Today, because of the onset of new technology, organizations are becoming more complex. Being organizationally-aware is critical.
In the book “How to Keep Your Job in a Tough Competitive Market”, Kitso & Calandra wrote: “If you are organizationally-aware, you reflect those values to the outside world.”
Indeed, not being organizationally-savvy means you’ll be less valuable, visible and paid. As executives, it is vital to be aware of the operating principles of success within one’s particular organization, and actively work to succeed within them.
Do the ordinary things extraordinarily well, every day. Success is rooted in doing the mundane everyday things better than anyone else.
Different skills are required at different stages of your career. First, one has to master the functional skills. Functional skills are competencies that are transferable to many different work settings. Developing a list of the functional skills you have and most enjoy using can help you focus on positions that would fit your talents and provide more satisfaction. Functional skills include: Communication, Organization Management, Research and Investigation, Information Management, Design and Planning, Human Service, and, Physical.
People skills and developing relationships are also essential. It is very important to keep channels open with superiors, peers, etc. It is also significant to communicate the appropriate amount of information to various audiences on a regular basis.
Understanding the motivations and concerns of constituents is also a crucial component of gaining support to accomplish organizational goals. Learning about each person as an individual is the key here.
Executives can build relationships by displaying a consistency of character, creating a bond of trust, making good decisions and striving to help others succeed.
Success is about adapting and being able to pivot quickly. Learning new set of skills will make you more creative. People who can make the change will lead companies!
Hands-on experience is critical — pure and simple hard work. As Stephen Covey puts it, “Growth is a natural process — you reap as you sow. To improve, we must start from where we are, not from where we should be, or where someone else is, or even from where others may think we are.” There are no shortcuts to success.
To be a successful Executive therefore, is to practice efficiency, innovation, creativity, collaboration and communication.