10 Fastest Ways to Growing Professionally as a Leader in your Career

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Everybody wants to be successful in their lives, some want it faster than the others, and some make it sooner than the others. Nobody really wants to do a shoddy job. Growing professionally is an art, backed by science. If you know the right way, it is not so difficult. But it is very important that you go all the way, in the right way to make your career progression grow fast and fine.

Here are top 10 fastest ways to rise and shine in your career- become an irreplaceable employee fast enough to make heads turn, and to make you feel happy and satisfied at having a flourishing career –

1. Be clear about what you bring to the table:

You are a unique person with a very unique set of values. Nobody is the same as you are, nor can anybody ever completely replace you. So be clear about what values and abilities you have, what you can do and what you can’t and what value you bring to the table that will benefit the organization you work for. When you are clear about it, you will work accordingly and everybody will be clear about it.

2. Know when to say NO:

You are a talented, promising individual who goes the extra mile to complete every task successfully- Increase your productivity. That doesn’t mean that you have to do anything and everything that is thrown at you. Learn to stand up and say no, and mention the reason for it. Doing small tasks that no way contribute to your growth and are actually somebody else’s responsibility is not your job, when you can actually spend that time learning something new, doing something more important.

3. Feel anxious, be fail-safe:

Each one of us feels anxious about our work, about our careers and so much more. When we feel anxious, it is because the challenges we face are somewhere exceeding our skills or at least we perceive it to be so. And then, when we feel anxious we leave no stone unturned to ensure that we have done everything in as correct way as we possibly could. That brings success.

4. Learn and grow: One cannot grow alone on an island.

The skills that you have today, may not be so cutting-edge a few months or if you are lucky then a few years down the line. You will have to constantly sharpen them. So keep reading. Read about new developments, new happenings, and figure out how you can improve your skills to keep them up-to-date. No matter how well you do a job, there will be somebody who does it better or used to do it better or has a better understanding of it. Meet such people, talk to them, make them your friends and learn from them. It will help you be better at what you do best.

5. It is ok to fail, may be even good:

Success is never an inevitable. It is a game of probabilities and your endeavour at all times is to increase the probabilities in your favour. But then, you can only do so much and there will be times when you fail. So when you fail, it is not the end of the world. Get up and start out again. Failures have led to some really great innovations to be born. Who knows you might stumble upon the next one. So forgive yourself for your failures.

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6. Prioritize and don’t procrastinate:

Stephen Covey, the legendary author of Seven Habits of Highly Effective People had said that make first things come first and don’t procrastinate. Both of these were part of those seven magical habits. Learn to prioritize things and tasks into what is of utmost importance and needs your undivided attention right away while what can wait for some time and can be done later and what can be delegated to somebody else. But that doesn’t mean you keep putting things off for later all the time without good reason.

7. Pillow Talk:

Each night as you lie in your bed and put your head on your pillow reflect on the day gone by. Focus on what went right and what went wrong, given a second chance what would you have done differently. Keep these reflections in mind and use them to improve your next day and many more days to come. Make this a daily habit.

8. A man is known by the company he keeps:

Make good friends, and be in the company of the right people. If you are looking to grow in your career and have a fulfilling and successful professional life, you need to stay away from backbiters, gossipers and all the negativity. Surround yourself with people who are also seeking a healthy professional growth, who are positive and happy. A few powerful people would be an added plus but beware; you don’t want to be seen as a bootlicker either. Know where to draw the line.

9. Be socially responsible:

Whenever you have some leisure in hand engage in some socially responsible activities. Volunteer for a church or for an NGO for some cause you believe in. It will make you feel good about yourself while also making a good entry in your resume. Try not to engage in something very extreme or political, stick to something neutral and actually socially like supporting orphans or cancer patients or poor and needy, etc.

10. There are no shortcuts:

One can keep doing their thing and hope. Somebody was wise enough to say that there are really no shortcuts to success and he couldn’t have got any closer to the truth than this. In order to be successful you put in your best, put in all the effort you can as wholeheartedly as you can and focus on it. You can do as much as you can to turn the probabilities and odds in your favour. But in the end, there will still be no shortcuts. Accept it. Shortcuts are often long cuts disguising themselves to become more tempting to takers.

Image courtesy: Animation Concept