In more than 30 years of my professional career, I came across many professionals; colleagues or otherwise. With some I was impressed; some did not impress me at all. However a good number of people created a profound curiosity in my mind. Those were the people who had excellent academic career and sharp professional skills, but were conspicuous due to their failures in grabbing the successes commensurate with their skills. In almost all such cases, their lack of success was normally attributed towards the imperfect world. My curiosity led me to study some of these cases and what I found was little to do with the imperfection of the world. While they concentrated on honing their professional skills, they ignored many important rungs of the career ladder. During my study I tried to record the various factors which affect negativity on the journey towards success. It is interesting to share my studies with the young professionals who may find it helpful in their own journeys towards successful career.
Success v/s Perfection
Success and perfection are not always co-related. Perfection may lead you to success, however too much concentration on perfection may sometimes shift your focus from the ultimate goal; success. To achieve success, perfection may be a pre-requisite. However those who target perfection instead of success, decline to make minor compromises, which are sometimes essential to make a product, design or idea sellable. While people appreciate bright ideas, they will buy only those which are profitable. While your employer wants you to be perfect, he would still want you to be open to compromises instead of resisting them. Rigidity is seldom appreciated in the corporate world. While accepting the compromises, it is pertinent to highlight the qualities which will be lost, but the message should be that of an attitude of compromise instead of rigid one. While you are concentrating on the quality of the product, you employer might be contemplating its marketing.
Avoid Self Praise
This is one aspect which is much disdained and even ridiculed in corporate culture. Unfortunately in most cases persons possessing excellent academic career or professional skills fall prey to it. The inherent desire that their skills are recognized and appreciated, transforms sometimes into ridiculous behavior. Your boss has hired you. He is utilizing your skills. Who knows better that him about your abilities? All he wants to know as to how much your skills can be translated into success; his success. Your colleagues know you and probably respect you within their hearts. However your efforts to impress them will corrode the respect, subsequently resulting in non-co-operations. You will be the only loser. If you consider yourself superior than your colleagues and keep a distance from them, very soon you will find yourself enclosed in a self- spun cocoon of esteem. You will be considered of little value to your organization. Your employers may still retain you like a piece of costly furniture but it is highly unlikely they will still entrust you with a task of great responsibilities.
Be in the Centre of the Team
If you are gifted with sharp skills, you are expected to be in the centre of the team. Your boss wants you to stimulate his work force. Your juniors want to learn from you. Your colleagues want you to lead the team with bright ideas and professional approach so that they get benefited from the success of the team. Always attribute the success to the team instead of you alone. If you succeed being in the centre, your juniors will go out of the way to give you their best. Your colleagues will feel comfortable with you as a leader and will be glad to drag your line. Your boss will be satisfied with the professional environment and the productivity of the team. You will be the ultimate winner.
Be a Leader and not a Follower
Only those possessing leadership qualities have the right to dream climbing high on the ladder of success. Blaming others for your failure is disdained in corporate culture. Your boss is only interested in accomplishment of the task, not in the list of excuses as to why the job could not be accomplished. Professionals, who accept the responsibility of failure, are more respected than those who blame others for their failures. Once a task has been assigned to you, it is your job to draw the action plan, form your team, surmount or circumvent the hurdles and manage the resources. Successful managers are those who have the courage to take decisions. A bad decision is considered better than no decision, because by analyzing the negative results of a bad decision, a person can hone his professional skills. Those who do not take decisions and play safe, remain stagnant with their skills. Nagging professionals are seldom assigned bigger responsibilities.
Identify the Right Course of Action
Management conclusions drawn from the popular 80-20 rule of Vilfredo Pareto, the famous Italian economist and management scientist (although Civil Engineer by profession) states that 80% of the reasons are linked to 20% of the problems whereas 20% of the reasons address 80% of the problem; vital few and trivial many. In order to tackle a problem or achieve a target, it is imperative to identify those 20% of reasons, which, if successfully tackled would eliminate 80% of the problem. Collection of statistical data and brainstorming are the proper tools utilized in identifying and prioritizing the action plan, so target is achieved faster and cheaper.
Improve your Communication Skills
The most common reason for the failure of stars in my observation was lacking the ability to communicate effectively. What good is your professional skill, if you cannot sell your ideas. And you cannot do it without sound and effective communication skills. During my observations, I have noticed of some salient lapses in the field of communication leading to miserable failures. I want to share them with young professionals.
Do not multitask
Multitasking has entered in our daily life like a virus. We eat while we read or watch TV. We walk and talk on cell phone. We watch TV and talk serious matters at the same time. However multitasking, while communicating with someone , especially in business matters can have disastrous effects. While you are talking to someone and at the same time distracting your attention to a paper on the table or moving the mouse on your computer screen, this implies to insulting the person you are talking to. The prerequisite for a successful conversation is your unshared attention. Even, while talking on telephone, moving the mouse on computer screen or shifting the attention on a paper on table, will easily be noticed on the other side, creating the negative feeling. Politeness, as well as seriousness, are the keys to successful conversation. Multitasking during the conversation removes the element of both from it.
Be Polite During Disagreement
Politeness is one virtue which is respected in any civilized society and is a key to any successful communication. During the communication, disagreements are a normal phenomenon. But disagreements do not mean war. The purpose of conversation is to convince the other person of your point of view. In case of disagreements, the task is more complex. It is to convince your counterpart, to shift from his standing to that of yours. This can only be achieved through polite approaches. Loosing temper will immediately evaporate any chance of agreement. Also avoid impressing others with your knowledge. Show respect to other’s view point even if you are in total disagreement. Phrases like ‘you are wrong’ and ‘your information is not correct’ are considered imprudent. Replace them with polite phrases like ‘ your ideas are good but I see some problem in their implementation.’
Never conclude a conversation with a note of total disagreement or broken down situations. When you feel that the conversation is not likely to reach a common accepted agreement, finish it with new proposals and an offer to discuss the matter later. This will give you the opportunity to re-draw your action plan and approach and prepare better for the next conversation. Before starting a conversation, be prepared to face a situation of total disagreement. This world does not belong to you. Always be prepared for such a situation to occur and be equipped with appropriate responses. Even if you do not want the failed conversation to be re started, end the meeting with utmost politeness. No tense face, no negative tone.
Never Equivocate
Equivocal professionals soon lose their charm and respect. Business communications and presentations should be clear of ambiguities. Those who equivocate are considered to be not confident and poorly prepared for meetings and discussions.
Presenting an Idea to Your Boss
Many skilled professionals have irritated their bosses by their negative approach while presenting an idea. While you present an idea , your focus should be on the idea itself and how it can be beneficial for the organization instead of praising yourself. Select the proper time for the presenting the idea to your boss. Never get him when he is tense or preparing for a meeting. Time after a successful meeting is the best for new ideas. Never try to sell yourself instead of the idea. Your boss will know your worth by what you are producing and not by the words, you consume in your praise. All he is interested is, what your idea is worth for the benefit of the organization. Do not forget that he owns or heads the organization and he has reached this place with great ideas, sharp professional skills and hard work. Maybe he himself sometimes contemplated the very idea you are trying to sell. Maybe your idea is excellent, but he does not see much financial benefits out of it.
While presenting the idea, look him in the eyes. You have to watch all the time whether your boss is still interested in continuing the discussion or not. The moment you feel lack of interest, you should skillfully pull out of the conversation. You should be prepared with the action plan of withdrawal before you have started the presentation. I have seen professionals faltering the moment they see lack of interest in the eyes or tone of their bosses.
Improve Your Writing Skill
Excellent writing skill is one of the basic requirements of executives and professionals. The letter should be short and free of ambiguities. Exhaustive letters make the very subject matter obscure. A letter is half conversation, hence anything which is a prerequisite for a successful conversation applies to it. Politeness and clarity are must. Offers, proposals should be very clear without obscurity or hidden conditions. Even if you want to write something strong, the hardness of the matter should be supported by politeness to a degree that firmness of the message does not disappear in the softness of the politeness. It should be like a steel rod wrapped with foam. The main object should be addressed in the very first paragraph. Add a reminder in the last paragraph if the letter is long.
Fakhar Mahmood
Professional Electrical Engineer