Looking to get ahead? Then treat your colleagues’ right

Jobseekers today are faced with numerous obstacles, and clinching one’s dream job is almost impossible.

It is for this reason that a letter of offer is almost a miracle these days. This job offer contains various terms and regulations, including job titles, remuneration, duties and targets.

But unknown to many career builders, there are other unwritten rules the letter does not cover, but that determine the direction a career will take.

Top on the list is your ability to interact with your colleagues, and use them positively to move up the ladder.

So, what are some of the dos and don’ts when it comes to treating your colleagues well for the sake of career success?

The Dos:

Top on the list is fitting in with the organisation’s culture. A learning attitude will come in handy so you can grasp as much as possible during your orientation or induction training.

Second, ensure you clean up your social network, including your Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn posts. Some profiles and posts may embarrass your colleagues and make them rue their association to you.

Third, learn to celebrate your colleagues’ successes, even if it means that you lost. Genuinely congratulate them when they receive recognition and accolades. The law of attraction says whatever you focus your attention and energies on is also actualised in your life. This, therefore, means that if you get into the habit of wishing others well and celebrating their success, success will locate you sooner rather than later.

Fourth, dress and groom yourself appropriately. Though the dressing culture varies from organisation to organisation, common decency must be observed by all. Do not subject your workmates to body oduor or overly strong perfumes. Be considerate.

Lastly, it is important to be a team player and hard worker. Be a doer, do not slack off and occupy work time with storytelling or gossip. Encourage your colleagues to be productive. Do not hold them back from their quest to attain the organisation’s goals. Be a giver, not just a taker. Experts note that givers are the happiest and most successful people in the world. This because the secret to greatness is service to many.

The Don’ts:

Top on the list is being anti-establishment. If you loathe the organisation that you work for, chances are that sub-consciously, your mind becomes a factory of negative vibes and you will discourage others, kill their dreams and sabotage the organisation’s success. Individuals who are anti-establishment are auto-rejected and shunned by colleagues. They are never assigned leadership roles or sensitive projects, and find themselves missing out on growth opportunities like promotions.

Second, being the office manipulative bully who coerces others to serve their selfish interests without considering their victims’ personal welfare or even the negative impact of their actions on the organisation’s bottom line.

Third, getting involved in dirty office politics. This is because discussions in this vein will always centre on a colleague’s or organisation’s downfall. Most people who engage in dirty office politics tend to be miserable and unfulfilled in their careers.

Since you cannot succeed in a vacuum, treating your colleagues well is one of the best ways to build a successful career.

The writer is a human resource specialist and co-author of ‘The Career Code’.

goretti@peoplelink.co.ke