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Workforce Diversity For Engineering And IT Professionals Magazine, established in 1994, is the first magazine published for the professional, diversified high-tech workforce, which encompasses everyone, including women, members of minority groups, people with disabilities, and non-disabled white males. to advance in the diversified working community.

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 PROFESSIONAL SUCCESS DEPENDS ON RAPPORT WITH COLLEAGUES

“Many people believe they have to worry about pleasing only their higher-ups,” says Ben Carpenter, author of the new book The Bigs: The Secrets Nobody Tells Students and Young Professionals About How to Choose a Career, Find a Great Job, Do a Great Job, Be a Leader, Start a Business, Manage Your Money, Stay out of Trouble, and Live a Happy Life. “They believe if their boss is happy with them everything is going to be perfect.
 
“The reality is, your boss’s perception of you is largely going to be a reflection of how everybody else in the organization feels about you. If many, or even just a few, people in the organization feel negatively toward you, then your chances for success diminish significantly.”
 
Now and throughout your career, says Carpenter, you should build alliances and rapport with all of your colleagues. This attitude should extend from the security guards to the CEO.
 
Carpenter shares several ways to build rapport with everyone in your organization:
• Lend a helping hand. “You can set yourself apart from your peers in a very positive, very memorable way by lending a helping hand whenever you can,” Carpenter says. “When you don’t have to share your time, energy, or knowledge with someone but do so anyway, you’ll earn that person’s lasting respect and loyalty.”
• Don’t let anyone have anything negative to say about you. “It is important that everyone you come in contact with has a positive experience with you,” says Carpenter. “Even if someone is a pest, rude, or stupid, always treat him respectfully. One day you may be working with, or for, that person. Also, bear in mind how your boss views you will be heavily influenced by what people in the company tell her.”
• Think of your company before yourself. When you show that you’re willing to sacrifice your own interests for the good of the team, you’ll have gotten a huge head start on putting your name on the ‘promotable’ list. Show up before your boss and leave after she does…schedule personal appointments after business hours…work through lunch if your team is facing a looming deadline…respond to phone calls and emails ASAP, even at night, on the weekends, during vacations.
• Don’t agree to anything you don’t fully understand. “Early in my career, a client bullied me into saying ‘yes’ to a request I didn’t understand—and it cost my employer $25,000,” recalls Carpenter. “While covering up your own ignorance might not come with such a steep price tag, it’s still something you should avoid at all costs. Your integrity, credibility, and reputation— and possibly your job—are all at stake. It’s always better to swallow your pride and say, ‘I’m sorry, but I don’t understand. I need you to explain.’”
• When you’re upset, choose to look forward, not back. You can’t always control what happens to you, but you can control how you react and move forward. Don’t focus on your anger and irritation. Resolve to channel your thoughts and efforts toward playing the hand you’ve been dealt in a way that will benefit you the most and preserve your relationships.
• Learn to appreciate diverse work styles. No matter what the situation is, always try to seek out and utilize your team’s talents, even if they take a different approach from you. “You can never be sure you have the best answer until you’ve heard all viewpoints,” Carpenter says.
• Own your mistakes. “Refusing to own your mistakes doesn’t make you seem more competent; it reveals cowardice, callousness, and untrustworthiness,” Carpenter says. “I promise, if you’re a hardworking, valued employee, when you do own up to your mistakes, your confession will be viewed as a sign of strength, not weakness, by your coworkers.”
• Be a good steward of the “little” things. Pay attention to small, often-overlooked details, and you’ll distinguish yourself from the pack. Putting in just a little more work than most people are willing to do is a great way to propel you toward success.
• If you want to be a leader, act like one. “The best way to move up in the ranks is to lead in whatever position you’re in now,” confirms Carpenter. “Even if you’re the lowest man or woman on the totem pole, you can still display leadership qualities like having integrity and a good attitude, providing others with helpful feedback, and treating them with respect.”
• Do what you say you’re going to do, when you say you’re going to do it. One basic requirement for doing an outstanding job is to handle all your work-related tasks, large or small, in a timely manner. If your job is to get a report done by Friday, get it done by Friday. If HR asks you to fill out a form today, do it promptly.
• Don’t complain about your job to your coworkers. There will be plenty of things you don’t like about your job, but if your comments get back to your boss, “she will think your behavior is unprofessional, and she’ll wonder why you didn’t talk to her directly,” assures Carpenter. “Meanwhile, you’ll be creating a reputation for yourself as a whiner. Any time you’re unhappy with something at work, bring them directly to your supervisor. If you feel that isn’t possible, continue to do the best job you can while looking for a more suitable position.”
• Don’t pick fights. Fighting in the office is a bad idea, period. It makes people unhappy and unproductive, and is a huge waste of time and energy. Nevertheless, serious office disputes are a fact of life for many people at some point during their careers.
 
“My best advice is to take the high road, even if you’re gritting your teeth the whole time,” Carpenter instructs. “Don’t engage with people when you know they’re trying to push your buttons. Do everything you can to keep your professional reputation a drama-free zone.”
 
• Don’t badmouth your coworkers. This is Carpenter’s personal golden rule for business: Never say anything negative about anybody in your office. “These comments have a way of getting back to the people they’re about,” observes Carpenter.
 
“Never forget: Everyone is important,” concludes Carpenter. “Don’t become so focused on pleasing your boss that you forget to develop positive relationships with the rest of your colleagues. Those relationships will directly shape your professional reputation, which will be just as instrumental as your résumé in achieving the success you want.”
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