10 Business Behaviors That Are Essential to Advancing Your Career

By Tanya Smith

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The path to career advancement has changed quite a bit from years past, but there are still a few key behaviors you must fine-tune if you want to keep moving your career forward. Regardless of whether you're planning to move up with your current employer or take the leap into entrepreneurship, the basic business competencies in this report will help you reach your objectives.

The first step is to identify what success means to you and how far you'd like to advance. Once you have a clear idea of where you want to go, review the business behaviors below to make sure you're fully prepared to move forward as quickly as possible.

1. Financial responsibility. If you can't manage your finances, you will have difficulty managing others. Being financially conscious can help prepare you for success in your career advancement opportunities.
2. Relationship-oriented. Strong professional relationships are vital to career growth. No matter how far you advance, you will always need the support of others to help you reach your goals.
3. Technology-friendly. Familiarity with technology can help you overcome technical challenges and recognize new possibilities for saving time and money within your organization (which will look great to your superiors and help prove your potential for further advancement).
4. Strong personal brand. A personal brand will help you become recognized as the go-to person when others are looking to fill positions that match your skills and strengths. When your name springs to mind every time a new opportunity in your field opens, you will have no shortage of career advancement opportunities to choose from.
5. Self-awareness. Don't shy away from your weaknesses; instead, hone them by educating yourself and pursuing opportunities to learn new skills whenever possible. You don't have to know it all, but you do have to be willing to learn when given the chance.
6. Salesmanship. You might not hold an official "sales" position, but you do have to know how to sell yourself and your potential to others. Essentially, you have to know how to market yourself confidently so your personal brand will be top of mind when new positions come available.
7. Problem solving skills. If you hope to advance your career, you have to be able to identify and solve problems that cross your path. Whether you bring a team together to brainstorm solutions or work better on your own, the important thing is to confront issues headfirst and prepare potential resolutions.
8. Optimism. Having a glass-half-full attitude will help you keep a cool head that will leave your eyes open to answers when you're faced with stressful situations. A healthy dose of optimism can be contagious, too, lifting the spirits of those around you and causing everyone to be more productive.
9. Value-centered. Staying true to your values and those of your employer will help you lead with authenticity, which will leave you and your staff more fulfilled.
10. Strategic thinker. Strategic thinkers will be more prone to prioritizing tasks and effectively achieving goals. In short, strategic thinkers will become seen as the people who get things done, which can only help you skyrocket your career further.

By honing these 10 essential business behaviors, you will be well on your way to a satisfying career that is ripe with opportunities for steady advancement.