5 Steps Up the Corporate Ladder
               ~ Morgan McKean

There is a huge need in many of us to try and climb the corporate ladder. It might be because you want to feel a certain level of prestige or perhaps it fuels your passion, at the least, you probably experience it because the paycheck that comes along with the position helps you keep up your lifestyle, or gets you to the type of life you want. Regardless of your reasoning, its there, so let's take the necessary steps to get you where you want to be.

Step 1. The Map ~ Anytime you want to get to a particular destination you usually need a map in order to know what path to take, the career path is no different. So, the first thing you need to do is get clear about where you want to be on the path, it maybe the Chairman of the Board, a Regional Sales Representative or C.E.O of the company. Whatever it is, write out a map to your desire position and include some landmarks you think you can cross on your way there. The mind and soul like to feel accomplishment, thus reaching these interim goals along the way will build self-confidence, putting you on the fast track to your destination.

Step 2. The Mindset ~ Now you know where you want to go, but do you have the mindset to get there. Much of what we want to experience has to do with who we are being. When you declare yourself to be a certain thing your habitual thought pattern begins to make a shift in that direction. If you want to be the C.E.O. of your company start thinking as you believe a person in that position would think. Analyze what is going on in your department and other departments you communicate with. See where you can assert yourself in accomplishing tasks that you would otherwise leave up to the superiors in your office. As you declare yourself to be a particular thing and then act upon that declaration, things around you will correspond to who you are thus bumping you up one more rung.

Step 3. The Process ~ No-thing of greatness ever happened in an instant, you must be willing to commit yourself to a process. The longer you declare yourself to be whatever it is you choose to be the more clear the message is that you are sending to your mind. The sooner your mind accepts this new declaration, the more apt you are to make choices and take action that will reflect this new state of being -- which is part of getting you to your destination on the corporate ladder.

Step 4. The Network ~ We all know that there is a lot to be said for "who you know", but more important than who you know, it's how well you know them. Because we're all so busy trying to increase the size of our Rolodex, many of us miss the opportunity to nurture and cultivate those already in them into quality relationships. You may already have an amazing network of people whom you never see, nor take the time to find out how you may serve each other, because you emphasis your energy on networking to find new people. Think of nurturing your current relationships as nurturing more opportunities to climb the ladder because, who are you more likely to recommend for a new position, someone you met once at a party or the person who you see, talk to or email a couple of times a month, think about it.

Step 5. Dressing for Success ~ Even though none of us may like to think about this, we are judged on our physical presentation of ourselves at ALL times. Perhaps there is no time more crucial to dress in a manner that is consistent with those around you than in a professional atmosphere. Even in seemingly casual professional situations you are still marketing a product, and the product you are marketing is yourself. Whether it is at a social / professional event, the first time you are meeting a potential employer or the moment you score big on a project in your current job -- you want to do your best to always look the part for the place you want to be on the ladder of success.

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