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1-Page Summary of Career Warfare
No Time Off
If you have the skills and ambition to succeed, then you can learn how to create your own brand. You’ll need to be aware of how others perceive you in order for your brand to be successful. Your reputation is like a brand that must constantly be built up and maintained. One major event won’t make or break your career; it will take time and constant attention to detail. However, if you fail to consider other people’s perceptions of each action, as well as what they will say about those actions when evaluating your brand, then this could become permanent damage on your brand.
War Stories
During a water shortage, the government asked businesses to cut back on their usage. To show his company’s commitment to water conservation, one senior vice president sent out an officious memo telling people when they should flush and not flush the toilet. He also had someone with a clipboard go around making sure that everyone complied with his ridiculous rule. The rain ended the drought shortly after this incident occurred and it became known as “the time when we were told how many times to flush.” This man was never taken seriously again within his company and he never advanced beyond being a joke.
A single mistake can ruin your career. For example, if you rant and rave about homosexuals being promoted in the company then it’s possible that you may find out later that your boss is gay. Or, if you force a woman to type up your presentation for work then she might be related to someone high up in the company and not actually be a member of the secretarial pool. These situations happen all the time so it’s important to always behave in a professional way and never form opinions based on first impressions alone.
Nowhere Man
If you want to go to work each day, do your job, and be able to spend time with your family on the weekends without interruption, then you’re choosing a comfortable life. You don’t want hard jobs or difficult problems. When bosses talk about you, they call you “the guy who has twins.” This course is not for people like that; it’s for those who are willing to fight in career warfare.
If you want to make it to the top, follow these time-tested maxims. On your way up:
You have to work hard and achieve goals, but that alone won’t make you different from other people.
Raises and promotions are often given out quickly, without much thought. However, they’re often based on a boss’s feelings about you rather than your actual performance. In order to get the raise or promotion that you deserve, it will be important for you to understand what your strengths are and how they can be used by others. One way of getting a boss’s attention is to do something humble but essential. Early in your career, it will be important for you to focus on gaining access to people in power so that when it comes time for raises and promotions, those people will know who you are and what value you bring them.
In order to be a partner, you must be in the running. If your current job is not building your brand, find another one.
Entrepreneurs don’t usually create a good environment for personal branding and leadership growth.
As you move up the ladder of success, small details become more important.
Little Things Do Mean a Lot
It is early in the morning. The shower is loud, and you miss your favorite business show on TV. You are already behind schedule. Look in your closet to see what you need to wear for the day’s meetings and presentations. Do you want to look professional or fashionable? What impression must you make at each moment? If you don’t think about how others perceive your brand as a result of what you’re wearing, then it’s too late—you’ve already lost the race!
