Have you ever wondered why some people get promotions as often as getting treats at Halloween while others toil  for decades without even seeing a decent raise in salary? Forget about those brownnosers and concentrate on the real reason: your attitude at work.

When I look at some of my co-workers, I can tell you who will get the next promotion and who will continue to spin their wheels while being angry at the World. The “Company” is looking for hard workers and positive employees. If you want to be part of the rewarded, there are some key attitudes to demonstrate:

#1 Work!

This one seems quite stupid but there are a lot of people concentrating on “face time” at work. They come in early, stay at their desk the whole day, tapping on their keyboards, but at the end of the day: nothing has been accomplished. People that are all about face time are the worst off as their bosses prefer to ignore them instead of telling them that they know they are not truly working. Why? Because it is a too much work to prove that an employee doesn’t really work. However, you will be set aside pretty fast if a manager thinks you are part of this group!

#2 Stay positive

We are living a tragic moment in the working reality: our environment continuously changes from month to month. Therefore, new processes, ways of working emerge and you need to adapt. Those who complain are not part of the “good ‘ol hard working” employees. In fact, even if you are a rockstar at work, you won’t get what you deserve if you keep nagging your boss in front of everybody saying that this or that doesn’t work properly. You can criticize, but bring a solution at the same time. If you just complain, once again, you will be cast aside.

#3 Do more

I learned a lot from my first manager. He used to spend a lot of time coaching me and telling me how to become a more valuable employee. He told me something very smart:

“if you want a promotion, show me you can do the job”.

This means that if you want another position, start doing things that is required of the person who is already there. So when the position becomes available, you will be first on the list. Some call it working for free; I call it working to climb the corporate ladder.

#4 Be a pro

If you are looking to get promoted from amongst your co-workers and stay in the same department; I suggest you be start becoming the pro. Being a pro doesn’t mean being the best or a show-off. The real pro is the one who masters his job and help his colleagues reach another level. By helping others, you will achieve 2 important tasks for your manager:

A)   You will demonstrate that you can contribute to your team and help others do the same.

B)   You will earn the respect of your co-workers and they won’t bad mouth you once you get your promotion ;-).

#5 Don’t play games

I know it is very tempting to talk about others during your lunch hour. It is so interesting to say things about others that some people make a hobby of that. Don’t be part of this group. Some people do it to “be part of the gang” but I’ll tell you one thing; that gang is probably doing the same thing to you when you are not around!

If you take a second to look at people working around you, you will notice their behavior and will see how a good attitude at work can benefit you.

Mike

Mike

Mike, aka The Dividend Guy, authors The Dividend Guy Blog since 2010 and manages portfolios at Dividend Stocks Rock. He is a passionate investor.