Rules to Help You Win the Career Game

If my memory serves me correctly, being a leader keeps you pretty busy throughout the course of a day. On any given day, I would leave work feeling as though I hadn't accomplished much and that in spite of it all, I should be the most knowledgeable person on my team. It makes sense that I would feel this way because I was responsible for my individual performance as well as the performance of my team. Not only did I have to know policies pertaining to the clients that we serviced, but familiarizing myself with organizational policies was also expected. As demanding as leadership can be, it wasn't hard for me to learn the written policies. Even if I didn't know them by heart, I knew where to find my answers or at least who to ask. What I didn't know about standard operating procedure within the workplace was that another set of rules existed. "Invisible Rules" or "The Code" is a set of unwritten rules within any organization that allows employees to navigate efficiently throughout their career journey, ultimately achieving promotions as well as their career goals. The "rules" are embedded within the culture and the sooner you learn them, the more equipped you are to win. I created a few rules of my own as I learned the ropes within my place of business and here's what helped me:

Rule #1: Talk to tenure. I made it a point to get to know people who'd been with the organization for an extended period of time. Length of service was important because these employees could speak to changes within the organization, the good, bad, and indifferent. I wanted to know what things used to be like and how certain things had changed over the years. I found myself talking to new employees as well and I kept track of the information that was shared. I wanted to know how a new person was extended an offer over an existing employee. I was eager to learn the different ways of climb the ladder and the only way to obtain that information was to talk to others.

Rule # 2: Connect with those who are connected. I always kept in touch with at least 1 recruiter and 1 administrative professional. These 2 professionals in any organization are typically connected to people who make hiring decisions. Recruiters know hiring managers across several departments and lines of businesses. Administrative professionals provide support to someone and that someone is typically a leader. Leaders have peers, people who report to them, and they partner with others to achieve results. Having a brief conversation with an admin or a recruiter can help you learn what to do, what not to do, and even who to speak with in terms of promotion and achieving your career goals.

Rule #3: Perform a behavioral study. I am a firm believer that people show you what to do or what not to do, therefore observe others frequently. Also, observe how people are rewarded within the culture of the organization. Your observations should provide a behavioral blueprint that you may want to follow.

In any game that you play, there is a set of rules that are pre-established. These game rules govern conduct for a particular activity and ultimately help the participants achieve success (win). If you want to get into the game, you have to know the rules, especially if you're playing to win. The workplace is no exception.

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