To get promoted, you must first increase your value. Career success is never one-dimensional but multifaceted, involving ability, connections, mindset, character, and more. A full cup overflows, and a full moon wanes; for those who have achieved some success, maintaining an 'empty cup mindset' is crucial. As a working professional, in my three years of employment, I received seven raises (many colleagues who joined at the same time got no more than two), and I rose smoothly from employee to director, making me the fastest-growing employee in the company. I am sure that among those who read this article, there are certainly people better than me. But for those friends who are more eager for help, I still hope to write down my experience and share it with you. 1. Be clear about your future goals This is a problem almost all newcomers to the workplace face, and it is usually most obvious within the first 1 to 3 years of entering the workforce. Why be clear about your goals? Knowing what you want to do and what you like to do is the ultimate driving force for your progress. Unhappiness at work, lack of motivation, and blind job-hopping are fundamentally caused by unclear career goals. Without goals, there is no pursuit; all actions are just to earn a living. You have never considered what kind of rice bowl you should hold in the future. Perhaps you still have the capital to squander before age 30, but once you pass 30, every step you take must be cautious, because you have to get married, support a family, pay a mortgage, and care for aging parents... All these responsibilities fall on you. If you have no plan, you will panic when problems arise. 2. Ability does not represent everything When you enter the workplace, you will find that ability is not as important as you imagined; you will find that a person with less ability becomes your boss simply because he has worked in the company for 10 years, which shows that 'seniority' is also capital for promotion; sometimes, you will find that people who are not very capable but have a good relationship with the boss are often promoted, which shows that 'connections' are also capital. Some people may dismiss these 'soft powers': 'If the boss likes people who flatter him, do I have to wrong myself and learn to flatter?' The answer is yes. There is a Chinese idiom called 'external round, internal square,' which in interpersonal communication means you should learn to handle various relationships properly, but you must not lose your inner principles, otherwise it becomes corrupted. 3. Have enough 'sword-drawing' capital Some college students often tell me that after graduation, they must find a job with a monthly salary of so-and-so, and strive to achieve such-and-such a position. At this time, I always patiently listen to their 'grand blueprint,' and then ask: 'What makes you think you can achieve your goals? What is your capital?' Then they fall silent. For friends in the workplace, where is your capital to 'draw your sword'? Have your performance improved? Have your abilities improved? How many books beneficial to your career have you read in a year? How many training sessions have you attended to recharge yourself? If not, why should the boss give you a raise? — By complaining? You will definitely be eliminated early! 4. Maintain an 'empty cup mindset' I have seen some college graduates who, when they first join a company, often say how great they were in school, that they could have found a better job, and that they came here only because they had no choice, as if the company is doing them a disservice. This mindset is unacceptable; do not think you are very impressive. If you are so impressive, why don't you, like Bill Gates, Dell, or Jobs, drop out of college and start a world-class enterprise? If you have the ability, prove it with facts, rather than complaining all day. In the workplace, excellent people have extremely high cultivation, even being open-minded and having a tolerant heart. With such a heart, you will gain respect from others in the workplace and have more development opportunities. 5. Understand some common sense of life The workplace is like a big melting pot. In the workplace, you not only need to earn a meal, but more importantly, learn the principles of life. If you do not even understand the most basic principles, you will not only fail to gain respect but also lose more development opportunities. Because in China, interpersonal relationships are also productivity. Although the workplace is full of mutual exploitation and profit-first phenomena, if you want to achieve great things, the basic principles of honesty and trustworthiness must never be discarded. In fact, there are countless principles of life, but the most important are these three: be strict with yourself and lenient with others; learn to listen; be honest and trustworthy. 6. Learn to follow the rules of the game Many people feel that developing in the workplace is not only subject to various constraints but also full of unfair phenomena. For example, if you are late for work, the boss will deduct your salary, but when you work overtime, you never get overtime pay. In this world, do not expect fairness. The relationship between employees and bosses is like a game. If it is a game, there are rules; the rule-maker is the boss, and various interests favor the boss. You must learn to gradually accept these rules, and do not try to change them, because in front of the boss, you do not have much say. Remember this sentence: 'If you are not the rule-maker, you have only two choices: either submit or leave!' 7. Opportunities only favor those who are prepared No matter how much you complain or how unhappy you are, you still have to do your work. Instead of spending time complaining, it is better to calm down, improve your basic skills, and prove your abilities with facts. Do not, because of your bookishness, become a 'angry youth' who ruins his own future. Of course, your preparation is multifaceted. In addition to professional skills, auxiliary skills are also very necessary, such as communication skills, interpersonal relationship handling skills, and management skills. More importantly, you should make a plan for your future, clearly know what your goals are, and how to work hard to achieve them. When appropriate, recharge yourself, which is also an investment in your future. In addition, learn to give up immediate interests. If you do not learn to 'give' now, you may never 'get' in the future. -END-