How to jump to the front of the line

Can we talk about the vaccine? Everyone else seem to be talking about it, in fact, the subject has come up in almost every conversation I have had in the past 2 weeks. There are even Facebook forums devoted to the subject: Who was able to get it? Where did they get it? How did they get an appointment, especially if they were under 65 and not working in healthcare?

We have all heard stories about the people who were not in a priority group, yet somehow, they managed to get a vaccine. These people are not necessarily more essential, more “at risk”, or more deserving than we are — they are just more connected, more creative and/or more tenacious.

There are many instances where the rules say, “be patient”, “wait your turn”, or “first pay your dues”, and yet we all know people who have bypassed the rules and jumped to the front of the line. The Tony award-winning musical, How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying is a fictional tale of one man’s quick journey from the mailroom to the boardroom in Corporate America, and while some of his strategies seem unlikely to work in the real world, they are not that farfetched. If you have ever worked for a family-owned business, you know how unlikely it is that someone outside of the family is promoted to a top position. You have also probably seen family members get jobs for which they were not qualified. Even in partnerships and publicly held companies, “strategic decisions”, “cronyism” and “politics” often factor into who gets promoted and who gets the boot.

If you have been waiting for that dream job or big promotion that puts you in an income category that changes your life, there is a way to jump to the front of the line. The rules say continue to do good work and promote your accomplishments in hopes that someone both recognizes you and decides that it is in their best interests to hire or promote you. But creative and tenacious people often take a different path: they create their own corporate ladder by starting a business and becoming its CEO. New ventures and change are scary, but there are professionals who can hold your hand and walk you through the process, step by strategic step. Are you ready to build your own, sturdy ladder?