of your company.

Important places, important people
Be seen in places where your managers and peers meet and mingle. This could be at exhibitions and conferences, networking events, or even bars, clubs, restaurants and sporting events.

Don’t just seek out your industry counterparts but socialise at all levels. Information gathering happens up and down the grapevine. Belonging to several groups is useful for widening your networks and being able to connect easily and quickly to sources of information.

Cultivate social skills so that people enjoy meeting you and talking to you. This will help them to remember you when you pick up the phone to speak to them. Networking is about more than exchanging name cards or looking for people to use for your benefit.

Don’t be afraid to name drop. It helps to know influential people, and to let others know that you know. However, if you are going to name drop, do so within the context of the conversation or you will end up sounding very silly.

Look important
Dress right and make a good visual impression every time. Subconsciously, we place a lot of significance on looks and prefer to deal with, and indeed can be tempted to defer to people who give the outward appearance of being successful.




ANNA MURPHY has more than 20 years of writing experience. She is the editorial consultant for Worklife Asia Pte Ltd, leading career guidance practitioners in the region. Worklife champions corporate career coaching as a key strategy for sustainable organic growth for the organisation as well as the individual. Their client list includes government agencies, educational institutions and private companies. For more information, visit www.worklifeasia.com.