For Corporate Professionals, It’s All About These Three Things (and the Harsh Truth About Not Being Appreciated)

“I am doing what I do best. Seriously, why am I not getting the results I deserve?”

This seemed like a seemingly valid question I was asking myself the other day. But to put this into perspective, let me set the scene.

Shillong, is a small hill station (not an actual station, but this is what we call a city in the hills) in North-Eastern India where life is as laid-back as it gets. The early 90’s was a period of transformation for the city and me. The people were easy going, there was not much to do after dusk and almost everyone knew everyone. The lack of grandeur did not bother me at all because that was all that existed for me. The weather was mostly cooler, and the clean air was something I really enjoyed.

The late 90’s was a period of growth and realization for me as I started to realize that I had to slowly start shifting gears for a better future and the fact that my life is beyond what I see seemingly impossible now.

The competitive environment at school set the precedent to begin with as we competed vigorously against each other every single day. There were immense struggles that I had to face being a total introvert and the childhood difficulty that I started to overcome that was a major stumbling block – Stuttering.

I knew from the very beginning that this was something I had to get rid of as I move beyond the traditional approach of being slow and steady, more so because I wanted to get rid of my self-doubt and move ahead of the pack. The stage appearances at school really helped me break that mould as I started to realize what lies ahead of me in the long run.

Fortunately, I had the early realization that to approach life (as I looked at it) and to progress on the path to success, I have to move way beyond my inhibitions and start taking my own decisions. This wasn’t easy as I had my own limitations to overcome and knew that something’s got to change for me to break the mould and seek a better future.

The insecurities of life presented itself more vividly to me when I moved out in 2003 and started the next chapter of my life in central India. The major shift in mindset happened here as the unfamiliar conditions and people started to move along with me. Then, in early 2008 (after a year of struggle) I started the actual journey into self-realization and begin my corporate career in a dream company.

All seemed hunky-dory at that time, and I begin to enjoy life as it should be. There were times when I didn’t have to look beyond what was in front of me as I took things for granted. This, I later realized was the BIGGEST mistake of my life. The struggle of establishing my identity was the one thing I truly started to focus on, but then I didn’t realize what was I supposed to do when things started to go against me.

The failures at workplace were a learning curve and then I had to stand for my own rights, at times which is something I do to this day. The approach had to change for me to make a mark and move beyond the traditional achievers in the organization. Unfortunately, the decisions I sometimes made were not correct that it took time for me to realize that.

Yes, that’s the fact.

There will be lack of motivation at times and YOU have to make decisions on the go, to make yourself visible and get results early. Unless you are a true influencer and have the ability to persuade people, the results are not going to come easily. To begin with, YOU have to develop the confidence to achieve.

And then there is F.B.I. No, I’m not talking about the Federal Bureau of Investigation. I am talking about the three essential qualities that all corporate professionals must possess to attract success and abundance.

1. Focus

It doesn’t matter whether you are a clerk or a CEO, how you look or what your background is, learn to FOCUS on the job at hand. Learn to take things as they come and give your absolute best.

If you a fresh graduate, focus on the trainings and knowledge transfer sessions. If you are an experienced professional, focus on establishing relationships and upgrading your skills. Just be yourself and put your best foot forward.

I know focus is not easy to come by for many individuals as they juggle their personal and professional responsibilities but trust me when I tell you that it is the single most important quality to have if you want to succeed at the workplace and life beyond it.

Success leaves clues. So, focus on the strengths that you possess and work on your weaknesses and insecurities. Learn from other achievers in the team and organization to achieve results that you have dreamt about.

Be careful, not to lose track of your goals while you focus on the minute details for achieving success.

2. Belief

I’m referring to the general belief in something, which is obvious for everyone. I’m talking about self-belief which will help you to achieve massive success in your life and career. It’s pretty straight forward, isn’t it?

Believing in your own ability to excel in any given situation will set you apart from the rest and keep you prepared. Knowing what to do next is very assuring, but not knowing what to do and still going for it is self-belief.

Remember, we all want success in life and promotion in our career. So, don’t let the limiting beliefs stop YOU from achieving what is yours and becoming a world-class achiever.

3. Intuition

The “gut feeling” we have about something often turns out to true, even if we don’t believe in it.

We don’t try to do any analytical reasoning about stuff we feel sure about and that bridges the gap between the conscious and sub-conscious parts of our mind.

A study, completed in October 2017, reveals that men have more intuitive response to natural stimuli than women in challenging situations.

More so, in today’s uncertain era where things change at a rapid pace, we need to bridge that gap quickly in our mind or get left behind in the corporate race.

To put everything into perspective, F.B.I. is not something that comes naturally to corporate professionals. But these are a set of skills that once acquired, serves you well in the long run and puts you miles ahead of the race. Without these, YOU will be left unappreciated and continue to keep looking for the professional aspirations to fulfill.

There are more qualities you can develop throughout your career but these 3 will set the precedence for the future.

Cheers to that!