The other day, several leading officials of the municipal education commission came and inspected our school and work. Among them was a young lady, who used to be my colleague many years ago. So I said casually in the office, “I never thought that she would be promoted to be vice director of the bureau. We really have to regard her with new eyes after three days’ separation.”

“You’re not sophisticated enough, though you’re no longer young.” Someone responded. “I can tell you guys,” she continued. “I knew from the very first encounter with her that she would be promoted sooner or later.” “Just watch him/her talk and you’ll have some idea how successful he/she will be in the future.” She added, obviously pleased with her sharp observation.

“I worked with her in the same office back then. And the impression I got was that she was a pretty but common girl, who seemed good at teaching. She was not very active but talked gently with a sweet voice. In one word, she appeared socially inexperienced but always pleasant to be with and talked to. We had a good time together but honestly it never occurred to me that she would take such an important position.” I said in an as-a-matter-of-fact manner.

Frankly, I was a little upset by the fact that I was not able to see through a person, or more exactly judge a person correctly at an early stage. Are there some sure signs that indicate that you will be promoted? Truth be told, becoming an official is a dream of many people. In China, however, there’re no definite signs or standards or whatever that you can judge by. We can not ignore one fact: those “father and mother officials” are not elected. So it’s just hard to say who will surely be promoted in the future.

However, I personally believe that three factors must be taken into consideration: Your strong intention to climb the social ladder, your social background, and the preference of your superior. You may wonder if I carelessly left out one important thing: one’s personal qualities. No, I didn’t. I agree one’s personal qualities can be significant and sometimes plays a vital role in the choice of “leaders”. But in my view, your excellent qualities could be overlooked, at least in many cases. Of course, it is a good thing if you happen to have some excellent qualities that are badly needed. And it could be a great plus. But it is not fundamental and decisive, according to my life experiences.

If you have a strong ambition to be “one above many others”, chances are you’ll finally make it. Of course, you have to pay some price: You may have to be the kind of person that your “boss” likes, which means that you sometimes have to say or do something that you otherwise would not. It can be a great challenge for many people, for you have to do it naturally and genuinely. And you have to impress him/her continuously, namely on a daily basis, not just once or twice!

If you are not so fortunate as to be able to fall into the first category, don’t feel disappointed. The second factor is even more important. If you are lucky enough to be born into a good or suitable family, chances could be better. Take the young lady for example, she does have good people skills but if she had not had a good father, who was principal of a school at that time, things would have been different. She was first admitted into the education bureau through civil service exam, which enabled her to skip over many steps. Then through nobody knows how, she came out as a leader. Once you are placed in the position, you would automatically look like an administrator. You have the ability to learn, don’t you? And there’re usually many training workshops.

As for the last factor, it seems you have to leave it to your fate. A friend of mine, who used to work in the local taxation bureau, belonged to the traditional type of “honest” people. I suppose you know what I mean here. However, he was hard-working and did his job well, at least in his superior’s eyes. And that was just what his boss believed to be the most important quality as a person. Therefore, bingo! He was promoted like a rocket, as you can imagine. Of course, he was grateful and obedient to his talent scout.