Monday, September 30, 2013

CAREER SPECIAL............. Click fast for success!


 Click fast for success! 

Is there really any shortcut to success? Well, if you ask experts, they agree that certain steps do help you fast track your career in the early years 

    Young executives Siddharth Kapoor and Natasha Singh have found ways to turbo-charge their careers and put themselves on a fast track to the top, and that too in the first two years of their careers. And these two are amongst a large number of young professionals who are fast tracking their careers.
    So, is there really any shortcut to success? "In the early days, you can commit more time, attention and energy to your career. As life moves on, other dimensions of life demand more attention and an employee cannot afford the same amount of time and focus. As you grow, other priorities may take precedence," asserts Sudhanshu Pandit, VP-HR, Symantec.
    Similarly, Ronnie Dias, head human resources, Nalco - An Ecolab Company expresses, "Taking these steps in the early years help in building a strong foundation to your career. It will also ensure that you have more knowledge and skills when compared to your peers. All these steps form the building blocks of your career. If you have a strong foundation, you will have a great career." On the other hand, Satya Prabhakar, CEO,
Sulekha.com feels that there are no early years or late years. "Excellence is a habit. At every point in life, there are challenges and there are competitors both for individuals and companies. Life is at every point about swimming upstream," he states.
    A lot of examples can be seen in the corporate world these days of young professionals who have carved success stories for themselves in a very short span of time. So, what was the trick? Here's what:
The 5 ‘I’s: Prabhakar defines them as the 5 ‘I’s: First comes Intellect, which is the intelligence to analyse and the creativity to construct. The second is Initiative, which is the relentless hunger to want to do more, achieve, succeed
and rise. The third is Industry, which is the capacity to work hard, to focus on a task for a long period. The fourth is Interpersonal skills, which is the ability to work with others for a whole greater than the parts. And the fifth is Integrity, which is the character to behave the same way whether someone is looking or not.
Be a self-starter: "To fasttrack your career, show initiative by constantly seeking and asking for opportunities and identifying opportunities," suggests Pandit.
Have a coach/mentor: "Complement your confidence and ambition with the wisdom of someone who may have previously succeeded in your path. They will guide you about potential pitfalls and more importantly, introduce you to their own network of contacts," asserts Pandit.
Think through the process: "Ask relevant questions. Work beyond your scope - don't fear to take on things you are not familiar with. Stand up and ask for what's right. Take responsibility for all your action, however bad the outcome. Respect your hierarchy and don't circumvent the process - you will set a bad example for the rest of the team," asserts C.R. Rao, vice president - HR, Strategy & Admin, Sify Technologies.
Leverage strengths and network: "Understand why you are on a fast-track and look at your career as an opportunity to develop your inherent strengths. Engage with people in relevant positions within and outside your organisation. Success is not just about what you know, but whom you know and how you leverage your network," adds Pandit.
Have patience and humility:
"Sometimes success takes a bit longer than you expect. Patience has great rewards. Don’t get carried away by success. Humility helps build stronger relationships," advises Dias.

YASMIN TAJ ET130919

No comments: