5 ways to propel your Career

Are you planning the next step of your Career? Do you want to get the promotion you think you deserve? Are you concerned about how to get new opportunities at work?

As an employee, there are always many variables in play when it comes to building strong Careers and fast-track development paths. Being a top performer, or even a "corporate nerd" can help, but do not guarantee success. There are many competitors out there trying to get the same type of growth and roles you are aiming for, so you need to stay ahead of them. 

Even though there is no magic recipe, after some years working in different companies with diverse cultures and leadership styles, I have found there are a few abilities you should master to increase (and significantly) your chances of "corporate success":

1. Harness the power of networking. Building and nurturing a reliable network inside your company can make the difference between a "standard" Career, and a "high-speed" one. Leverage every formal and informal opportunity to gain new contacts, understand what they do, let them know what you do, offer your help, and increase awareness. This will always pay in the long term.
2. Get a sponsor. This is, to me, one of THE critical success factors. More often than all seem to admit, having a good sponsor can lead to more open doors, and result in a valuable shortcut to more senior roles. Find ways to establish a mutually rewarding and trustworthy relationship with an executive (for example, by mentoring, shadowing, or coaching practices, or by volunteering to assisting him/her in the topics you master - even while that's not part of your job), and, when viable, make the Career topic part of the conversation.
3. Dress for success. I am not reinventing the wheel here. The way we dress and look, "says" a lot about who and how we are. If you are willing to jump into the next level in your company, a good and appropriate apparel will support your plans. This is "old school", but still valid, especially when you are not a "publicly acclaimed guru" - nor the company owner.
4. Invest in your emotional intelligence. Here, I encompass many "qualitative" skills that can make you an MVP in a competitive, complex, dynamic, uncertain world. Soft skills, organizational skills, social and people skills, management and leadership skills, dealing with stress, motivation, empathy, deep listening, integrative view, negotiation and influencing others, decision making, problem solving... these are not easily transferred or learned, but rather need to be developed with time, reflection, and professional accompaniment. Hard, quantitative, technical skills, are also important, but are more likely to be learned by structured processes and exercises. The more you grow in responsibilities at work, the more you will need to positively manage emotions to fulfill your (and your company's) objectives, and you will witness how emotional intelligence (no matter how you call it) gains importance over intelligence quotient (IQ), and attitude over aptitude. 
5. Practice public speaking. Communication skills, and even more, public presentation skills, will put a spotlight on you and make you a strong candidate for promotion. The power of "a good speech" and storytelling is immense; being able to engage and captivate audiences with your message will propel your chances to progress in any working environment.

It is no coincidence that many of these skills are addressed in MBAs and other graduate programs (among other contents, of course). The ability to integrate and apply knowledge to operationalize strategies, the value of networking and teamwork in matrix organizations, dealing with challenges and uncertainty, and many other similar abilities already outlined are nowadays a "must-have" for all leaders, from entry-level managers, to senior executives.