As people grow in their careers at corporates, they often wonder what they could have done better to be more successful in corporate life. Being able to figure out the balance between technical skill and soft skills is always intriguing.

After a lot of introspection I understood there are three things that decide how long & successful your careers will be in corporate; and ironically none of them are related to technical skills. Either by nature or nurture it’s easy to develop these traits before entering the corporate world.

1. Willingness to learn- It was during my college days when I was the coordinator of the Student Placement Committee, I always got a lot of opportunities to interact with HRs of various organisations. I always wondered what HR or Business Managers were looking in us – we were fresher’s, had no domain knowledge, and had no clue about the work culture of corporate; but they still hired us and with good packages. I asked Konica Sharma & what she told had become a lesson for life. She told that as HR the first & most important thing that they look in any candidate is his attitude towards learning. If he has the willingness to learn, he will be able to acquire set of skills which will be needed to do his job.
2. Passion – When I try to study great leaders and their growth, I find this behavioural trait is common in them all. Their passion to achieve is unmatchable. The hunger to do something or achieve something new is very important to be a leader in the corporate society. Most of the people either end up just as an individual contributor or manager. The journey from being an individual contributor to a manager & finally a leader depends on the passion of the person. In corporate society, one has to be keep on moving up the ladder from time to time to be successful & passion helps you to achieve this every time. The time you become stagnant in corporate society, trust me – it means end of the world for you. So be passionate in whatever you do or choose work for which you have the passion.
3. Gratitude – One cannot achieve everything by themselves. They need help from lot of people. It may sound a little preachy but it’s equally important for success as well as survival in the corporate society. So many people help you in acquiring skills, nurturing skills, mentoring, advising etc. One must be grateful to these individuals. Like you seek blessings of the God, always seek blessings of these individuals as they have helped to grow you in your career. It will give mental piece & satisfaction- Most importantly it energies your mind & body.  I feel gratitude is one of the most important behaviour one need to have for successful in corporate society. Gratitude can be learned over a period of time. If you don’t have it right now, start practicing from today.

There are many behavioural traits one need to have to grow in the corporate society & the list is endless but I feel above three are must to have to have successful as well as healthy career in the corporate society.