Two questions - Do you want a good career? Do you want a good career Fast or Slow?

If you answered positively to both questions, then you would want to carry on reading and find out the 7 Essential Management Skills you need for Career Survival.

Let us go back to the beginning: You want a Good Career fast? Well then, only PROFESSIONALS get to have a good career fast. BUT, Professionals have to pay a much higher price than semi-professionals and amateurs. So, do you want to be a Professional or Amateur?

OK, good. Since you are still reading I presume that you want to be a Professional in order to have a good career fast. What then are the 7 Essential Management Skills? Let us begin.

Firstly, are you interested in a Job or a Career? You have to learn how to differentiate the two. Check whatever you are doing now. If it's a job, you would have no interest in learning, no motivation to improve, no energy, no growth plans. If it's a career to you, you would be learning, always wanting to improve, lots of energy and have a firm growth plan. If what you are doing is a job to you, stop here. If it's a career to you, proceed.

The 7 Management Skills in summary are:

1. Managing your Job
2. Managing your Boss
3. Managing your Time
4. Managing your Relationships
5. Managing your Discipline
6. Managing your Attitude
7. Managing your Career

1. Managing Your Job

Remember this: "Know your job well, do it well, and be better than anyone else doing it." (this is taken from a book called "The Rules of Work" by Richard Templar). Bottom Line: You must be really good at your job before attempting anything else. Otherwise, it's just wasted efforts. Don't listen to those so called career coaches who ask you to 'dream' or 'envision' your career 20 years from now. That's just plain rubbish. If you are not doing your job well, or you are not the best in your job, don't even think about climbing the ladder. Do your job well first.

Make sure you know the difference between Activities vs. Results. What's the difference? We can either refer to our job in terms of Activities or Results. Whichever reference you choose determines your behaviors on a daily basis. Remember: Success depends on managing your job based on RESULTS-oriented thinking.

2. Managing your Boss

There are four parts to this: Understand and find solutions for your Boss' problems, Manage your Boss as a Client not a Boss, Manage and influence your Boss based on his Personality, and finally learn how to deal with Bad Bosses as well as when to give up and walk away.

3. Managing your Time

Time is irreversible, so make the best use of it every second of your life. What you really Value is found in how you spend your Time and Money. Love is spelt as T.I.M.E. to your loved ones. Interruptions will always happen, so plan for them every time. Time investments compound, so be patient and persevere. "I don't have time" is a sorry excuse for someone who has placed the issue as a lower priority. Time required for something expands according to expectations - which means that if you set an urgent time-frame, it will be done fast. If you set a long and relaxed time-frame, it will be done slow.

Only three things really matter in Time Management: 1) Learn how to Prioritize, 2) Develop and use a To-do List, and 3) learn how to Maximize Time

4. Managing your Relationships

Why? Because good performance and skill won't get you very far. You need others to succeed.

You cannot get people to listen to you if they don't like you. And if they don't listen to you, you won't accomplish anything! Remember that Relationships = Expectations. You must know the expectations and manage those expectations.

People are interested in themselves, not in you. What is the most interesting subject in the world to them? THEMSELVES. Take four words out of your vocabulary: "I, me, my, mine" and substitute for the most powerful word: "YOU". Remember that the more important you make people feel, the more they will respond to you. Avoid arguing.

5. Managing your Discipline

Discipline consists of three parts: discipline in Habits, discipline in Self Development, and discipline in Feelings.

Control your habits, and you can control your Success. Failure is also because of habits. The only difference between those who have failed and those who have succeeded lies in the difference of their habit. Think about it - your actions are ruled mostly by your habits. Only a habit and control another habit. It takes an average of 21 days to form a new habit. The goal habits: It will be part of your subconscious mind. You need to form good habits in 3 areas: Thinking, Speaking, Doing.

Self Development is an Investment in your self. Investment means how much Time and Money you spend on your self. Nobody is going to invest in you. Start Early because small differences compound in the long-term.

Control your emotions. "Anyone can become angry - that is easy. But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way - that is not easy." (I think this is by Aristotle)

6. Managing your Attitude

List down Bad Attitudes - and reverse them. Be careful of 'us' vs. 'them' thinking. Serve before expecting to be served. Have high standards for yourself. Never complain about how hard you work.

7. Managing your Career

Just remember the following biggest career mistakes a person can ever make: Keeping a career in line with your education, Getting career advice from your parents (or relatives), Changing jobs without long-term strategy in mind, and Letting your Boss (or company) manage your career.

Remember: If you are not doing your job well, or you are not the best in your job, don't even think about climbing the ladder. Do your job well first. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Read this article…

When you take a look at some of the successful people in the world, the money they possess may blind you or the notoriety the public bestows upon them distracts your judgment. At second glance (with the exception of generational money and success), there are certain factors that have contributed to their success and popularity. With almost every successful person, there are common habits that add to their wealth or catapult them into the spotlight. The good news is – you don’t have to be a millionaire to follow the same path and develop successful habits of your own.

Success usually doesn’t come to people that exhibit poor habits, such as laziness, a gloomy disposition or attitude, or possess an unwillingness to learn. Instead, it is poor behaviors and practices that hold people back from achieving the success they want out of life, no matter how much they want it to happen. The desire to achieve success is simply not enough, meaning you have to match your desire with effort, determination, patience, and motivation.

When you want to achieve something, it is important to move forward towards your goals instead of falling backwards. Usually, the difference between an unsuccessful person and one who lives a minimal lifestyle is seen in the habits they form over their lifetime. Below you will find seven common habits that many successful people tend to share:

1) Passion

Successful people most often possess passion and find a reason for living in each endeavor they pursue. Anyone can embrace this habit by increasing the level of enthusiasm they possess when it comes to completing their daily tasks, as well as long-term goals they have set. Sometimes it just means becoming more excited about the things that need accomplishing.

2) Focus

When you "keep your eyes on the prize" and stay focused on your goals, you will become more of a success. This is a great way to approach the things you don’t really feel like achieving, but is still necessary for your overall goals. Once you get into the habit of realizing that achieving an array of goals (even the ones you don’t particularly care for) will only get you one step closer towards achieving success, the process becomes much easier.

Some individuals simply don’t sweat the small stuff and completely stay focused on how the "big picture" will look in the end. A good way to stay on task is to think about how much happiness and satisfaction will come from achieving your goals, and how sweet the final results will taste.

3) Time Management

Wasting time only sets you behind in achieving the things you need to accomplish. This means making every moment count and focusing on completing the things will help achieve your overall quest. There is no reason to accept interruptions or distractions that only deter you from your goals. Successful people often ignore the potential setbacks that peers, co-workers, family, and friends are often responsible for. Anything that threatens your attention needs to step aside in order to achieve success.

4) List-Building

Successful people know what they are going to do the next day before they even go to bed. This is because individuals with proven streaks of success make a list of the tasks they must complete by the next day. Before you retire for the night, you should create a list of five to six tasks. Usually, this is arranged in order of importance. When the next day arrives, an individual may set their sights on completing the first thing on their list. The enjoyment comes when they are able to scratch it off and continue down the line. This is quite simple to achieve and helps stop procrastinating and break the habit of postponing important tasks.

5) Don’t Wait

Successful people do not wait for the "perfect" time to start achieving their goals; they go straight for them and don’t wait for a particular moment to surface. If they fail at their first attempt, they simply learn from their mistakes and try again. For some, the hardest part of becoming successful is reaching a starting point.

6) Keep Going

Quitters do not achieve the success they wish for themselves by letting any hardship, barrier or obstacle slow them down or stand in their way. Accomplishing something just once makes the next time much easier. For example, a weight loss journey begins with the first visit to the gym. Overall, it is important to stay unswerving in your effort.

7) Embrace Opportunity

For some, certain opportunities only come once in a lifetime. A successful person grasps each chance they receive and runs closer towards their goals. You should make it a habit to say, "yes" to the opportunities you encounter, even if you are filled with fear. In the long run, you will go much further in confirming your goals.

Overall, successful people are individuals of action, who follow their dreams without allowing anything to get in their way. No matter what task you wish to accomplish, following some of the same common habits of success will aid you in your personal quests.

Read this article…

Some workers face a specific phase where they feel a certain kind of fear. There are two types of fear an employee might feel. First is fear of failure and the second one is fear of success.

Those feeling the fear of failure are afraid of making mistakes and losing approval. They tend to also be scared of criticism and rejection. These people are likely to avoid risks. Meanwhile, one of the ways to success is by taking risks.

Fear of success is another thing. It is the fear of accomplishment and being recognized and honored. This kind of fear is related to changes which are mostly heading to a better stage.

Women are those who mostly feel this kind of fear. They are afraid that being strong enough to create the life they want will make them unlovable.

These two types of fear might block your way to success. What you need to do is get rid of them and step forward to grab your success.

Here are some simple things you can do:

• to overcome the fear of failure:

Don’t be so hard on yourself. If you fail, accept it. Turn the failure into something positive. Figure out where you went wrong. Learn from it. Then, apply you’re your next attempt. Even if you fail again, don’t let it stop you. Keep trying again and again. For some people, talking about this fear helps. Discuss it with someone you trust or with an expert.

• to overcome the fear of success:

Take some time to contemplate, to understand what happens to you and how you feel. Pull out any negative thoughts or beliefs resulted from your success. Have a high regard for yourself, your hard work, and your accomplishment. Affirm to yourself that you deserve it. Don’t feel guilty for being successful. And, gain your power back.

Read this article…

20 quick and practical methods to increase your confidence, here we go:

1. Think about someone who is confident and act, talk and walk like him or her. Model their mannerisms and behavior. It works for them; it will work for you.

2. Smile a lot more. That doesn't mean putting a silly grin on your face! But smile when you walk down the street, when you meet people and generally be happier even if you're not feeling that way.

3. Learn from the past; don't beat yourself up about it. It's gone; it's never coming back. Instead learn from it for next time.

4. Buy yourself some new clothes, get your hair done, and treat yourself to something new. It will make you feel better and will give your ego a boost.

5. Are you prepared for situations? Are you prepared enough to meet any challenge that may come up? Are you prepared for that meeting, that presentation, that job interview, when you meet someone for the first time? If not, prepare now.

6. Play to your strengths. Know what you are good at and expose yourself to these opportunities at every opportunity because you're good at it, you'll enjoy it and have more confidence.

7. Improve your weaknesses. Know and appreciate what these are and put a plan in place to improve them over time.

8. Learn how to say no to people. Don't be afraid, you've got nothing to be afraid of. Just watch the reaction on their face after you've said it the first time and there will be no going back.

9. Be positive. Look on the "can do" side of things rather than the "can't do". You've accomplished lots in your life and you will accomplish lots more in the future.

10. Be in charge of your thoughts at all times. What is a thought? It's just a question that you've asked yourself and the thought is your answer. If you're thinking negative thoughts, you're probably asking a negative question. Change the questions to be more positive.

11. Whenever you feel a negative thought coming: STOP, THINK and ASK "Is this really important in the grand scheme of things?' A lot of the time it isn't. Many people in life major in minor things!

12. Do you let the words of others affect you? Do you mind what they think of you? Remember that no one can make you feel inferior without your consent. It's not what they say to you that's the problem it's what you say to yourself after they have stopped talking that's the problem. Change the way you think.

13. List the words that you use on a consistent basis when you feel let down or annoyed. People use different words to mean the same thing and depending upon the intensity of the word  this will have an effect on your confidence. Instead of saying "I'm enraged about this" say, "I'm a little annoyed". Make a substitute list for the words that you use. Make sure they are lower in intensity and then use them. You'll be surprised with the results.

14. At the end of each day list your achievements and successes throughout that day.

15. Be appreciative of what you have to be thankful for in your life right now. Who do you love? Who loves you? Who do you help out?

16. Every morning when you're in the shower, play over in your head the events in the day as though they have already happened and they were a success. Visualize all of the meetings that you had, the people you talked to, the outcomes you had. Visualize success and confidence and it will be so.

17. Improve your body language. The way that you move your body has a massive impact on your confidence levels. Move your body assertively and walk with your head up, shoulders back and as though you've got somewhere very important to go. Feeling low in confidence? Change you body language

18. Emotion is created by motion. As in 17, make sure you move around consistently. This creates energy and gets the blood pumping around you body it makes you feel better and more confident.

19. Learn to brag about yourself. Yes, you heard me! Talk about your achievements and successes more than you currently are.

20. And finally - You only live once, so any time that you are down just ask yourself in 10 or 20 years time - will what I am worrying about really matter?

Read this article…