The New Rules of Success

<img alt="The New Rules of Success" height="400" src="https://cdn.psychologytoday.com/sites/default/files/styles/article-inline-half/public/field_blog_entry_images/thumb-328420_640.jpg?itok=KbXeK4xJ" title="The New Rules of Success" width="377" /><br /><br />Many people have been taught everything from algebra to zoology but not the keys to real-world success. <br /><br />Some are time-honored, others reflect modern times. <br /><br />Work long. An old saw is, "Work smart, not long." Alas, today's truth is that, in many workplaces, especially in prestigious organizations, working long is also key to being promoted and not "laid off." <br /><br />Be low-maintenance. In a kinder world, bosses and coworkers would be particularly supportive of employees in need: who suffer from mental illness, have a family member with cancer, and simply who need tasks reexplained. But I'd be less than honest than to encourage you to open up about such things. In many workplaces, especially in prestigious organizations, everyone feels pressure to do more with less and so if you're perceived as high-maintenance, you become a candidate for being marginalized, shunted aside where others won't have to deal with your issues. <br /><br />Alas, the rule for getting ahead in many if not most of today's workplaces: Be preternaturally pleasant. No, not necessarily chirpy, just moderately upbeat nearly all the time. <br /><br />Get technical. The days are rapidly ending when you can afford to say "I'm not a math person" or "I'm not technical." While soft skills such as communication and organization are widely important, increasingly, they're valued only in concert with technical skills. <br /><br />Attend You U. The old rule was "Degrees are worth it" But now, their price tag has gone throug the roof. At the same time, good courses are now available nearly free online (Udemy, Udacity, Coursera, edX, etc. In addition, there are free, time-effective YouTube and other online videos, and Google-findiable articles on every imaginable subject. All that has made You U an often-wiser choice: Create a curriculum personalized to your needs and that of your employer. You U enables you to learn what you want, when you want, far faster, and at dramatically lower cost. Just make sure your job applications make clear how your You U education not only was more practical but is evidence of your being a cost-conscious self-starter. <br /><br />Learn how to play team ball. Individual initiative is largely being replaced by team effort. The successful team member must learn to express disagreement in ways that while tactful, gets the point across, be patient in the face of the inefficiency common in team efforts, and accept that credit must be shared, even often with those who didn't pull their weight. <br /><br />As you move up, you must learn how to run a crisp meeting: tight agenda, friendly but professional tone, subtly encouraging conciseness, learning when to rely on consensus and when to make a leaderly decision, and ensuring that commitments made in the meeting are kept. <br /><br />Communicate deftly. People are ever more sensitive to slights. So you must weigh whether the upside of providing feedback is worth the possible alienation. If so, with most people, you must exert great care in how you couch a suggestion. Except in extreme situations, you must prioritize letting them save face. So rather than, "I think you should do X because of Y," you're on safer ground if you say, "Because of Y, I'm wondering if it might be a good idea to do X. What do you think?" <br /><br />Remember the Triple Bottom Line. In the old days, it was all about the bottom line: what will enhance profitability. Today, in a growing percentage of workplaces, there is a triple bottom line: profits, people, planet. As you make your decisions, it's wise to consider all three. <br /><br />Beware The Third Rail. Race and gender are ever more difficult to discuss candidly. You may wish to be silent on the issue. Or if you speak up, it's much safer to opine in the politically correct direction: that you advocate reallocating more to women, people of color, the disabied, and LBGTs .The workplace highway is littered with people killed because they dared question that Orthodoxy. <br /><br />Focus on The Other. Almost 100 years ago now, Dale Carnegie wrote the highly influential, How to Win Friends and Influence People. Its core advice is as valid today as ever: Focus on the other person. Let them talk; ask about them; help them get their needs met. <br /><br />For example, perhaps the best question you could ask a coworker and especially your boss is, "How Could I Make Your Life Easier?" As legendary sales trainer Zig Ziglar said, To get what you want, help people get what they want."<br /> <br /> <span style="font-size: xx-small;">credit:psychologytoday </span>

The New Rules of Success

Many people have been taught everything from algebra to zoology but not the keys to real-world success. Some are time-honored, others reflec...

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