Wouldn’t it be amazing if getting ahead in your career were as easy as cooking instant popcorn?  You buy the pack, read the 3-step system, then implement the easy system, and ping! You’ve got warm, toasty, delicious popcorn.

The truth is that doing well in your career takes a great deal of work (gulp). However, have you noticed that there are some people who seem to rise through to the ranks faster than others?

The truth is that there is a system that you can follow to improve your chances of being the next person picked for promotion. It’s usually the difference between knowing what steps to follow or going to the school of hard knocks.

Here are 3 ideas that have been proven to improve your chances of promotion:

1. Strategic Relationships. Whom you know matters, and it matters even more than you think.  Your ability to create relationships with influential people is a fundamental skill to any great career.  Try to think of a job that is highly paid and has no connection to people. It’s almost impossible.  So who are 3 people that you would like to be in relationship with because you know they would have a positive impact on your career?

2. Outcome Orientation. You only get paid for results. You don’t get paid to go to work and be stagnant in an office chair (although it may feel like that).  In business, you only get paid for ‘done.’  If your products and projects were like a steak at a restaurant and the customer ordered it “Well done, thanks,” are you producing rare, medium or well-done outcomes? Make sure you give your clients and colleagues outcomes they want, not half-baked activity.

3. Elegant Communication. The words you choose impact your audience on many levels.  When a leader is able to to articulate a vision clearly, people can connect with that vision.  Through connection, they join the dots and then take action.  Your communication is a key part of your ‘personal brand.’  This goes right down to how you greet someone in the morning. Listen for words that people use that inspire you.  Then ‘insert’ these words in your language. A word recently that I enjoyed hearing was elegant, hence the title of this point.

So the next time you buy instant popcorn, remember that there are simple steps that you can take to produce a delicious, exciting and tasty career (low-fat, of course).

I’d love to hear your thoughts.