Top 10 Mantra for Professional Success

There are many myths surrounding professional success. These myths are:

1. Intelligence is equal to success.

Not all intelligent people succeed. It is important to exploit the inner self and use intelligence to give some productive output. Thus the implementation of intelligence is equally necessary for success.

Success = Intelligence + Application

2. Good colleges is the only way for great professional career.

Not necessarily. I would say, most of the really dedicated and hard-working people go to the good colleges, thus giving their credit to the organization. There are many people who are not successful in any college student portfolio, it should never be forgotten.

Also, there are many people who make their career a success without joining any college or joining a not so reputed college.

People make organization and not vice versa.

3. Good students are successful.

Good students may be very much focussed on the curricular study and may be poor elsewhere. So they need not be fast learners. Also, I have seen many poor students who are fast learners too. Success comes from knowledge and learners make success.

Knowledge brings success and not marks.

4. Good start lead to good career.

I have seen many people comparing two candidates on the basis of the start of the career. A candidate starting his job journey in Mackinsey or Google is more likely to be successful than his counterpart on some small company. I would say, a big NO. May be those candidates who reach there reach because of their higher potential. But as far as the career starting is concerned, there are lots to learn at each stages of the company metamorphosis. Startups teach entrepreneurship and established companies teach business retention. One need to know the best and worst of both worlds to have sustainable career.

Success (sustainable business) = Entrepreneurship + Business Retention

5 Take few steps, but well thought and risk free

Well thought and risk free decision search often leads to no decision. Good or bad decisions can be known only when it is implement and the results analyzed. Results of earlier decisions often guide to form decisions with low probability of affecting averse, but taking decisions of similar types make one very predictable to the competitors.

There are no decisions that are totally risk free. So what ever steps taken will have some risk associated with it. Not to take risk is the greatest risk one can take in life. The world changes with time and so is the need of any business, and there is always a call for change. Thus frequent changes coming from bold decisions is necessary to reach and stay ahead of competition. So some risk, and call for change should always remain.

Constancy is heroism only if it means constant change.

People may have different interests and successful people are there in every field. People have choice to chose the way to live from many different ways, but he will have to chose a path. He may chose to do what he needs to do or may choose to do what he wants to do. Former is risk averse and a path to mediocre life. Later is bumpy way and it calls for full potential exploitation, where if successful leads to new opportunities and increased influence in the society as a whole. Intelligent people do what he wants to do, while rising softly keeping the interest of the people who want him to do something else.

Here I am presenting my Top 10 Mantra for Professional Success.

1. Decide to Succeed
Success will only come to people who wants to succeed (to the people who dare to think big). So, one cannot wait for the success to come his way. The wait will go infinite if it is calling no actions.

2. Remain Bold
People who want success have to fight with many challenges. Some challenges may be a hard obstacle and some may be a soft way to failure. It is important to resist both affecting the ambition.
If you have any complains then raise it sooner than later. Do not compromise on things specially if it is prolonged issue. The solution will follow only when the issue is raised.

Consider a scenario where you are a associate and you have problems with your manager. Till you complain, no one will even think over the issue. Even there are ample chances for you to be under the same manager next time too. It will be a less risky step for the Sr. Manager or Director to continue a bond where problems are not seen. That makes every sense.
Everyone have their own work and they seldom think for you, and that is how organization work. They all are right in their own way. So if you want peace of mind and good career with a company, be bold to raise any issue faced.

3. Plan and execute your promotion
Most people complain about Manager for the later not helping him succeed and when I ask them whether they have raised the issue to the manager, mostly the answer is NO. If something is unsaid, it is highly probable that it is not communicated. It is always the self who can understand the wants of an individual and for everyone else it has to be communicated.
Also, the best career map can be made by self. No one else can make it for someone else. Manager can at best facilitate the people under him to attain his goals, but it is highly dependent on the individual to make good career plan and execute it.

4. Push-pull theory
The best way to grow in any organization is to force manager to grow upwards. Once he is grown, there is a vacancy created and it is in your manager's interest to pull you up rather than filling it from outside as you are the person whom he understands best. Restricting any body's success in your group will make it difficult to grow as any friction created to anyone's success is always reciprocated.
So, if someone has to grow it has to be you, your lead or your manager.

5. Complain up and motivate down
People at the management are responsible for change. They are better be criticized for betterment. Positive criticism brings good energy to the organization.
But criticism of any company policy or product has to go up and not down. You are the people who is looked by your juniors and any complain downwards looks like frustration to them, and that increases negative energy in the company. It will damage in two ways. One it make your juniors less motivated to work affecting the day to day operation of the company and another it eroding your image as a good leader.

6. Growth is always organizational
People grow when company grow. It is very hard for people to grow in a loss making organization. So everybody should work for the best interest of the company and avoid any actions that affects company's growth.
It includes not criticizing company in external world. It has to be avoided in all cases. The company's image adds to the personal brand equity and negative publicity will harm you as much as your company management.
Also, any criticism of your company can be played by its competitors to play against both you and your company. This can also lead to damaging your personal image in the mind of other people in the industry making you less employable.

7. Hard work and hardcore fun.
Everyone knows that it is very important to work hard to grow. But most people forget that to work hard, it is essential to keep own body ready for the challenge to avoid any health hazards and frustrations/work stress. Hardcore fun while not working does that. So, enjoy up to your limits in the weekends and work hard in the weekdays. This may include regular outings, parties, long drives, adventure sports etc. Choose something that gives you maximum fun.

8. Work you portion but know the big picture
Company pay us to do the work assigned, so it has to be done in time at all cost. But that should not stop you from knowing why you are doing that work, basically knowing the overall picture of the project. If you are not working in a open company which provides this information to all working, you should ask to your seniors.
Here you are trying to understand the business goal of the project. This will prepare you to take higher positions.

9. Know your company
Knowing your company is important to your project. Knowledge about the project will be given to you but for other information you need to take initiative yourself and learn. Try to get as much information as possible regarding your company's management, organizational structure, offerings (products and services) etc. This will help you work better and be an brand ambassador of your company, thus adding fuel to your company's growth.
Knowledge about the company also gives good impression to the seniors helping you grow faster within the organization.

10. Competitor Analysis
Well, this is quite a tricky step to grow faster in the industry. Knowing your company accelerate growth within a company but knowing its competitors guarantees your success in the industry. there are two advantages competitor analysis brings.
One you can help your company counter the competitors move thus affecting your company's revenue positively. This is in most cases rewarded with promotion and bonus. Secondly, if you are not given fair compensation from your company, you know where to move next. Thus you give tough time to the management and the HR not to let you grow.

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