How to Succeed in The Business World

Preparing to Succeed

     The path to success in a career starts with getting the necessary tools.  The primary tool is that of an education.  An education prepares you mentally and emotionally to deal effectively with people.  This is a very important principle in the work place.  Though an education prepares an individual to deal with others than themselves, the real learning takes place on the job itself.

     There are four key aspects of behavior: perception, learning, motivation, and values (DuBrin, 2004).  Knowing these general principles and applying them daily will bring about a benefit of understanding how people tick, enabling the ability to get along with and work well with others.

     Perception is akin to a barrier in getting past what we perceive to what actually is.  Our perceptions are built on characteristics that are formed from our lives.  This includes how we were raised, and our interactions with others.  It is a culmination of our interpretations of all that we have experienced.  The saving grace to common ground with others is called Perceptual congruence (DuBrin, 2004).  This is the act of a meeting of the minds above and beyond personal perception, and is a goal of any organization on the road to success.

     Classical conditioning is learning by observing.  It is the art of compliance.  Falling into step along with others by action of required tasks.  Along with classical conditioning is operant conditioning.  It determines by ones behavior if learning has taken place.  If a person does not perform to the standards of others it implies that classical conditioning has not been achieved, as the person is not operating at the same level as coworkers. 

     If this occurs, the consequences of the behavior must be met.  Operant conditioning involves a reward system to bring the behavior in alignment with the rest of the workforce.  The goal is to help the individual to realize their potential and to help it to manifest itself through the development of the desired behavior.  This is pushed along by rewarding achievements, resulting in the continued improvement as the individual gains confidence in undertaking and completing tasks efficiently.

     When a person is confident in what they do, it is natural to be motivated to succeed.  There are those who would criticize another’s motivational standards, in offering constructive criticism “The coupling of “constructive,” a positive to “criticism,” a negative is an oxymoron in and of itself as “a combination of contradictory or incongruous words,” for example, cruel and kindness (Webster, 2009).

     A person who is unsure of what needs to be done, or of how to do it will not be very motivated to make an error (DuBrin, 2004).  The provision of positive and negative

reinforcement plays a part in “if and how a person shall succeed.”  For example: if your supervisor was always speaking negatively to you, you would cease to be positive.

     Then there is the aspect of primary and secondary reinforcement.  When a person finds within himself the ability for natural accomplishments, he is rewarded with that knowledge.  When you are given a reward for the completion of a task that is known as a secondary reinforcement, with the expectation being learned of providing something and in turn something will be provided.  This fosters motivation in those less motivated before.

     Our beliefs and values play a large role in how we are perceived by others, as our behavior is representative of what we believe and of what we value.  Our value system is determined by our interpersonal relationships (DuBrin, 2004).  Those with higher interpersonal skills are ranked as having higher values, while those with lower interpersonal skills are ranked as having lower values. 

Communicating with Others

     Communication is the focal point of successful interpersonal relationships.  In order to build relationships with colleagues, a person must have good communication skills.  People come from all walks of life, and from different countries, yet all are thrown together with the expectation of not only dealing with, but of embracing, another individuals culture.  This is known as diversity in the work place (DuBrin, 2004).  If there is any hope of succeeding in the business world, one must be understood and respected by others. 

     We can learn to improve our speaking skills by interacting verbally during meetings.  Both our non-verbal and verbal communications can affect how others perceive us too.  Working on becoming a good speaker strengthens our interpersonal relationships.  The better we vocalize, the more confident we will be in doing so.  A good speaker can enhance the progress of perceptual congruity on the job, by interacting or even heading meetings and ensuring that everyone is on the same page while gauging the reception of the meeting criteria. 

     Communicating well within an organization leads to promotion opportunities and another milestone accomplishment on the road to success.  Being understood and respected by others is just one part of the puzzle.  Along with having good communication skills the importance of dressing appropriately for the work environment, brings the confidence needed to our roles that enhance our etiquette and manners and our abilities to be a team player (DuBrin, 2004).

     We learn from others who aren’t like us as we have developed the skills for patience in effecting good communication skills which include good listening skills.  These skills are invaluable in the work environment and ensure that a cycle of chaos does not become the norm of the office. 

Working in Groups

     Working in groups can be an acquired taste.  There are the hurdles of getting mindsets from an “I” way of thinking to a “we” way of thinking.  This is not an easy task.  Guidelines must be enforced to ensure the validity of the group in fostering creativity and in meeting the desired results in the decision making process.  Effective techniques have been used by many organizations in getting the focus of everyone onto the topic at hand and in having a worthwhile meeting with concrete progress apparent at meetings end. 

     Some are: The Consensus technique, this involves taking a group vote, but all must be agreed before proceeding.  The Democratic technique, this also involves a vote, but the majority rules.  Breaking down larger groups to form inner circles is great for brainstorming techniques.  This broadens the scope of creativity without being overwhelming to group participation.

     To strengthen group participation, a contract between each individual of “disagree and commit” is important as the individuals realize that though they may not necessarily agree with a decision, the fundamentals makes sense and they will commit 100 percent to the decision that has been made (Muzio, 2009). 

     Things to consider are the differences between a formal meeting and an informal meeting.  Also, how to conduct ones self properly in a meeting.  The work at hand is the advantages and disadvantages of working within a group in the decision and problem solving process (DuBrin, 2004).

     Behaviors exhibited by a group of people can be taxing at most.  The diversity itself of the perceptions of each individual can be a challenge.  Good leadership is a primary concept in keeping everything organized.  People follow and embrace a good leader.  This enhances the meetings ambiance, keeps staff alert and onboard, and the meeting running smoothly in delivering results that are both effective and rewarding.

Leadership in the Workplace

     The qualities of a leader are important in business as people work harder for someone who is confident and respects them (DuBrin, 2004).  They are open and eager to learn and to become an important part of how everything works.  They take pride in themselves and in their work with the outlook of “when the company succeeds, I succeed,” or “the company’s success is my success.”

     It is thought that those with leadership qualities are born this way, and that it is a genetic principle.  In other words, those who are taught to be leaders are most definitely missing the quality that makes a natural leader, and thereby are less effective.  To quote Sociologist Maxwell Weber “Leadership is a mysterious force that some people are just born with, it is called Charisma” (Ansary, 2009). 

     Leadership involves the influencing of others to achieve (DuBrin, 2004).  Whatever the objectives, a leader is influential in the activities of a person or group.  Leaders lead by example and their personalities are one that pulls others in.  They have an energy that others feed off of.  Their confidence level gains others trust and creates an environment that is secure in its foundation.  People latch onto a great leader and will support his/her efforts.  This loyalty results in increased productivity, decreased errors, and overall work satisfaction. 

     Besides leading by example, leaders are extremely pro-active and assertive.  They have an ingratiating character, as they have no problem in humbling themselves to gain your favor.  They are not threatened by doing so because they know who they are and are sure of themselves.  They are patient and value the knowledge of others, in taking the time to explain in detail anything that needs clarification.  Leaders stand behind and support others and will speak up and fight on their behalf (DuBrin, 2004).

Keeping Balance in Your Life

     This is probably the most difficult aspect of living life.  Maintaining a balance between work and personal time.  We find ourselves juggling our time between studies, work, relationships, families, and friends.  In time, it gets overwhelming for everyone.  This leads to stress and unhappiness as we realize that we aren’t controlling our lives, our lives are controlling us. 

     We get caught up in this chaos and before we know it, we run out of energy and are ineffective in almost everything where before we were effective in all things.  This is a sure sign of being out of balance.  Somewhere along the line in our already out of balance lives we have managed to pile on one more thing that brings it all toppling down. 

     Now we need to pick up the pieces and do some mental cleaning.  This is needed because in achieving true balance, it is never stable (Khan, 2001-2009).  Life is constantly throwing unexpected changes at us that require us to adjust.  In adjusting, if we have full lives, which most do, that requires a lot of adjusting on an ongoing basis.  The best way to achieve this is to get into a routine of adjusting at the moment change is noticed versus letting it pile up (Khan, 2001-2009). 

     The key to maintaining balance is to be aware when we are out of balance.  Sometimes just changing the order in the way things are done may make all the difference, but sometimes the process is more complex than that.  A good strategy is to always start changes with the small things and work your way up.  This keeps pressures from becoming top heavy and you from caving in. 

     Practice makes perfect.  In being continuously aware of your time management will help you to stay in a range of balance within your life.  Your outlook will be on the prize that your hard work delivers which is that of “quality time.”

In Conclusion

     In order to succeed in the business world, you must first succeed in being you.  From that solid foundation you will expand in knowing how people think.  From there you put yourself on a back burner in your interactions with others, so that you are focused in learning about others.  Much more can be obtained in learning about others behaviors once you have figured out your own belief system and values. 

     All that is left to do is to become a good listener of both the verbal and non-verbal communications, and to intertwine these aspects from individual concepts to group concepts.  It will be hard at first but is well worth the time and energy involved in meeting the organizations mission statements, and goals, while ensuring that everyone within the company is afforded the opportunity to be all that they can be.

References

Ansary, T.(2009). Degrees & Training: What is a Leader? Retrieved on November 2, 2009, from http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/departments/elearning/Default.aspx?

DuBrin, A., J. (2004). Applying Psychology: Individual and Organizational Effectiveness. (6th ed.) Prentiss Hall NJ

Khan, A. (2001-2009). Happiness and Time: Balance. Retrieved on November 2, 2009, from http://www.youmeworks.com/balance.html

Muzio, E. (2009). Group Decision Making That Works. Retrieved on October 22, 2009, from http://www.bnet.com/2422-13731_23-265796.html

Oxymoron. (2009). In Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.  Retrieved on October 14, 2009, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oxymoron