“There’s no opportunity at my company”, “It’s all about who you know”, or “My company plays favorites” : How to flip these negative thoughts.

I’ve heard a lot of people inside and outside of work lately saying something along the lines of, “There’s no opportunity at my company”, “It’s all about who you know”, or “My company plays favorites”. You hear these at every company, and while these statements are probably true for some companies and jobs, they are also outside of your control. What you can control is how you react when those things happen. What are YOU doing to place yourself in a better position at your job?

Let’s take a look at these three common statements you may hear around your job and how to flip them to your benefit.

• “There is no opportunity at my company”
  • Not getting any chances at work to do extra things? Not being given any opportunities? See that word there? GIVEN? Sometimes you will have an amazing boss who knows exactly what makes you tick. They will give you everything you need. Most of the time a boss doesn’t. They aren’t mind readers. You should always be specific with your boss. Let them know what you have an interest in, and what opportunities you want. Once you do that, wait a bit. If you still aren’t getting any chances to do other things, ask your boss what you need to do to get those opportunities. Once they tell you that answer, you know exactly what you have to do moving forward. One of the biggest mistakes people make is waiting around for an opportunity to fall in their lap. You have to go out and get it. If not, someone else is, and they are passing you by. Don’t expect to do the bare minimum while others are going above and beyond the duties of the role they were hired for and expect a promotion to be handed to you.

• “It’s all about who you know”
  • You know what? This statement is true. Not in the sense that most people understand it. Not in getting preferential treatment. It is all about who you know in the aspect of getting your great work exposed to as many people as possible. This is not kissing up. It’s building positive relationships with everyone from peers, bosses, subordinates, and executives. Let me phrase it this way, I always say, every interaction you have with someone is a job interview. If you have a reputation of being a go getter with a great attitude, who always goes above and beyond without asking for anything in return, it will make your opportunities grow immensely. Be friendly with people. No one wants to be around someone who is negative all the time. If you don’t know how to get started with networking check out another article I wrote called, Networking ~ How to get started.

• “My company plays favorites”
  • From the outside looking in, yes, most companies do. From the inside looking out, most companies rely on people they know they can count on in a pinch. I’m not saying there aren’t some bosses out there that truly do play favorites. What I’m saying is look at those people and be honest with yourself. Are they people with a positive attitude? Are they people that go above and beyond? If you are still thinking no, ask your boss, “I see Jane and John getting a lot of opportunities lately and I’m wondering what I need to do to get some of the same?” Now take what they gave you and meet those expectations. Isn’t that better then complaining to a friend who can do nothing to help your situation? You’ll be shocked how much taking that approach will improve your career and overall quality of life at work. If you still feel like there are favorites go to your boss’s boss and ask what you need to do to get opportunities in the future.

Bottom line is, you will go nowhere with a negative attitude. You won’t have success in life or career. Don’t let the things that happen around you dictate your success and happiness. There are things that happen to us every day that we can’t control. The choice you have is, am I going to look at this as an opportunity or am I just going to complain and ruin the rest of my day, week, or month. As I stated above, you need to go out and take your career and your success in the direction you want it to go. No one is going to just give it to you. Like with a GPS system you have to know where your destination is!  With help, direction, and drive you will make it!

I’m here to help!

Dale & Dinora