Will working late/working extra hours help? Ask this question and most are likely to give the 'editorial' answer, "working late is not an indication of hard work and is not the way to climb the ladder."
But trust me, if you want to move up and move up fast, you have to work late. And mind it, working late does not mean over stressing. Working stressed and working late are two different things. Sometimes, both come-up together and you will have a hard time but that's ok as long as it is sometimes.
Imagine Einstein who refuses to think about possibilities outside the lab hours.
Putting in extra hours, when required is a necessary part of learning and growing. Extra hours are not necessarily in the form of physical presence in the office. It could be all about getting the work done. This is especially true if you are connected to the IT world where most of the work happens online or through emails. Or if you are a creative guy in an advertising firm. You never know which idea can strike you at what time.
Being available for the company for most part of the day is a necessary 'skill' to grow. The word skill is probably not right but I use it because this 'quality' is a rare find. You still find people who want to work from 9 to 5 and yearn for growth, all at the same time.
If you carefully notice the work hours now, they are not as they used to be. You are constantly taking calls from family, sometimes banking online, booking tickets, etc. Nothing wrong with that as long as you are not using the productive time. At the same time, even work, these days, don't come looking at the time. We are in a global village, handling customers from all over India, Asia and the world. Therefore, it makes sense for us to be available for work as you take time off work while in office. If you are taking good care of your health, spending ample time with family, and have a decent leisure life, it makes sense to make yourself 'available' across the day for your office. You have the comfort to send an approval from home or answer a few questions your sales team in US needs urgently.
Take care of these things and of course, can't miss out on the following qualities: > being accountable
> committed
> have the ability to execute your plans
> exercising an extraordinary sense of judgment
> having a good sense of timing
> being proactive
> being willing to take calculated risks
> thinking for the larger good of the company
If you have these qualities and you take care of work irrespective of the time, then you ARE climbing the ladder, up.
