Free Article Submit ::

submitted: 2008-04-05 07:19:07 | by: JohnM.Reisinger
Total views: 39 | Word Count: 700 | |

According to the US Dept. of Commerce, 5.6% of business professionals earn $100,000 a year or more. That number rises to 15.8% if you consider household income. Earning a place in the top 5% of US wager earners happens by understanding the keys to career advancement. It has nothing to with being ruthless, selfish, or driven by blind ambition. And having a college degree is no guarantee either. Personally, I was 29 years old (I'm 38 now) when I first joined the $100,000 a year club. I finished just 3 years of college, but that never stopped me from consistently earning the elusive $100K a year. If you've ever wondered what's kept you from earning $100,000 a year it's likely one or more of these habits hindering your career development.

$100K Habit #1 - Consistently Deliver Really Big Promises

Most employees hate to make commitments because it obligates them to perform. They're happy to just do their jobs, collect their checks, and leave promises and commitments alone. Not so for the The highly paid professional. From their view, promises and commitments are synonymous with opportunity. By making significant contributions to both clients, and company. While others are thrilled to meet a quota they consider it failure. Shattering and rewriting quota systems by consistently making and delivering big promises and commitments is their self defined career path. As their reputation for making and delivering big promises grows, so do their career advancement opportunities from management and competitors alike.

Six-Figure Habit #2 - Acute Problem Awareness

I'm not talking about being aware of the latest gossip around the office. $100K Heightened Problem awareness is knowing the purpose of why you were hired for your role. Do you know what problems your company hired you to solve? People making less than six-figures might say, "Nobody ever told me". And that is why you haven't broken $100K. Six-figure earners have a highly acute radar for the most painful problems of their clients, co-workers, and management and how they might solve them. A side benefit of this habit is it uncovers potentially big promises they'll be able to deliver on.

$100K Habit #3 - Develop Innovations for Clients and Company

If you're not making what you think you're worth it's because you're afraid of mistakes. Chances are you're a loyal employee who marches lock-step to orders, and would never think to question the inane requests and projects that squander your most precious asset - time. The problem with doing this is that you aren't free to find the innovations beneath mistakes. Since six-figure professionals are about solving problems that require new approaches, they make a lot of mistakes and stir up the status-quo on the way to the solution. Stale procedures and "we tried that" attitudes just wont cut it. They're after innovations that make significant contributions in creating new offerings, lowering costs, increasing profits, and increasing good will for clients and the company.

$100K Habit #4 - Skillful Decision Making

Most employees hate to decide things. Although countless hours get wasted in meetings because of this, the Six-figure earner doesn't let it get her down. She makes decision with the information she has and has well thought out reasons for backing them up. She doesn't put her clients, or company in harms way with decisions that think of her career first either. She understands that not making a decision is a decision and that every decision has a consequence. She's quick to make decisions and slow to change them, because they're often excellent choices. Which makes her rare, and highly sought after.

Take a look at your career. Are any of these habits missing or noticeably weak? What's the last really big promise you made and delivered on? Only one? Find and deliver on 1 a month. How many problems have you found that you just didn't complain about, but researched their impact to your company and clients and championed? How many mistakes have you turned into innovations by looking outside your industry and previous jobs? Your clients and company needs those ideas, why not get recognized for brining it to them? To help you remember these six-figure habits think PAID: Promise. Awareness. Innovation. Decisions.

About the Author

Want to learn $100K habits? Work with Life Strategist John Reisinger to develop your own Career Advancement or Career Change strategy.

Comments

No comments posted.

You do not have permission to comment. If you log in, you may be able to comment.