Recently, we asked more than 4,500 business professionals across the Beyond.com Network, the world’s largest network of niche career communities, if they have ever succumb to office politics in order to get ahead and we’re happy to report that more than 79 percent of professionals are on the honors systems.
While we’ve all seen movies and TV shows where office politics, blackmail, and bribery play a big part in some of our favorite characters’ career advancements these dark arts are in actuality deterring to more than 3/4 of workers.
If you feel as though you need to participate in office politics in order to get ahead at work, don’t let yourself sink to that level. There are several honorable and honest things that you can do to get noticed and get ahead. Here are our top ten tips on how you can honorably climb the corporate ladder.
#10. Be Enthusiastic. It’s as simple as that, show the boss and your team that you like working with them and you’re enjoying the work you do.
#9. Offer Your Help. Offering your help is like earning extra credit in high school— you don’t have to do it, but it will definitely help you standout. If there’s an opportunity to volunteer to be on a team or if a coworker is buried in paperwork offer your assistance to help dig them out.
#8. Be Friendly. Make an effort to get to know your colleagues. Even showing the smallest bit of interest can give you that extra push in the right direction. We all know its hard to be bright-eyed and bushytailed in the morning, but try your darnest to flash those pearly whites and ask your colleagues about their weekends.
#7. Be on Time. Showing up to work, a meeting, or an event on time shows a lot about someone’s character. If you’re the person that is constantly late, it may send a signal that you believe your time is more valuable than everyone else’s and that’s not a good message to be sending.
#6. Put in Extra Time and Effort. If you didn’t finish all of your work during the workday, put in the extra effort to meet your deadline. We’re not saying that you should be the creepy guy that’s at the office all hours of the day and works despite the fact that he scheduled a day off, but putting in a half an hour here and there will definitely show management that you care.
#5. Advance in Your Skills. Advancing in your skills doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re applying to graduate school—it could be as simple as attending a workshop or sitting in on a webinar to get caught up on the latest industry trends, lingo, and procedures. Want to earn bonus points? Ask your team if they would like to join you.
#4. Be Flexible. If you’re working on a project and the deliverables or priorities change don’t have a meltdown. Simply go with the flow and adjust accordingly. Showing that you have the ability to change course and still perform is a great asset and certainly doesn’t go unnoticed.
#3. Prepare for Meetings. If you schedule a meeting, take the initiative to create an agenda so that your meeting runs smoothly. If you’re a meeting attendee try to get up to speed before the meeting takes place. Read through the agenda so there are no surprises, write down some ideas you’d like to share, and come prepared to ask questions.
#2. Practice What You Preach. If you say you’re going to do something—do it. It’s a great quality to be known as that colleague that puts their money where their mouth is but, it’s a whole other ball game when you’re known as the slacker who never holds up his end of the bargain. If you announce to your team that you’ll be taking on a specific task make sure you deliver on it.
#1. Show Your Appreciation. Thank your colleagues when they help you out with something. A simple thank you can go a long way and making someone else feel valued can make all the difference.
These ten tips are definitely nothing new when it comes to being a good and honest employee, but employ these ten easy techniques and you’ll actually see that nice guys (and girls) can finish first.
