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I remember it well, my first job. In the early days, I would walk in all fired up to get to work. I had a great attitude and was excited about work. Then it happened. I got stuck in a rut. I no longer had that desire and fire like in the beginning. I did not feel like I was moving forward and no longer felt like I was part of the team.

It was at this point I realized I had a problem. I was not going to be able to move forward in my job or my career unless I learned some new skills. Fortunately, just in time, a wise man grabbed me and taught me the 4 Secret Skills to career advancement and not losing my job.

I realized as I used these 4 Secrets that not only did I advance in my career, but also I was taken to my dreams. Without further ado, here are the 4 Secrets, so you too can succeed in your career as well!

1. Proper Attitude

A proper attitude is one of the most important possessions in your life. I cannot stress enough that a proper attitude is the # 1 secret. You must approach life with the "can do" attitude. You have to believe in yourself and you have to believe in being positive. This alone will separate you from the herd.

If you are one of those people who is preoccupied about who Brad Pitt is dating, or worried about someone else in another department, then you do not have the proper attitude. If you begin a task with a negative attitude, or by thinking you will not succeed, then you do not have the proper attitude. If you do your work half-heartedly, then you do not have the proper attitude.

What is the proper attitude? The proper attitude is one of focusing on the job at hand, giving it your fullest attention, believing in yourself, and doing your best. The positive attitude also includes honesty. It is honesty with yourself, your employer, your family, friends, or significant other.

That's all there is to it! At work you need to be part of the solution, not part of the problem, whether working alone or as part of a group. If you work hard, and give your best with a positive attitude, you will have just become the dream employee!

How do you get this attitude? That leads to secret number #2.

2. Personal Development

You must be doing personal development. This is a key to your moving forward. One of the first questions I would ask a prospective employee was: What books are you reading? That alone would give an indication of what the person thought was important.

I ask you now. What books are you reading? What Web sites do you visit? What seminars or workshops are you attending? Are you taking any continuing education? What is your personal plan for personal development, for personal improvement?

To maintain a proper attitude in today's world, we need to keep putting good stuff in our minds. Remember the old computer saying? "Garbage in, garbage out." It is the same for our intellect and soul. You need to get some positive material to help you get through the negative times and negativity.

To really apply this secret, get yourself 30 minutes of personal development every day.

I will suggest one tool that is free. Every morning, http://www.morningcoach.com gives 15 minutes of free coaching. It is a great way to start your daily personal development.

3 Listening Skills

Knowing how to listen is a critical secret. You need to learn how to truly listen, not just "hear" what others are saying. Nothing will make you move up faster than taking a legitimate interest in what your employer and fellow employees have to say.

Listening is learning to quiet what you want to say and absorbing what the other person wants you to hear. How do you listen well? You prepare to listen by stopping what you are doing and focusing on the other person. You then listen to their words, feelings, and needs as they talk to you. You can repeat a condensed version back to them to ensure you understood, allowing them time for clarification, before you say what you want to say.

In conversation, many of us say something, and then do not listen to the other person's reply because we are preparing what we want to say next. I know, not you! Well, stop talking and start listening!

Like that wise man told me, "You have two ears and one mouth for a reason."

4. Organization Skills

The 4th, and final secret is to get organized! There are six basic things that you need to organize:

1. Your contacts. Make sure you have a place to store all the valuable information about your contacts. This includes fellow employees, employers, friends, etc.

2. Your tools. We lose so much time looking for things such as paper clips, scissors, and CDs. Manage your workspace to minimize searching for necessary tools.

3. Your time. Use a planner to manage your personal projects and goals. Use the Plan, Do, Check, Act format.

4. Your daily action plan. Create a daily action plan, or use a daily to-do list or a checklist, to remember everything you need to accomplish each day.

5. Your calendar. Use a calendar to stay on top of appointments and future projects.

6. Your work journal. Keep a work journal, where you can store your thoughts and be creative with ideas. It is also great to take notes in at meetings.

The most important way to stay organized is finding the tools you are going to use and sticking with them. Do not change just because a new toy came out. Get good at your system. It does not have to be fancy - it just needs to work!

If you take these 4 Secrets and apply them you will be ahead of 95% of the workforce today. You will become invaluable to you employer and you will advance faster than you could ever imagine.

Is it easy? No way! I never said it was going to be. But you can do it! The key is the constant development every day and doing so with the proper attitude. You can make a difference in your own life and it can start today.

Get organized, get positive, hone your listening skills, and work on you. That is the real secret to moving up in your career!

Go do it!

James (J.B.) Glossinger mba, phd is a speaker/consultant/coach. He is the author of Get Out of Neutral: Manifest the Life Experience You Desire and founded the largest real-time personal development site on the Web: Personal Development

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