By Jack and Suzy Welch
The modern marketplace demands that peoplepossess a wide range of skills. But what core qualities are truly essential tocareer advancement, regardless of industry or job?
The answer could fill a book and it has,thousands of times, if not more. Myriad experts claim that career advancementis a function of everything from extreme self-confidence to extreme humility(or both at once). Still others make the case that big-time professionalsuccess derives from more sinister behaviors, such as callous ambition orunfettered narcissism. And then there is the whole “positive thinking”bandwagon, which claims that getting ahead is primarily a function of believingyou can. In sum, there’s so much contradictory advice out there about the corecomponents of success that it’s enough to reduce you to a weary sigh of: “Whatever.”
Which is just fine. Because we’d suggest that you can’t really manipulateyourself into success with personality tweaks or even major overhauls. In fact,we’d say just the opposite. The most powerful thing you can do is, well, bereal. As in not phony. As in grappling, sweating, laughing, and caring. As inauthentic.
Yes, yes, we know the upper echelon of the corporate world has its share ofslick super achievers who appear simultaneously all-knowing and unknowable.They’re cool, poised, almost digitally enhanced in their affect. But suchbloodless executives, even the most technically skilled ones, rarely reach thehighest heights. They’re just too remote to move people. They can manage, butthey can’t motivate.
Now, we’re not saying that authenticity is the only quality you need forprofessional advancement. Everyone knows that to succeed in today’s competitiveglobal marketplace, you also have to be smart, curious, and highlycollaborative. You have to be able to work with diverse teams and ignite themas a manager to excel together. You need heaps of positive energy, the guts tomake tough yes-or-no decisions, and the endurance to execute—get the job done.And, indeed, you do have to possess self-confidence and humility at the sametime. That combination is called maturity.
We would also add two other qualities to the must-have list. One is heavy-dutyresilience, a requirement because anyone who is really in the game messes up atsome point. You’re not playing hard enough if you don’t! But when your turncomes, don’t make the all-too-human mistake of thinking getting ahead is aboutminimizing what happened. The most successful people in any new job always owntheir failures, learn from them, regroup, and then start again with renewedspeed, vigor, and conviction.
The other quality we’d mention is really special but quite rare: the ability tosee around corners, to anticipate the radically unexpected. Now, practically noone starts their career with a sixth sense for market changes. It takes time toget a feel for what competitors are thinking and what product or servicecustomers will eventually want - once they know it exists. But the bottom lineis, the sooner you develop this acumen, and the more you hone it, the fartheryou will go.
But not if you’re not real, too. Think of authenticity as your foundation, yourcenter, and don’t let any organization try to wring it out of you, subtly orotherwise. That happens. Companies have a way of tamping people down,particularly early on. Not that it happens with any kind of conscious planning,of course. But too many organizations manage to surreptitiously nudge peopletoward a generic type who keeps it all pretty well tucked in.
Meanwhile, if you put your whole self out there, bosses can complain that youact too emotional or get too close to teammates or become too worked up inmeetings. Your performance reviews will note: “Tom has some potential, but hejust doesn’t fit in.” Or “Sally has some rough edges, but with coaching, herintensity might even out.”
In time though, if you have everything else you need in terms of talent andskill, your humanity will come to be your most appealing virtue to anorganization. Your team and your bosses will know who you are in your soul,what kind of people you attract, and what kind of performance you want fromeveryone. Your realness will make you accessible; you will connect and you willinspire. You will lead.
So, getting back to the original question of this missive: Yes, the modernmarketplace does demand that people possess a wide range of skills to achievesuccess. Most of them you have to acquire, develop, and refine. But one of them- the most important one - is already inside you, ready to be let out. Don’tget in its way.
A version of this column originally appeared in BusinessWeek Magazine.
Jack Welch is Founder and DistinguishedProfessor at the JackWelch Management Institute at 
Suzy Welch is a best-selling author,popular television commentator, and noted business journalist. Her New YorkTimes bestselling book, 10-10-10: A Life Transforming Idea, presents a powerfuldecision-making strategy for success at work and in parenting, love andfriendship. Together with her husband Jack Welch, Suzy is also co-author of the#1 international bestseller Winning, and its companion volume, Winning: TheAnswers. Since 2005, they have written business columns for severalpublications, including Business Week magazine, Thomson Reuters digitalplatforms, Fortune magazine, and the New York Times syndicate.
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