Promoted the Lee Iacocca Way - Keep Making Goals and Achieve Them All...

I ran across the quote below from a Napoleon Hill "thought for the day" I received today...

Take a quick read now...

DON’T ASK YOUR EMPLOYER WHY YOU ARE NOT PROMOTED. ASK THE PERSON WHO REALLY KNOWS BEST-YOURSELF

There is only one person who is in charge of your career progression, and that person is you. Lee Iacocca is said to have written his entire career plan on the back of a business card. On it were the promotions he expected to earn and the dates he expected to receive them-until he was named CEO of the company. Successful people know that they must create their own opportunities and be ready for them when they arrive. Some organizations have clearly defined career paths while others are more informal in their approach, but if you study the senior people in the company, you can quickly identify the kind of education and experience you need to advance. If you are with the right company, one that excites and enthuses you, identify the career moves you’d like to make and get to work making yourself qualified for the job you want.

So, what do you think?

Does this describe the way you have taken charge of your career? Have you been able to create opportunities and achieve them? Or, have you been to at least take advantage of the opportunities that have come your way?

If not, what are you waiting for?

If you haven't started yet here is what you've got to do first (this is from the quote above)...If you are with the right company, one that excites and enthuses you, identify the career moves you’d like to make and get to work making yourself qualified for the job you want.

It all starts with being with the right company - one in which you have a passion for and one in which you can make this all happen...

Now, go and do it!

Napoleon Hill - Is it a "problem" or an "opportunity"?

I haven't posted about Napoleon Hill in a couple of months but I received this "thought for the day" a few days ago and happened to open it back up today.

Why do we so rarely see jobs that aren't "officially in our job description" as someone else's responsibility or an annoyance instead of seeing them as "opportunities"?

I ask not only you this, but also myself...

Above and beyond our day to day responsibilities and duties what else do you see that needs to be done around the office, in your department, or for the company? I've seen it from time to time in almost every company where I have ever worked - and I know you have too. There is that employee (or group of employees) that is never happy or satisfied by the job they are doing or what the company does for them. Why is this? What is so wrong with enjoying what you do and being excited about what your company does?

I could go on but I'll stop for now.

Check out the quote below and truly sit back, reflect, and be willing to see these "problems" as real "opportunities".

IF IT ISN’T YOUR JOB TO DO IT, PERHAPS IT IS YOUR OPPORTUNITY.

Someone once observed that the reason we often fail to recognize opportunities is because they come disguised as problems. When a customer, a colleague, or your boss has a problem, it may create a valuable opportunity for you. It isn’t important to the person with the problem how your company is organized or whose responsibility it is to solve the problem; he or she only wants the situation resolved. The next time a customer, a colleague, or your boss asks for your assistance in something that falls outside your area of responsibility, instead of referring them to someone else, offer to help. Look at the situation from the other person’s point of view. How would you like the situation handled if the roles were reversed? Take the initiative to find the answer, solve the problem, or keep the project moving forward.

Napoleon Hill - What? He Got The Promotion?

Here's a Napoleon Hill "Thought For the Day" I received over the weekend that I just couldn't leave out.

DON’T COVET THE OTHER FELLOW’S JOB IF YOU ARE NOT PREPARED TO ACCEPT THE RESPONSIBILITY THAT GOES WITH IT.

How often do you look at those around you and say, "I could do any of their jobs better than they can if I only had the opportunity," never realizing the price they have paid and the knowledge they have accumulated to earn the right to hold that position? It’s easy to be a Monday-morning quarterback and second-guess the actions of others. But it’s far more productive to recognize the contributions of others and give them the credit for a job well done. If you aspire to a higher level of recognition, demonstrate to others-your peers as well as your superiors-that you can be counted upon. The world’s greatest rewards accrue to those who always deliver on their promises.

We all, at one time or another, have either asked the following questions ourselves or been asked these questions by an employee in our organization (assuming we're a member of the HR Team):

1. What? He got the promotion?
2. Why didn't I get that promotion?

There are typically many different types of employee that will ask these questions but for my purpose and example here, I'd like to focus on two.

1. I complain but I'd rather keep on complaining than really be the one that is promoted next. You mean there are really those people out there that just complain for the sake of complaining? So, they complain and really never want to progress in their career or even the next promotion that's handed out? Yep, there are people out there like that. We've all seen them and have unfortunately had to listen to them rant and rave about the co-worker that actually worked for and deserved the promotion. What more can you say about this person? I'll move on...

Here's a "Thought For The Day" I received today that sums up the above person pretty well.

LOAFING ON YOUR JOB HURTS YOUR EMPLOYER, BUT IT HURTS YOU MORE.

Some people expend far more energy getting out of work than they would spend doing the job well. They may think they are fooling the boss, but they are only fooling themselves. An employer may not know all the details of every job or every task an individual performs, but a good manager knows the results of effort. You can be sure that when promotions or plum assignments become available, they won’t be offered to loafers. If you do your job cheerfully and well, not only are you more likely to be recognized and rewarded, but you also learn how to do your job better. As you become more proficient, you become more valuable to your employer. You also acquire the most valuable of all assets-the confidence that comes from knowing you possess skills that will increase your value to any organization.

Don't you agree?

Here's the next type of employee I'd really like to focus on...

2. You may question the promotion but deep down you want it next time and will do what it takes to be the one that's promoted when given the opportunity. Maybe I am overly optimistic - or some may say naive. I truly believe that most of us are in this category. But, the time it takes us to get to this point is what will differentiate us the most. For some of you out there, the very next day you're ready - others may take weeks to get there.

Once you "get there" here are some things I'd recommend.

1. Look at yourself and evaluate where honestly think you are from a performance perspective. See my previous post on how to take advantage of the "white space".

2. Compare yourself to the objectives for the position (or the standards for which you'll be evaluated upon) and also think about where you fit it compared to other teammates that perform the same job or function as you.

3. Talk to your manager about the promotion (or the next step or level in your position) - and do your best to not sound bitter or resentful but ask about ways you can improve your performance.

4. Listen attentively and take good notes. Keep yourself and your manager accountable by following up and asking for feedback - but remember to do this in a fashion that your manager is comfortable with.

5. Follow up with action and results will follow...

Napoleon Hill - Fundamentals of Sound Character

I've recently been introduced to Napoleon Hill and have just signed up for his "Thought for the Day". Most of his quotes are very motivating and are obviously great words and encouragement for success.

Here's one I ran across and, as a parent, this especially caught my eye...

THE PRIVILEGE OF BRINGING CHILDREN INTO THE WORLD CARRIES WITH IT THE RESPONSIBILITY OF TEACHING THEM THE FUNDAMENTALS OF SOUND CHARACTER.

One of life’s greatest joys is the sense of wonder that accompanies the arrival of a tiny new human being into the world. But that joy is accompanied by a tremendous responsibility that perfectly encapsulates the need for personal initiative. You can provide children with all the physical advantages of a good childhood, but unless you strive to set a good example for them to follow, you will know only dismay as they reach adulthood and blossom into purposeless drifters. Your personal initiative, whether or not you are raising a child, must always incorporate exemplary behavior. You cannot take ethical shortcuts, big or small, without other people observing them and assuming that this behavior is something you wouldn’t mind having turned back on yourself. Certainly you will make mistakes, but if you have always striven for the best course, others will remember it and treat you accordingly.

From a career perspective let this be that motivating factor that keeps your ethics where they need to be and in check!