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A Daily Dose of the American Dream
by Alan C. ElliottJuly 3
Moving Up the Ladder" The life that is unexamined is not worth living. " :Plato
Everyone has heard the phrase, "It's not what you know, but who you know that counts." This bit of folk wisdom has found some verification in studies about how people move up the corporate ladder. Relationships with the people "higher up" can be very helpful or dangerous to your career path. Most people tend to promote people they can work with, whom they can trust, and who will be team players. The person who ignores the role of business relationships is probably the same guy who stays in the mail room the rest of his career. In a corporate study, Robert Jackall researched the factors that help to move people up the managerial ladder. It was his understanding that once a person reached a certain level, managerial ability was taken for granted. After that, there were five other factors of importance.
The top factor Jackall discovered was Patron Power . A person must have a mentor, sponsor or godfather who pulls the manager up the ladder. Often, when the mentor moves up, his or her favorite workers move up as well. Style is an important component for a potential upward move. The manager must be well organized, able to give slick presentations and to think fast. Also, the manager must be perceived as a team player . He must have self-control , managing his stress and always having a smiling and agreeable public face. Finally, the manager must dress and look the part. Sheakspeare said we are all actors. It is only those actors who can play the part that wind up in the starring role.
CONSIDER THIS: Which of these five factors do you need to work on? Are there any of them holding you back?
This story is adapted from A Daily Dose of the American Dream, by Alan Elliott, published by Rutledge Hill Press. The book contains 366 stories, one for each day of the year.
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ISBN:
978-0-7656-1821-4
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