3 Valuable Tips To Help You Keep Your Job And Get Ahead

[No DUplicitous DUpe]

This is a very tough economy and it is growing worse. As the former CEO of a major computer leasing company that had 300 employees, and a company with a business relationship with many Fortune 500 companies, I would like to offer you 3 valuable tips that could revolutionize your career as well as to help you keep your job and get ahead:

1) The More You Know, The More Valuable You Are. Cross train which will make you someone your firm is more likely to depend on. And keep adding to your professional skills by taking classes, attending seminars and most of all by reading as you expand your knowledge, your vocabulary and in the process you will also develop new ideas to offer.

2) Learn Your Boss' Expectations For You. Don't assume you already know them. Sit down with this person and find out his or her objectives and where you fit in. Come prepared with a smile, a handshake, a gracious attitude and a list of questions, as you listen carefully and take notes. At the end of the session, summarize what you heard and ask if there is anything else you may have missed. Then show respect by asking for this person's advice as to how you can achieve at a level beyond what you have ever done before. Think of it as a singer consulting with a top voice coach or an athlete listening to a top coach. Why shouldn't you receive top flight advice from the person who is judging your work.

3) Speak With Passion And Have Positive Things To Say. Passionate people attract others to them because everyone craves positive energy and enthusiasm and they avoid those who are negative because it drains them. Tomorrow when you go into work, think how fortunate you are to have a job and a paycheck and be thankful for the good things in your life. Then put some energy in your step, a big smile on your face and conduct yourself with gratitude. You will generate a positive aura around you and you will discover a new found self-respect.

3 more tips at: http://sane-ramblings.blogspot.com/2011/11/3-more-valuable-tips-to-help-you-keep.html

[Bragi]

1. In other words: suck up to your boss, however stupid he/she may be /nt

[AnneD]

3. You got it...

Dilbert.

[RegieRocker]

6. Written by a CEO no doubt. Total B.S.

[SoCalDem]

9. As disheartening as it may "seem", sometimes you DO have to

kiss a few asses to get ahead. It's just a sad fact of working FOR someone , and needing that paycheck they sign.:(

[Bragi]

10. No doubt, that's true

It's just odd to see this kind of suck-ass advice here. A more relevant how-to article here would be how to look like your sucking up to your idiot boss while maintaining some sense of self-worth and dignity.

[SoCalDem]

19. I always told our sons to do what they had to at work to advance/maintain

and focus on their private lives for fulfillment. Sometimes you can have that at work and at home, but if you need the paycheck to live on, you sometimes have to do the best you can and keep looking for a better place to work while you make the best of it where you are:)

[shanti]

13. kiss the boss's ass

always works. i've seen total slackers skate by kissing much ass.

[babylonsister]

2. Bookmarked for job interview this week-thanks! nt

.....

[KansDem]

4. Good luck!

:hi:

[RegieRocker]

5. Kiss ass method. I see.

[NightWatcher]

7. better than those: blackmail your boss. Nekkid pictures= raises and job securty

[arthritisR_US]

8. in my day we used to call it grovelling, hmm.......n/t

[LanternWaste]

12. And in my day, we called it doing a good job

And in my day, we called it (and still call it) doing a good job.

Six of one, half a dozen of the other-- I guess it depends on how insecure one may feel about their own performance.

[MedicalAdmin]

20. I more or less agree.

But I have always enjoyed learning for learnings sake. For example we are shutting our entire office down for 2 days to attend a 4 day seminar and we are picking up the entire tab for everyone on the staff including non medical personnel like myself who just want to learn more about one of the things we do. ANd no we are not paying them to attend but we gave everyone the option of attending or staying at the office and twiddling their thumbs. All of them jumped to get another certification or class.

I'm looking forward to going to school so to speak.

However I also realize (because I remember ) that others don't have it so good, that some bosses are real assholes. And for them the advice to suck up, if it will do any good, is a good one.

Thanks for taking the time to place this advice here. Of course the rules have changed...

[haele]

11. Modify it somewhat, and you'll find something realistic.

You don't have to be kiss-ass, - it's the usual advice to give someone who works for a living - stay on top of your field, do the best job you can when at work, try and stay positive when people are around and stay alert to what's going on around you. Oh, and the other bit of advice - Work is work, and personal business is personal business, and the twain should not meet.
Those are standard rules to "get along" in the workplace.
Of course, that still won't save you when the boss has to show his or her boss a profit and start kicking people out the door. Nor would it save you if your boss is a psycopath or the worksite is based on a clique, and you just don't belong to the right club. In those situations, the best advice would be keep your head down and look for an exit before everything explodes.

Haele

[No DUplicitous DUpe]

14. The author adds for those who think they have to “kiss their boss’ ass”

Those who think they have to “kiss their boss’ ass” to get ahead, rarely do get ahead. Prior to becoming CEO and founder of a major company, I too worked for others and understand how unpleasant some of those employers can be. But so much of what happens to us in life is attitude and early in my career I lost my job or quit a job because of how I was treated. Sometimes there is no choice. But ultimately I succeeded as an employee by building rapport with people I worked for, starting with being respectful and then by being a good listener so I could help them attain their goals as I attained mine. By doing this and by learning from their mistakes as well as by my own, I became an effective leader for 20 years. Now in a brutal economy, from those many years of business experience, I offer readers a helping hand.

[county worker]

15. This is one of those things that assumes all are lives are a homogeneous mix.

We are all not in the same type of environment or have the same circumstances in our lives.

There is no one size fits all path to success. And what is success anyway?

[Blue Owl]

16. 'The Man' is pleased

n/t

[Gidney N Cloyd]

17. #2 assumes your boss knows anything. Are there fields where that's a safe assumption?

[Still Blue in PDX]

18. Be sure to publicize what a great job you are doing.

I think this falls under the heading of "sucking up" and "ass kissing."

I do a good job but do it quietly. I think that has a lot to do with my not getting ahead. Also, I've seen other people promoted who seem to be the ones who are less valuable in their current jobs; i.e., the ones who actually WORK and do a good job are kept where they are.

[hifiguy]

21. Be an obedient dog

Have your master's slippers waiting. Don't poop on the floor by pointing out inconvenient truths. Be a gutless, unprincipled ass-kisser.

:puke:

[War Horse]

22. 1) is solid advice

It's good for you, for your job security, and good for the company (as well as for future jobs prospects).

2) starts out ok, but descends into corporate mumbo jumbo. Sounds like the regularly scheduled brainwashing sessions I had to sit through during my 10 years at a huge multinational corp (all the while thinking "I don't have time for this crap. I have actual clients - you know, the folks we invoice - trying to get a hold of me, and subcontractors to support while I'm held up here. Why don't you just let me go and do what you pay me to do - nah, forget it, your're too out of touch").

3) This gets old really fast. You'll end up getting on people's nerves. Oh, and

"Tomorrow when you go into work, think how fortunate you are to have a job and a paycheck"

This sets off my BS detector. It's setting people up for a fall. Sure, you should probably be greatful that you have a source of income, but does anyone really think that constantly thinking "I'm so greatful for this job, I hope I don't get fired - what will happen to me if that happens" makes for good employees?

I don't think so. Scared employees are NOT productive employees

[Bragi]

23. Interesting assessment /nt

[No DUplicitous DUpe]

24. The Author adds 3 more tips....

1) Forgive. As long as you live, some people will do you wrong. The common approach is one of endless anger and to try hard to get even. All this will do is hurt your health from carrying that animosity and as you try to get even, the other person will respond accordingly as the situation sinks to "an eye for an eye." You both look bad in front of others who will distance themselves from you, while your employer may choose to be rid of both of you. There is no way this benefits your career or your well-being.

The wise person forgives. You don't have to like or approve of what that person did but you don't want to hold on to resentment. Forgive, wish the other person well, even if only in your own mind, then smile and get on with your life. As Gandhi said, "The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong."

2) Be On Time. This is a sign of respect. Others have set aside their other activities to be there and if you show up late, it tells them they and their time are not as valuable as other things you are doing. It also tells them you are disorganized, for "the freeway was backed up" or another excuse will sooth no-one. Be on time and there to greet everyone, as you make them feel special.

3) Have A Positive Attitude. Every person emits energy: good, bad or indifferent. It's like radio waves. Although you cannot see those waves, when the radio is on, you hear them emit sound. It's the same way with your energy. People can feel it. The more positive energy you have to share, the more uplifting it is to be with you and the more support you will get. I can't say this strongly enough to you: This is a crucial factor in whether people will want to be with you and in how successful you will become.

http://sane-ramblings.blogspot.com/2011/11/3-further-valuable-tips-to-help-you.html

[B Calm]

25. I am 60 yrs old, and I'll be damn if I start ASS KISSING now!

[LeftyMom]

26. In other words, do more than you are paid to do, spend your money on training,

waste time to compensate for your boss' poor communication skills, and focus on selling yourself as an employee rather than doing your job.

[lapislzi]

27. It's called a work ethic.

I have passionate disagreements with my boss on plenty of matters. But what matters is that we respect each other. I do an honest day's work for him, and he takes care of my needs as best he can, with a modest health plan, and a reasonable amount of paid time off, along with a few other nice perks.

On my off time, I will do R&D work, which in my field is actually fun to do, and keep up with industry news and trends.

He doesn't own me, but he knows that I will extend myself on his behalf and show up every day prepared to do a good job. I also try to make this a pleasant place to work with occasional jokes, contests, socials, and baked goods. Others do the same.

On the other hand, we have people who are a total drain on the organization. Nobody wants to be around them and their negativity. They're an energy drain, and they're the ones who complain at review time that they're being ill-treated. They're not. They're treated the same as everyone else, but their attitude shows up in their bonus.

My father had a horrible work ethic. He said "never give 100%" because they'll want more." I always found that strange. While I don't always give 100%, sometimes I give 110% and it all evens out. I believe in doing a good day's work for the person paying for my time.

Am I weird?

[Terry in Austin]

31. That's a corporate re-framing of the phrase

> It's called a work ethic.

Earlier, it was "the Puritan work ethic," referring to people who have work where their ethics should be.

Then it shifted around to "a work ethic," to imply "working is just the ethical thing for you to do, by golly." (Notice the shift from "the" to "a".)

The shifted sense first started appearing in want ads written by employers who wanted cheap, compliant labor and 80's-style management cheerleaders who wanted to serve the same purpose and sell a few self-help books for bosses along the way.

> I do an honest day's work for him, and he takes care of my needs as best he can,

And that's the basic social contract of work. If you can find an employer with an intact social contract ethic, hang on to them for dear life!

[DaveJ]

28. I agree with #1 somewhat

Value in a business is based on having some knowledge or capability. Surprisingly, some people complain they are unemployed, but never actually mention what skills they have, or what they would like to do for a living.

Nevertheless, I think the best road to success is self-employment, so keeping my job is not really my ultimate goal.

[MadrasT]

29. Wow

I'm surprised at the negative commentary on this thread. Like it or not, this IS how the corporate world works, and these 3 tips are good advice as to how to survive and thrive in a corporate environment.

If this advice rubs you the wrong way, then you likely aren't cut out to survive and thrive in a corporate environment (and that's perfectly OK, as we can all choose to go down that path or a different one that is more to our liking).

I personally think corporate politics sucks (I tend to survive but not necessarily thrive), but this is absolutely how the game is played. The advice is spot on.

[DaveJ]

30. You can't say "it sucks" then agree with it!

We are working for change, for a better tomorrow.

[nobodyspecial]

32. Did all of those things.

Still didn't matter. Just another way of telling the person who was kicked to the curb it was all his own fault. If only he had been smarter, better, etc., he would still have job.

[No DUplicitous DUpe]

33. The Author adds 3 more tips...

1) Breakout Of The Rut. Most people are bored and often just go through the motions at work, doing only what is necessary. Instead you be the ball of fire that not only tackles your job well but willingly helps others to succeed in theirs. Your enthusiasm will uplift others and your help, especially if you claim no credit for it, will make you a big favorite of theirs. And those who rise the highest are usually those with the biggest following of supporters.

2) Offer Sincere Compliments. Did someone get a raise or a promotion or win an award? Did someone celebrate a birthday, an anniversary or have a baby? Did someone lose weight, get a good doctor report or adopt a puppy? Did someone get a new outfit, shoes or haircut? In each case, these events or developments are important to them, and as a caring person, make them important to you. Kind words of acknowledgement or congratulations are very much appreciated. If you express your words in writing, do it in a handwritten card instead of by computer because it makes it more personal and people tend to save cards to be savored again and again. By doing this, you show people you sincerely care for them.

3) Don't Be A Know-It-All. Let others make their points without correcting them and don't top their stories. To do either of these things is to injure their self-esteem, which is compounded if you do it in front of other people. Let them have their moments in the sun. And if they have a political or religious or sports perspective other than yours, so what? Just acknowledge their position, which helps to validate them as people. The world won't change if they have it wrong but if you correct them it will change for you when they think of you as a blowhard. Your goal is win their respect and their support which you can do by being kind and thoughtful.

http://sane-ramblings.blogspot.com/2011/11/3-additional-valuable-tips-to-help-you.html

[Shandris]

34. I can tell you right now that #1 is a two-edged sword.

Sure, you're too valuable to replace.

You'll also be PERMANENTLY too valuable to replace, and every single chance you EVER had at a -real- promotion is gone. If you know more than your boss, you THREATEN your boss. Guess who has the power in that contest?

[gkhouston]

35. Also, it's a sure-fire way to be labeled "overqualified" if your company

goes belly up or you otherwise lose your job.

[DaveJ]

37. If your skill really is of value... not a problem.

Get a job at another company if it truly is a great skill. I would avoid learning skills that are particular to a job that no other company performs. That is truly a nightmare scenario. But if you have a truly universal skill, say you're a great heart surgeon, for example, you will never have to worry.

I'm more concerned about #2 that says to make sure you know what your company expects of you. What if your company wants you to be uneducated, unskilled so they can pay you the minimum amount possible? That is unacceptable. I would totally disobey THAT policy. They can fire me for being overly ambitious if they wish.

[Ikonoklast]

36. Speak! Good doggy, now roll over! Beg! That's a good boy!

Fuck That Noise.