You Want To Get Ahead?
By Adam Radzik
Consultant to Professional Firms

If you are really serious about progressing in your organization, consider the following suggestions:

• Be a problem solver. Don’t be a problem finder. There are multiple problems in every business and it takes no great skill to identify them. What does require skill is to correctly identify the causes of the problem, devise practical and effective solutions, and implement those solutions on a timely basis.
• Keep your word. If you say it will be ready by Thursday, stand on your head if necessary to make sure it is ready on that day. People who prove themselves to be unreliable and undependable do not get promoted. Period.
• Exude a cheerful, can-do attitude. No one likes to spend time with a grousing, complaining sourpuss. You don’t want people saying, “Oh no, do I have to work with him/her?”
• Use your brain. Chances are you were hired for the quality of your mind versus the strength of your back. Don’t get into the habit of bringing every small problem to your supervisor (even if you think it is easier and safer that way). Use some creativity. Do some research. Find out how others have dealt with a similar problem. Be resourceful. Get your brain into a working gear.
• Make as few enemies as possible. If you offend someone’s dignity, you can be sure he or she will be looking for an opportunity to slap you back. Be especially careful with employees. You never know when your superior might quietly inquire with your subordinate as to your managerial skills.
• Build cooperation. Build a sense of support with other departments. Create teamwork by practicing participative management. Ask others for their opinions. Create alliances. Be viewed as a person who brings people together.
• Forget about working 9 to 5. Management knows exactly which employees are looking for their overcoats at 4:50 p.m. and managers never select any of those individuals for promotion, as they fully understand that this group is interested in doing as little as possible for the company.
• Don’t be a slob. The slob’s office looks disorganized, chaotic, embarrassing and dysfunctional, and acts as a negative model for young employees. The claim that “I can find everything I need ” is not believed and does not lessen the corrosive impact on the slob’s career.
• Become an expert. Having more knowledge about an important area than anyone in your company will bring you admiration and influence. Take the time, expend the effort, read every source so that it will be you and only you whom business leaders will consult.
• Take a position. Don’t be afraid to say “Sounds good to me ” or “Frankly, this idea makes me nervous ” or “I don’t know yet, I want to think about it and get some more information. ” Don’t be someone who always waits to see where group sentiment settles. Individuals who select this fence-sitting posture eventually fall off the fence and into the mud of indecisiveness.
• Think big picture. Don’t think only of  your job, your department. Think of the whole company, think of the industry, think of the economy. Think not only of today, next week, next month. Think about next year, five years from now, ten years from now. Expect yourself  to have a broad view, to have perspective, to have vision, to see what others have not even thought about.

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Comedy Corner

A young, enthusiastic U.S. Farm Bureau agent, Jarvis Collins, was driving along the dusty back roads of Oklahoma, seeking some backward farmers he could enlighten with his newly acquired knowledge, when he spied old Jeb Withum fixing a fence post on his spread. After introducing himself and explaining how the farm bureau helped farmers get more harvest out of their fields, Jarvis reached into his briefcase and pulled out the bureau’s newest volume, “ Twenty-Three Ideas to Help You Double Your Farm Income,” and offered it to Mr. Withum for the reasonable price of $30. “Nope, I’m not interested,” Jeb responded, and continued his work.

“Why, sir, this is a wonderful book and it’s guaranteed to make your life easier ,” said Jarvis. “I’ll tell you what. I’m authorized to give you a special discount, and if you agree to buy this book right now, I can let you have it for $20 !” “Nope, I’m not interested ,” Mr. Withum said, and began repairing the next fence post. “Sir, how could you turn this down? This contains all the best ideas from all over the country. Well, I see you bargain real hard. I will go out on a limb and give you this volume for $10. There!”

Mr. Withum looked at Jarvis . “Nope, young man, like I said, I’m not interested,” he said, and continued his hammering. Jarvis was getting frustrated but he couldn’t let this old ignorant farmer get the best of him. “Well, sir, I understand you might not think all of the ideas in our book can help you, so I’m going to sweeten the deal on the condition that you don’t tell any one. For the below- cost price of $5 , the book is yours. Go ahead, take it!” Mr. Withum sighed . “Maybe you don’t hear good, young man. I am not interested in your book!”

Jarvis was at the end of his rope. He couldn’t let the old man win. “All right, then, just as a sign of good faith between you and the farm bureau, I am going to give you this book, with all of it s great ideas, for free. Here, it’s yours!” Jarvis extended his hand with book to the farmer. Mr. Withum didn’t even look up this time. “Like I said, Mr. Farm Bureau man, I am not interested in your book with all of your ideas!” Jarvis couldn’t control himself. “You see, that’s why you old buzzards can’t make any progress, you won’t even listen to new ideas, even if you get them for free!” Mr. Withum stopped working. “You really don’t understand much, do you? It’s not that I need your ideas. I got plenty of my own ideas. In fact, I got hundreds of them, but I don’t have the time or the energy to put them into practice either!”