By Avia Ustanny, Freelance WriterFOR all those people getting white hair sitting in one place for years -- waiting to be noticed -- here's the real deal: Getting a promotion has more to do with the smart, calculated risks you take than with your shiny new diploma or advanced degree.
And, there is something else: Try making yourself a recognised and indispensable product on the work scene. When done, you will be promoted and paid for the pleasure.
Robyn D. Clarke, author of Packaged for Promotion, (using information from Brand Yourself: How to Create an Identity for a Brilliant Career by David Andrusia and Rick Haskins) says: "Don't sell yourself short."
She suggests several ways to "brand yourself on the job and get to the next level. You have to find a way to stand out from the crowd... you have to brand yourself if you are to achieve optimal career success," she insists. By achieving an immediately recognisable identity -- your own personal brand - you will become not merely another player in your chosen field, but a power within it.
Three rules for creating your own brand, according to Clarke:
Rule #1: Create the opportunities to demonstrate your brand. Many people, especially those new to the corporate world, tend to wait to be told what to do, rather than proactively demonstrate their unique skills. You simply can't wait for someone to ask you what you are good at. You have to create your own opportunities. Is there a special project that you want to do -- that you think would highlight your brand position -- but isn't within your job description? Take the initiative and do it anyway.
Rule #2: Don't be afraid to stand out. Compliance with company protocol doesn't mean you can't be an individual. Many of the most successful corporate professionals toe the company line, but don't give up their individuality to do it. The differences you display could end up being your strongest assets. The three areas where you can stand out most are in the way you dress, the way you think and the risks you take. The farther you stray from corporate or industry norms, the more vulnerable you become. But if done right -- and for the right audience -- you can expect success. It doesn't meant that you have to break corporate rules or go beyond set boundaries. For example, if dress codes call for women to wear dresses only, you shouldn't push beyond the limit by wearing pants. Or if you work in a library, you shouldn't replace the classics with Cliffs Notes. Yes, you would stand out, but you'd probably also be thrown out. Instead, think differently, and take calculated risks that can help you create a niche for yourself.
Rule #3: Focus on the specific need of your target audience and then do every thing to meet this need. Most successful managers -- no matter at what level -- have a strong "number two," someone directly below them who works extremely well with them. They become a team and rely on each other tremendously. That's why it's not unusual for someone to be promoted or move to a different company and take their "number two" with them. How you become this indispensable is by finding a need that your boss, your division or your company needs filled and filling it.
