Keep alive your gung-ho superiority at work

   A prolonged employment in one position tends to make you self-satisfied and oblivious of the fact that there is improbability and insecurity all around. You simply allow yourself to become excessively relaxed. You have to be prepared for all contingencies and hence, it is inescapable to preserve your strong-willed and high-spirited advantage. You need to be always in the race and in good form. How can you do that? The following guidelines will be beneficial:

· Improve your expertise: You should always be keen to enhance your professional skills and knowhow. That calls for acquiring new ones too. Learning is an eternal process and if you think that you are a know-all type, you are sadly mistaken. Perhaps you are not truthful about your abilities, competencies and potentials. The world is moving at a rapid pace and with technological advancements, newer ideas are being searched and studied constantly. You need to look for different opportunities to put into effect different skills and procedures; and at the same time shoulder additional accountabilities or give a go to latest technology.

· Capitalise & empower yourself: You can hone your professional proficiencies through different means and which call for sparing time, efforts and resources. You should not expect that your company will do it for you. Reading books, attending seminars and participating in workshops are some of the actions that you ought to take as part of your self-investment initiatives. And if you do not, you are not an earnest and resolute professional.

· Take membership of professional clubs: When you join a professional association, you are in the company of people on the same wave length and thus earn entry into the realm of familiarity and knowledge. You thus strike astounding connections with individuals who will help you draw on breaks and facilitate your progress in ways not even visualised by you. You will get trained by way of interactions and availability of learning material. However, keeping in view the vast number of such fraternities, you need to be faddy and join those that are well-involved.

· Do some social service: Working willingly for any social cause will foster feelings of empathy in you. Tons of experience will come to you that can be put to good use at your workplace and in the process, give you a high degree of contentment. Your efforts will be of a different kind and may entail some element of discomfort, but then progress always involves discomfort. Contingent on whether you associate yourself with an NGO or a volunteer group, you will get to know people and who can be of help and influence in your professional field.

· Widen your contact base: Networking need not be done with the objective of helping in your job hunting efforts. You need to include in your contact base people who are trustworthy, convivial and genuine. Your relationship should not hinge around receiving or rendering help in any form; in fact it should be based on identity and not proficiency; assistance will always follow if the relationship is friendly.

·  Improve your headship qualities: At work as also anywhere else, you will have to find opportunities to head assignments and projects. You may or may not harbour an intention to grow into a formal leadership role. But practical acquaintance with leadership responsibilities will make you go through different skills and which will benefit you immensely in the attainment of your career aspirations. You will make your presence felt and be able to carve out an image of repute – both necessary attributes to maintain a competitive edge.

· Dare & defy yourself: You should challenge yourself repeatedly on both your individual and professional planes. Towards it, you must strive for growth opportunities, even if they are seemingly not pertinent to your career. The greater your knowledge and the wider your vista, the more contributions you will make at work. And the best part of it is that the benefits will keep accruing and delivered to you in a form not anticipated.

One of the surest methods to gain a competitive edge is by learning how to make the most of your time. Through continuous learning and personal development, you can keep up with and reach the zenith of your job, career and speciality. Remember that your attitude, resolve, strength of mind and the ability to place your objectives above anything else matter most in your career. You must find something that fuels your passion. In doing so, you will emerge to become an improved, superior individual. And going by its enlarged connotation, you will also become a professionally more competitive person.