Lockdown
or recession, bubble or trough, competition is here to stay.
With
evolution at the helm, it is always a game of probability that one who enters
the job world gets to stay and move to level next.
It
is all about who has the ability to evolve than who possesses a gold medal or a
distinction. It is all about your abilities to see your tomorrow and walk the
path than please your boss and walk behind him/her.
To
get a job is easy. To get a dream job isn’t easy.
At
times it so happens that to get to the dream position, one has to start from
where he/she never imagined- a position as low as Grade IV staff (attendant) or
Executive level IV(field manager) even with a degree which shouts out for a
white collar job. Those who hesitate
or feel it embarrassing may have to wait for a long time or forever –
competition and opportunities never wait for your timing and placement of your
ideas.
They
come and they go.
As
one of the HR Manager once said, once you lose an opportunity, you have to wait
at the end of the line as a tail ender or as a spectator for another chance
because there are a million contenders waiting in line for an opportunity.
That
is the way the competitive world works.
It’s always WORK IN PROGRESS!
So
in order to ensure that YOU sail with the winds and do not get thrown away into
a NO MAN’S LAND, follow these 13 points which I have assembled in last 13
years-practical and carefully picked to help you to maneuver difficult times!
Here
we go!
1. Qualification matters: Late Dhirubhai Ambani might have started
Reliance Industries without a proper qualification but to ensure that the giant
ship sails continuously, hiring qualified professionals was necessary. National or International, desi or otherwise,
businesses might have got a kick start on the basis of an idea which gave the
entrepreneur a first mover’s advantage but then, to continue and up the flag of
success, hiring of professionals with proper qualifications becomes
quintessential. It is they, who can infuse ideas, face challenges and ensure
that the mast gets adjusted according to the winds in the industry. So, the first check must be QUALIFICATION.
Note: One must understand that qualification is
essential to get a job but it never guarantees the stay.
2. Training and Development: every
organization which you join, orients you with its culture, rules and
regulations, the career path, targets to be fulfilled during probation period
and thereafter. It also trains you to speak, convince, sell, handle issues and
also hand holds wherever necessary. Once you clear the initial stages, they
develop your talent and ensure that whatever remains as a block in the progress
path gets cleared via peer programs or Developmental programs. Other than these, an employee is also
expected to do his own R & D and chalk out strategies to ward of
competition at his levels, his reportees and his reporting authorities. In
simple words, the employee must stay updated and abreast to stay in
competition. Not always will your organization assist you to learn or clear a
block. They will observe your measures and your response to critical situations
they put you into. So, watch your steps as big boss is watching!
3. Accept orders and responsibilities without
ifs’ and buts’: Working in an
organization requires flexibility. You may be a gold medalist in your area of
specialization but then, if you can’t multi task, if you can’t go beyond your
designation and job role, get ready to be rolled out. Remember, there is always a competitor ready
to do your work and the work of a few more with greater efficiency than yours. Learning a new skill or a new trade will
always be helpful as they will only enhance your value, expand your horizon and
shape your future as a front runner for a position you have been dreaming of. So if you want to save your seat and the
cubicle and give the top performer a jitter or two, get going!
4. Work on
your will and skill regularly: A weapon unused for long becomes useless. It
must be cared for and used regularly even if it means servicing it. Your will
power and Skill power too, must follow the same path. Your desire to grow and
get promoted must never be compromised. Don’t let your will power to be
dominated by a failure or two. It happens.
In the process of achieving your goals and growing up in an
organization, you fail at times, you fall at times. It does not mean that it
ends there. You have to fight back
strategically and with cunningness in a diplomatic manner and yet dawn the hat
of a good boy.
5.
Use
time judiciously: As I said it earlier in point 3,
learning a new skill or a new trade will always be helpful as they will
only enhance your value, expand your horizon and shape your future as a
front runner for a position you have been dreaming of.
There are times, when, in times of crisis and
pressure, as an employee, one starts bluffing and cooking up stories. At times,
the best bet in the lot even fails to impress. It is during these times that if
as an employee, one is able to come up with ideas to bounce back and be resilient;
he/she gets noticed and appreciated. Those who fail will learn a new lesson and
those who deny will search for
an easier
option which never exists in a competitive market. It is thus necessary to use
time judiciously, to learn a new trick or develop one to ensure that in
tough times, you last and not the tough moments.
6.
Communication
skills: Once when Lions talked
and Dinosaurs danced, I came across a few excellent gentlemen who, I assumed,
had that potential to do the impossible. However, a few meetings after, I
realized that neither did the Lions talk nor did the Dinosaurs dance! These
guys who held degrees from prestigious institutions, possessed excellent technical
skills failed miserably when it came to speaking and presentation skills. By
presentation skills I don’t mean nor do I talk about power point presentations
but ability to communicate clearly what is intended. They started mincing
words, wasted precious appointment minutes and failed to crack deals with High
Net worth Individuals. What I am trying drive in is the fact that one must be skilled in speaking and
convincing as well. It is necessary.
7.
Be
Eager and engaging: Discuss ideas
with your colleagues, your immediate boss. These ideas or thoughts of yours
must not be beyond your area of work. The reason is simple. The moment you
start discussing about how your boss must work or how he must be giving orders
or for that matter, suggest ways in which meetings can be transformed into
energetic sessions, there is a possibility that you are venturing into his
territory. He will not like it. Suggest
common ideas which can benefit all in the team if you want to discuss but do
not be the apple which becomes a sore. Come up with ideas and
suggestions in meetings, gatherings, after work hours when you report about
your day’s work. It helps. A word of caution: Avoid
performance related discussions of your colleagues until it’s a part of your
job.
Show your eagerness to
exhibit a new skill. Your boss
will be happy to have a resourceful team member with him. For example, if you are good with calculations and analytical aspects
prepare a presentation and discuss with your boss the same or if speaking and
presentation skills are impressive, work closely with your trainer and request
him to give you a chance to break into T&D department. Such an employee
becomes indispensable.
A word of caution here: Don’t let your
boss or your colleagues feel that you are
Lobbying. It happens when an employee forgets
the line of authority and control. Be
expressive and exhibit.
8.
Be
Consistent yet experimenting: In
order to showcase your talent, consistency is quintessential. Consistency does
not mean staying in one position for long. Let Flamingoes do that for you. It means that you must stick to your
strengths- physically, emotionally and intellectually while leaving space for
change via experiments and adaptation. When I say experiment, it does not mean
a lab based experiment but something where a continuous research and
development is involved. R&D at personal level to fit in as a flexible
sailor in the rough seas of the competitive world. It is also about introspecting your-self, your objectives, your goals,
your way of work, your worth and your network. The moment you review
yourself, you try to bring about a change in your working style and your
approach, fit in to the culture and adapt. This is when you win and find a seat
for yourself even in the rush hour.
9.
Learn
to listen: One trait which even the
best professional misses out on is listening. Ears are used to listen to
rumors, ears are used to listen to negative feedbacks, they are used to listen
to strategies to defeat rules but very rarely are they used to listen and
understand the idea of / the logic behind an activity. During the orientation
program, it so happens that all ears get shut the moment the HR Manager starts
unwrapping the rules and regulations. Don’t do that. If you fail to listen to
rules and clear your doubts, you will never be able to set your sails high. One must develop the habit of listening to
his/her clients also. When you approach them or when they approach you, be sure
to listen to what they want than thrust what you want. This helps. Developing listening habit helps you to cool
your engines, read your clients psyche and think better before you permit your
mesmerizing voice to represent what you think. It makes you develop patience, saves
you from embarrassment and positions you as a strong player. Notice how the Doctors are. They are not
loquacious. Be a Doctor.
10.
Patience and Perseverance: A sniper waits. He does not keep
firing. He is patient and determined to find his target than simply waste his
bullets and precious years of training on anyone in the range. His work is to
eliminate deadliest of all. It may take a few minutes to hours at times. As an
employee, you too, will have to wait for the right moment. It does not come
falling and calling. As a sniper becomes a sniper after training and a lot of
hard work, you too become a best employee after training, meeting of targets
and fitting into parameters which the company/institution sets. For some, the
break may be immediate, for some it may take months/years. It is bound to come
for those who are blessed with patience and are persistent. Your consistency is
your identity and it is this consistency which helps you to become
relentless. A consistent hopper can’t be relentless. He can grow up the ladder but
can’t be trusted.
Rahul Dravid is nicknamed “The Wall” of Indian Cricket. Why? Mahendra
Singh Dhoni is called as “Captain Cool” and both of them have been relentless
and damaging yet patient. Can you be one?
11.
Apply
Common Sense: Somebody who tells
you to switch a job and calls your boss a Hitler must have got the punch
earlier for his gimmicks or might be testing your senses. Be careful. The moment you fall into such
traps, your career is over. To ensure that you don’t stabilize yourself, there
will be innumerable attempts by those who failed to succeed or lost patience.
They might have been veered away by seductive offers or prophecies which are
untrue. Do not believe in words of others until you experience them. If you
start believing in people more than your actions and strengths, be sure to be
walking in Wonderland (they exist in fairy tales and not in real). If your
seniors have been able to do what is otherwise impossible for those who think
about your welfare, you too can. Let the
soothsayers take rest while you sweat out.
12.
Learn
from your failures/ shortcomings. Life is a bumpy ride. You and I cannot
get whatever we want in the first instance. At times, it is easy, at times, we
have to struggle. Job life too, is the same. It has its own rules and Universe. There will be bumpier rides,
toll gates and erratic drivers. If at the
end of the day you cannot sit back and analyze what went wrong the other day at
work, at your level, then you cannot walk back to your workplace with confidence
and determination to set things right.
If ego is the bottleneck to
accepting and amending your shortcomings, then, make sure that you keep ego out
before entering into your office chamber.
Age
or seniority does not matter when it comes to learning. To grow and
succeed, one has to learn to accept orders as was mentioned earlier, execute
tasks which are asked and be humble.
13.
Accept
responsibilities beyond qualifications: Last point for the day. I could have talked
about it earlier but then, I pushed it to the last. It does not matter what
your qualifications are, how intelligent you are or for that matter the class.
If your boss asks you to deliver something, you have to do it minus ego. There is always a reason for doing something
which you otherwise think is not your job. Remember: Big Boss is watching and
testing you too.
Survival of the fittest still rules the unseen box offices.
Pull up your socks or get ready to be triggered.
Remember this- The path is not easy. Staying afloat is
difficult and retaining your position is uncertain if you can’t learn beyond
what you believe in.
Lead till your legs refuse and your shoes give up! Hang your boots only when they have fulfilled the purpose.
Until then...
THE RACE IS ON!
A small note: these 13 points are not an end in themselves.
Evolve and add.
All the very best!
