Mistakes I Made in the Corporate World: Take My Advice to Get Ahead

I am a corporate refugee. I served five years in two different medium size companies. In my first go round in the business world I advanced fairly rapidly into middle management and then transferred into a newly created marketing department as a copywriter and web designer. In short order my company merged with another and I was laid off with several others.

I then went to an internet startup as a copywriter. From all accounts I produced good work and soon advanced into the role of producer. This was a rather amorphous position involving design, usability and generally providing for ease of use to our visitors in order to convert them to customers at an ever higher rate. Again, I performed well, but when the company imploded with most of the other startups of the era, I decided to leave the company rather than move with them to another city.

I have learned some things about how to get ahead in corporate America, mostly through my own very bad mistakes. I found out after leaving my second company that I had topped out promotionwise. It turns out I wasn't nearly so well liked as I had thought and in fact was actively disliked by those in control of my career. After much soul searching I have come up with the five biggest mistakes that I made during my career. I offer them to you in the hopes they may be of use.

1. Don't eat lunch alone - A common misconception is that lunch is about eating. It isn't, I know because that's the mistake I made. Lunch is about accepting every invitation you receive and making contacts. These lunch partners will not become your friends, but down the road they may become your allies. It is far easier to support someone you've shared a meal with than that weird guy that goes off by himself at 11:30 every day.

2. Don't shoot your mouth off - Whether it be in meetings or hallway bull sessions be aware that someone is listening to what you say. They may be a friend, they may be a foe, they may control your corporate destiny. Regardless there is very little point in letting them know what you really think of the CEO or the President or religion. Talk about sports or movies or the good things your company is doing. It is boring, it is bland and no one will hold it against you at promotion time.

3. Don't swim against the tide - By the tide I mean your corporate culture. If you work for a truly customercentric organization that believes that pleasing the consumer is all that matters (and I'm sure they must be out there somewhere), then don't come up with new and clever ways to fleece said customers. Conversely, if profitability is king, don't be the lone voice in the wilderness talking about the customer. If you must do this, at least frame your arguments in a way that jibes with your company's culture. Don't talk about it being morally right to honor returns, instead talk about how expensive it is to acquire new customers versus keeping existing ones. If you really don't fit with your corporate culture there is no sin in looking for a better situation elsewhere.

4. Don't watch the clock - I had the unfortunate ability to get my work done very quickly. Things that took others 3 hours to do I could do in 2 with no loss in quality. This was unfortunate because I was always out the door by 6PM. This wasn't necessarily because I made it my mission to leave then, just that I was usually done for the day around that time. It soon became clear to everyone else that I didn't care and wasn't willing to put in the hours for the company. That was the kiss of death. Make it a point to arrive early and stay late on a regular basis. It doesn't matter if you are actually working or not, just be there at your desk when the boss strolls through cubicle land on his way out the door at night.

5. Don't keep your head down - This seems a contradiction to number two, but it really isn't because you do not have to say anything outrageous to be noticed. Echo the consensus in meetings, if you have an idea that fits with the company culture spout off about it to the appropriate people. Just remember that speaking up and shooting your mouth off are sides of the same coin, so be careful with this one.

So there you have it, five rules that if heeded will help you climb the corporate ladder. It would also help if you knew how to do your job, but my time in corporate America has shown me that isn't a requirement. Oops, there I go shooting my mouth off again.