How to Get to the Top of the Promotion List and Stay Off the Layoff List

I saw a movie about life and career successs, “The Company Men,” with Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper and Kevin Costner last night.  It tells the story of three well paid executives who lose their jobs due to the economic downturn. 

As I watched, I was reminded of the career advice I often give my career success coach clients about how to get to the top of the promotion list and stay off the layoff list.  I thought I would share that career advice here.  You can find a more complete discussion of these ideas in my latest career advice book Success Tweets.

Common Sense Ideas on How to Get to the Top of the Promotion List and Stay off the Layoff List

Clarify the purpose and direction for your life and career.

  • Define your personal definition of career success.
  • Create a vivid mental image of yourself as a career success.
  • Clarify your personal values; always act in a manner consistent with them.

Commit to your career success.

  • Take personal responsibility for achieving your career success.
  • Set high goals; do whatever it takes to achieve them.
  • Stuff happens on the road to career success. Choose to respond positively to whatever happens.

Build your self confidence.

  • Choose optimism. 
  • Face your fears and act.
  • Surround yourself with positive people.
  • Find a mentor to help you create your career success.
  • Mentor others.

Create positive personal impact.

  • Build your unique personal brand.
  • Be impeccable in your presentation of self – in person and on line.
  • Know and follow the basic rules of business etiquette.

Perform in an outstanding manner.

  • Master your technical discipline.
  • Become a lifelong learner.
  • Manage your time, life and stress well. 
  • Live a healthy lifestyle.

Become a dynamic communicator.

  • Develop your conversation skills.
  • Develop your writing skills. 
  • Develop your presentation skills.

Build strong, lasting, mutually beneficial relationships.

  • Get to know yourself.  Use this self knowledge to better understand others. 
  • Pay it forward.  Give with no expectation of return. 
  • Use conflict as an opportunity to strengthen, not destroy, your relationships.

The common sense career success coach point here is simple.  Getting to the top of the promotion list and staying off the layoff list involves applying some common sense principles in how you approach your work every day.  I can’t guarantee that if you master all of these principles you won’t get caught in a sweeping downsizing or reorganization.  However, if you develop and apply the skills related to these common sense career success  principles you will be likely to create the life and career success you want and deserve.  You can learn more about each of these ideas in my latest career success book, Success Tweets.

That’s my career advice on how to get to the top of the promotion list and stay off the layoff list.  What do you think?  Please take a minute to share your thoughts with us by leaving a comment.  As always, thanks for reading this career advice.

Bud

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
FREE CAREER SUCCESS BOOKS FOR VISITORSDOWNLOAD

Speak Your Mind

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.