What's better than a salary?

No, this isn't an eyeball-catching headline to get you to click. There is a strong train of thought that says that if you spend your career solely focused on salary, you'll lose out in the long run.

Times are hard and your salary pays the monthly bills. But if that's your primary job criteria, there’s a good chance that you'll never get ahead of the game and you'll be living hand to mouth your entire life.

Then there’ll be the nagging feeling that so many people are doing better than you. I'm not saying money doesn't matter. The goal here is to achieve financial success, enjoy the process, and feel good about the result.

However, when it comes to your career, you need to look at the big picture. If your focus is too myopic or narrow, you won't achieve big things. A higher salary doesn't trump working at a company with greater opportunity for promotion to the next level. Does it?

This isn’t made up, it’s serious stuff culled from a number of professionals who have been giving career advice that works in the real working world. With that in mind, let’s look at the issues.

10 Things More Important Than Your Salary

1. Your goals. Yogi Berra said, "If you don't know where you're going, you may not get there." He was right. You need to have goals and a plan. You can (and should) revise them anytime, but you need to have them and focus on them. If you're smart, opportunistic, adaptable, and work hard, you'll achieve great things ... including financial success.

2. Loving what you do. Steve Jobs commented "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. You have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life. The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle."

3. The company you work for. There is one common secret to career success that’s mentioned by many. Think of every company as a possible spaceship to the moon. You've got to get on the ship, but if the ship can't get you there, what's the point? Work for a winning company where you'll have room to advance or an entrepreneurial company where you can wear lots of hats. You have choices. Exercise them.

4. How opportunistic you are. Given the choice between skill at negotiating a fat package and being adept at creating your own opportunities and making your own luck, most would choose the latter.

5. How hard you work. These days it's more popular to talk about working smart than working hard. You need to do both. Success does not come without hard work. You need to be willing to do whatever it takes to achieve your goals.

6. Your attitude. If you believe that you earn everything you get, are willing to work your socks off to get that promotion, and have a can-do attitude no matter what's thrown at you, then that promotion is yours, guaranteed.

7. Making an impact on the business. Business is about business, and the closer you get to making a real impact on the business, the more valuable you'll be to the company, the more opportunities for growth and advancement you'll have, and the more money you'll make.

8. Opportunity to get out and network. If you're locked away behind a desk after day, your opportunities are limited. But a job where you can get out into the industry and network and shake the right hands is like gold to a young up-and-comer. In terms of future opportunity, it's worth far more than a fat paycheque.

9. Equity ownership. In my experience, your salary pays the mortgage and bills and they have a funny way of rising to meet your salary. Equity, on the other hand, is a potential windfall that, by definition, you absolutely cannot count on until it's liquid. It also adds an element of diversity to your income since it's based on the whole company's performance, not just yours.

10. Pay for performance. Salary is only part of the compensation picture. If you're aggressive and believe in yourself, you can benefit more from a healthy, well-structured, and somewhat open-ended bonus plan where your goals are clear and achievable and you can knock them out of the park.

It is our belief that if you focus on these 10 things instead of purely on your salary, you'll do far better in the long run. Especially financially.

One final thought. If you're challenged, gratified, engaged, like your boss, have better benefits, flexible conditions, etc., you'll be happier and perform better in the long run. That goes without saying, doesn’t it?

As ever, thoughts and comments are welcome. http://www.chestertongray.com