Being unconscious of our surroundings causes us to miss out on many opportunities. We fail to notice many things immediately around us simply because we are not expecting them, and thus involuntarily tune out many potentially great opportunities. You must bring conscious awareness to the thousands of unconscious decisions you make in your business and personal lives. The more notice you take of the things around you, the greater your consciousness and potential for success.
Employers sometimes ask in the course of an interview about other interview you may have had, and how you handle this question can determine your success. You must convince your current interviewing employer that their position is your first choice before divulging any information about other interviews, and be careful how you justify your other interview to your prospective employer. You must convince your current interviewing employer that you consider their position to be your best fit, and would most help you meet your career goals of upward mobility.
In this article Harrison discusses the importance of the need to be connected with others at work. People need to feel connected to others around them. Everyone needs a group to belong to. Life is more enjoyable when we are connected to others. If you look around, you will see the many ways you are trying to connect with others in your life and how much you need this connection. To be successful—and happy in your career–it is important that you work with those you feel you can connect with. Because the need to be connected with people is so important, you should understand that one of the main needs most people have from work is to connect with others. We all require connection. You need to ensure you have this connection with others in your work.
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In this article Harrison discusses the importance of making good decisions pertaining to different important areas of your life. To explain his point he talks about the concept of ‘home team advantage’. The home team advantage is one of the most important concepts in sports and it is a proven factor in how well teams do. There are people who support us, validate us and make us feel good, and this helps us do well. There are also people around us who fail to support us, and this hurts us. Your success in your career and in your life will in large part be determined by whether you are living, working and associating with a “home team” crowd or an “away team” crowd. The best thing you can do for yourself is to put yourself in a position where you are supported, where you have the home team advantage.
Nothing good ever happens and nothing good will ever come to you when you are doing tasks and jobs that do not interest you. There are people out there who really dislike their jobs. Often times, these people can con their way into a job by saying the right things in an interview. Most of these people are not too happy doing what they are doing and it shows up in the results of their careers and lives. You need to go where you feel welcome and among people who are like you. When you do this, your life will begin to change.
In this article Harrison discusses the importance of keeping one’s job secured, and how external factors affect job security. It is crucial for job seekers to choose the right kind of job, the right kind of organization, and to have the perfect pay-package for enjoying job security to the fullest. Professionals in high positions in an organization are more prone to getting chucked off rather than those in lesser positions. The complexity of an organization also plays a crucial role in hampering or promoting a sense of job security among different workers in an organization. Competitiveness in an industry is also a harbinger of increasing insecurity in jobs, as there is constant push-and-pull with regards to resources.
In work and in life, everyone slips at some point. Left unchecked, however, a slip become difficult to stop and turn into a fall. People slip either because of things within their control, or because of things outside of their control that they should nevertheless be addressing. You must take action when you are slipping, whatever the reason for the slip may be, and don’t let gravity hold you back.
In this article, Harrison talks about the state of mind as being one of the best methods to deal with a job search during a recession. It is important to understand that depression, anxiety, and other such states of mind slow down or curb action being taken. You need to be enthusiastic, positive, aim to rise above obstacles, and to believe that the mind has the true power to decide your future.
One of the most important things you can do in your career is generate value for your employer far in excess of what you receive back. You can talk your way into a high-paying job, but you will not remain there unless you provide more than you take. Organizations thrive when all of their members produce goods and services efficiently. Your career depends on providing more than you take, and surrounding yourself with people who do the same.
In this article Harrison explains how you can ensure success in your career by externalizing your opponents. Your job is like a game; if you work hard, play by the rules of the company and are seen as part of the team you will be viewed as a valuable player for the company. The most significant part of any game is the presence of an opponent. Don’t look for an opponent among your co-workers. Never speak negatively of your team members. Instead, concentrate on the external opponents. External opponents bring you and the team closer as you work towards a common goal. In order for you and your company to succeed it is important to have an external opponent. Harrison advises people to consistently work hard and not participate in the politics. This is a sure way to score big in your career.
True self-esteem comes from within, not from the acceptance of others. When your sense of worth comes from within, you free yourself from comparisons with others and will enjoy a greater sense of internal security. You will no longer be bogged down by the experiences of others and can become much more self-reliant.
Your greatest successes will come from some of the smallest actions in terms of meeting people. You will cause a “stacking effect” the more you meet and connect with people; conversely, people cannot connect with you when you are withdrawn and nothing will happen. You must do everything in your power to connect with as many people as possible.
A powerful sense of self will make all the difference in your life. You must understand that your sense of yourself and your capabilities come from inside of you, not from the external forces that have brought you to your current place in life. What you feel internally might be completely different from what the world is telling you, and you must learn to focus on the former rather than the latter.
Adopting a positive attitude will always bring you closer to success, as nobody wants to be associated with a losing side. Everyone wants to associate with and hire winners, and avoids losers. Nothing is more important than maintaining a positive attitude, as many employers hire people based primarily on attitude; with the right attitude, everything else will fall into place. You must look like you are on the winning team, even if times are tough; nobody wants to hire a loser.
Everyone tries to maintain a certain emotional state, and learning to control your own emotions will have a profound impact on your career. While everyone allows their emotional states to be influenced by outside events, there is no advantage in basing your own emotions on things that you cannot control. Allow yourself to discover happiness and fulfillment naturally, rather than making your emotions dependant on external circumstances. Your outlook will have a tremendous impact on your psychological health, as well as that of those around you.
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