One level up!!

If I have to give one advise to professionals which equally applies at all hierarchy levels in job, It would be "Always deliver one level up!". Trust me it is the only way to level up..

Always try to think about making your manager's job easier. Be a dependable person for your manager. Do not try to take away credit but try to deliver in his/ her place. Be a person he/ she and your colleagues can depend on. Take every project of the organization, your department as your own. Try to act as responsibly as you would at your home.

I understand that there is so much competition around and you need to fight for credit. You can not let your colleagues or your manager steal credit for your work. However if you are ready for one level higher and delivering accordingly, there is no way someone can steal what you deserve. You are not even competing with anyone other than yourself. Try being a back up for everyone around. You need not restrict areas you want to work on or learn.

Never do it for someone else. Do it for yourself. Do it for preparing yourself and for upgrading yourself. Try to become a leader. No one can take away your willingness from you. You can offer from a good place to help, your colleagues and your manager may or may not take the help. That shouldn't affect your tendency to provide help on the basis of their reaction though. Also if they take your help, you shouldn't immediately start expecting them to honor you the credit every now and then. You wanted to learn, you wanted to provide help, you wanted to know better, you wanted to better yourself and hence you did it.

If your team grows, if your department grows, if your organization grows then there's no way you don't grow. Also in so many cases than not, organizations want someone internally to step up instead of bringing in someone from outside. The question to keep asking yourself, Are you ready when the opportunity knocks? Are you the first name that comes to their mind for the next level? How confident can they be about choosing you? How confident are you of your capability about One Level Up?