Do good looks and charm really get you to where you want to be? I know that I am drawn to an attractive, good-looking child and I think to myself ‘that child will be successful in life’. But is that all it takes? Probably not, but it may well help to climb the career ladder.
Of course, we need to have the skills of our trade or profession, whether we are the CEO or an office cleaner, it makes no difference, we all have our role to fulfil in the workplace. So you would probably agree that hard work and tenacity are important elements in success but would you put ‘charm’ and ‘good looks’ in the same category?
I was interested to read a poll from Volunteer Reading Help, a UK children’s literacy charity, of 500 CEOs, managers and executives earning over £70,000 ($100,000) per year suggesting that hard work, looks and charm are routes to the top.
With the economic climate as it is at the moment, many people are choosing to remain where they are rather than seeking another job. But, while they remain, the most ambitious will be looking for better job opportunities within their organisation.
So, let’s look at some suggestions that may help you to increase your profile and build your professional reputation.
As we know, image is everything. If your dress appearance is untidy, that is probably how your work will be seen and don’t forget we are all salespeople, whether we are selling ideas to investors, team members or a company vision to prospective employees.
Discipline
You may have an entrepreneurial mind - one that is creative with ideas emanating from it every day. But make sure that you see your ideas through to the end. Don’t keep starting projects and not finishing them. That is a sure way to lose money and reputation.
Build rapport
Of course, networking is essential to identify opportunities and beat the competition. Getting people on your side, getting them to believe in you and to share in your passion is the name of the game. People who like you will have faith in you, defend you, want to be with you and to be a part of your success. You need your ‘foot soldiers’ around you, so start recruiting them early. You may not be collecting new, best friends but you need to get people to listen to you, trust you and be a part of your team. You need to give respect to them, and to others and in return you will receive respect back.
Focus
It is very easy to get distracted – emails, phone calls, social networking and the like. The person who gets to the top will be the person who knows how to be firm in refusing to be driven off course, or away from target, by interruptions or offers that will prevent or delay them from focusing on the job in hand.
Be charming
‘Charm’ is a word that is seldom used these days, but I like it and it is the word with which we started. Charm is the power of pleasing or attracting others through personality or beauty. Now you may think that you are not beautiful, but beauty comes from within. It can come from a warm smile, a caring thought, or a kind deed. We all have the ability to be more courteous and more polite than we are, and we all have the ability of rising above many of those around us. These gestures, all cost nothing but can bring extraordinary dividends. They give the greatest return on investment that is possible to get, anywhere!
Make sacrifices
Those who get to the top often have to make sacrifices along the way and this is a decision that they have to make if they want to climb that career ladder. However, getting to the top, takes more than just a ‘pretty face’ and ‘fancy clothes’. There has to be an inner strength, commitment and determination because the chances are that when one gets there, one doesn’t want to slide down that ladder again.
Good luck.
Key Points
- Looks alone won’t get you to the top
- Be charming but don’t let charm distract you!
- Image is everything – it is how you remembered
