By Bizna Brand Analyst

During my few years in the corporate world, I have learned invaluable lessons that will last for the rest of my life. I am still a young man with lots of things to learn and feats to accomplish but I want to share what I have learned so far…

1. Respect is earned, not demanded.

Holding an executive position has levels of respect and even reverence that are intrinsic to it. But much like in the military you salute the rank and not the man. In the corporate world often time it is very much like this—people care about the position you hold instead of you.

This is particularly evident in the lower ranks of a company. They will salute you and call you sir, but when you give them your back they will mumble about how you are a lucky human and how things were just handed to you. This is why it’s far more important to earn the respect of people than to just demand it by way of your position.

2. You are only valuable for what you can provide.

You are only valuable as long as you can produce something, as long as you can bring something else to the table. The more rare what you provide is, the more valuable you are. This is applicable for many other fields in life, personal relations, friendships and yes, girls.

I have covered the issue of women and relationships extensively throughout my writing career. Girls only value you for what you can provide. If you can give them a strong figure that can be solid and stable support in her life she will truly respect you. Moreover, if you can do things that she is unable to do she will be in a situation of dependency.

You will only be valuable if you posses abilities that others do not, or do the things that they can in less time and can perform under pressure in a way that many of them cannot.

3. You need to have a strong personality to win.

Whether you are trying to convince a client, get better prices on tools, or a better interest rate for short-term money, you will need a strong personality. Same goes for that job interview for the job you want, or in some cases for the one you need. Confidence is a powerful tool that can open many doors. Unsurprisingly, people in positions of power often have a great deal of confidence; this means that they can easily recognize when confidence is genuine and when it is pose.

4. Your connections are vital.

You might be the most talented and hardworking individual but it wont matter in the end if you don’t have the right connections. People usually prefer to give opportunities to people they know and trust, even these people aren’t qualified enough. So the more the people who know and trust you, the better off you will be.

This is what I’ve learned from corporate life thus far, things that have shaped who I am and who I will become in the future. I hope this is useful to you and that it makes you a better man.