Tag: success

6 Skills You Must Have to be Successful in Corporate America

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The ultimate achievement of success in business, is truly displayed when you are in fact the boss. A managerial or ownership position certainly has its perks and rewards; however the path towards this achievement is a merciless trudge where only the strong survive. Having the key fundamentals in business will only make the process easier. Here are a few skills you must have to be successful in corporate America.

    • Work with Integrity
      In corporate America, times may seem rough, the environment can be cutthroat, but one must always possess the ability to remain honest throughout the process. Dishonesty towards coworkers, customers and clients will only come back to bite you in the long run. Always stay true to these people, and yourself as well. No one is perfect and it’s justifiable for people to make mistakes at times. The truly honest person will admit their mistake and use it as a learning experience to never replicate that mistake. People will appreciate that more than a faster answer that may not be completely correct.
    • Be Punctual
      When asking an owner what their biggest pet peeve is, many will say the tardiness of employees. The reason why most people are employed is because they showed up to the interview on time; why should showing up to work late be any different. Work like you are always trying to land that job, never take your position for granted. In addition, always work a full day. Hard workers work hard 100% of the time they’re at work. If you can execute this skill, then it is that much easier to teach it and expect it from your own employees.
    • Be Respectful
      It should be a given that one always works with the utmost amount of respect, but it should be shown to every person you come in contact with. The saying “You never know who’s watching” applies here, as you never know who you are making a connection with. You could easily be talking to the CEO of a fortune 500 company and not realize it. In addition, working in an environment where everyone is respectful; and there is no drama, will be a positive influence on the employees and make the workplace a more positive one. Always show respect and your employees will one day follow in your footsteps.
    • Be Organized
      Being organized is clearly a given, however make sure your thoughts and ideas are organized too. Ensure any ideas or concepts are well researched and well thought out should you present them to your superiors. Being unorganized and unprepared is worse than keeping it to yourself until ready for presentation. It is difficult for someone to change their impression of you if negative. Keep everything as simple as possible and never overkill anything with complexity.
    • Be a Leader
      The ability to lead or coach is clearly a must for owners. The whole point of the system is to learn, understand and ultimately teach. Having great leadership skills will already put you at an advantage in the corporate world. Learning and grasping concepts are great for the individual person, but training in those very concepts are more valuable. A saying that best fits this skill is: “You can give someone a fish and feed them for a meal; or you can teach someone to fish and they can feed themselves forever.” 
    • Be Brave
      Bravery and courage are essential components of success. Dream big, but act small. Always do the little things and never ease up on the basic functions of work; but also set goals for yourself and always strive to reach them. Setting goals is a great way to gauge yet also inspire yourself. Never be afraid to take chances; worst case the chance you take is just a learning experience. The motto “You always miss 100% of the shots you don’t take,” applies here. Take shots often and fire at will. If you can execute these skills in corporate America, there is a great chance you will be successful in the end.

10 Success Quotes from Famous Leaders

 

Success is many different things to many different people. It is not always about money and career. Success is about happiness, good health, satisfying relationships, living life to its fullest, peace of mind, and achieving an overall sense of well- being.  What does success mean to you?

  1. “The dictionary is the only place where success comes before work.” -Mark Twain
  1. “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” -Lao Tzu
  1. “Don’t aim for success if you want it; just do what you love and believe in, and it will come naturally.” -David Frost
  1. “Success isn’t about how much money you make. It’s about the difference you make in people’s lives.” -Michelle Obama
  1. “Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it.” -Henry David Thoreau
  1. “The best revenge is massive success.”  -Frank Sinatra
  1. “If you’re going through hell, keep going.”  -Winston Churchill
  1. “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” -Arthur Ashe
  1. “Every strike brings me closer to the next home run.” -Babe Ruth
  1. “Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” -Steve Jobs

 

Greeting Cards and Great Decisions Lead to Success in Business

There is a book out by John McCain along with Mark Salter entitled “Hard Call: Great Decisions and the Extraordinary People Who Made Them,” which relates inspirational stories about people in different walks of life who made tough decisions in order to achieve success. One of the more interesting chapters is about businessman Marshall Field who developed innovative ideas and, through hard work as well, established his own department store, which to this day is still in business.

Working for a long-established and most successful greeting cards company, The Gallery Collection, I found quite a few similarities between Field’s business practices and the one’s used by our longtime owner, Arnold S. For instance, the book talks about how Field gave wide responsibilities to his customer service employees to make decisions normally made by supervisors or top executives. In our company, our employees also have the freedom to decide on account credits or whether a customer deserves a new order of greeting cards free of charge.

Field also felt that practicing conservative techniques – taking the time before deciding if an idea will be successful before discounting it – was sound for business. The Gallery Collection, having already established a successful line of all occasion cards decades before, spent quite a few years deciding whether to enter the business Christmas cards arena. Ultimately, the Christmas cards sales have exceeded all expectations and have become a major part of the company’s success story.

To promote employee loyalty, Field made it his credo to treat his employees with courtesy and respect at all times. Our owner and CEO, Mr. S, has done the same, which is one reason why so many employees are still with the company after 20 and 30 years of employment.

This particular chapter in McCain’s book illustrates only some of the attributes Marshall Field used to become the successful owner of the “largest department store in the world,” and which other businesspeople can subscribe to in order to become successful as well.