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We all know that the image of Juan Tamad sitting under a tree waiting for the fruit to fall into his open mouth is not representative of the Filipino though a long time ago colonizers ingrained the image in our consciousness, saying that this is the attitude that pervades among us as a people. Most, if not all of the traits listed below, are as universal as laziness but they’re also known by Filipino terms, which mean they are as pervasive in the workplace as they are fact. There’s only one thing to get ahead: get rid of them. Landing that promotion you’ve been eyeing for months doesn’t only mean having the skills, the trick is to distinguish yourself form the pack by having the attitudes that spell success. Pick out the right from the wrong Pinoy values and finally land that plum position.

Never Think That Men are Better
Because the times dictate that two-income households are better than one, more and more women are joining the labor force everyday. But the fact is, there are still more men in the business scene but to have this as a cause for worry is an outdated notion that only the worst excuse-finding female can believe it.

Is the Pinoy work culture as male-dominated as we think? “I used to think so,” says Michi Barcelon, personnel manager. “Used to is the operative phrase. I used to think it was male dominated because when I was younger, there were more men and most of my previous heads were male. Over the years, I’ve noticed that the business landscape has changed, there are a lot of women managers and women chief executive officers in a lot of organization. Now, dominance is in terms of sheer number only.”

Though there are still systems in some organizations that tend to reinforce “male domination,” gender is no longer an obstacle to getting ahead. “In the Philippine setting, it’s still competency that rules,” says Barcelon. “Whether you’re male or female as long as you do the job—that’s the trend of recruitment right now.

Get Rid of the Talangka Mentality
Jenny, 24, is a copywriter for a Makati-based advertising agency. When her co-worker Gina, got promoted to the position of senior copywriter, Jenny refused to admit that Gina deserved the promotion. Gina was hired around the same time Jenny did and Jenny believed she was at par, in terms of skills, with Gina. So Jenny joined other sour-graping co-workers in the lunchroom gossiping about Gina’s other supposed deficiencies which, Jenny thought, were enough not to have given Gina the promotion.

Angeline Castro, a senior vice president of an investment bank says that pulling down another person on her way up is a sure sign that you’re not management material. “Though you may feel bad about not being picked for a promotion does not mean you will never get to climb the corporate ladder ever,” says Castro. “Get over your hurt feelings quickly then congratulate the promoted person. Back-biting will only make you wallow in self-pity longer than you have to. Plus, your sour attitude might spill over to the way you deal with others, making you look like a pouting child—definitely not the kind of image you want to project.” Castro, who was passed over for a promotion twice before landing the position she is in now, says that the way to get over being passed up is not by pulling another person down but by analyzing why she was promoted instead of you, and thinking of the things the other person did that landed her within sight of management. The make a plan to do those things yourself—and more!

Get Rid of the “Puwede na ‘yan” Blahs
When you have a deadline to meet or when you’re just too tired or too lazy to do more than what is required, you fall into the trap of submitting something passable and not something excellent enough to make your boss sit up in amazement.

“I used to think that since I was only getting paid this much, I should only turn in work I thought was worth my low salary,” says Anna, an executive assistant working in a retail company. “I was wrong. After a while, I knew that my boss was not happy with my work when I got less and less of the assignments, which mattered and was given the non-thinking, encoding jobs. The things that required a little more analysis, a little more after-work overtime were given to a colleague. After six months, that colleague was promoted to an account executive position. She’s out of the office earning commissions while I was stuck in the office doing the typing jobs.”

“Good work is always noticed,” Castro says. “And if you keep at it, people will notice that you are the one doing the good job. The key is never to be satisfied with just meeting the deadline. You must meet the deadline with work that is unexpectedly good all the time.” Surprise your boss with the extra effort you put in the job. It could be in the form of some research, some relevant trivia from marketing, an excellent presentation. Though it may be puwede na, it will be overlooked when something amazing comes along.

Don’t Fall Into the Mañana Habit
The bukas-na-lang habit is not just a Filipino trait. It also goes by the name procrastination, or what mothers call “just plain laziness.” It’s a tempting trap one should guard against. If procrastination is affecting your performance, you might want to do something about it before it’s too late. Mitchel Posner, author of Executive Essentials lists some helpful tips:

1. Divide and conquer. If you have taken to procrastinating because of the immensity of the work before you, break it up into smaller, less unwieldy jobs. Once you start accumulating small victories and accomplishments, the momentum will carry you through the whole task.

2. The Balance Sheet Method. Get a sheet of paper and make a balance sheet. One side of the sheet is for all the wonderful things that will result if you do this job now. The other side is for all the reasons why you’re putting it off. If there are good, solid reasons putting off the job, they will show clearly. If there are none, you’re just procrastinating.

3. Prioritize. Do the important things first. Learn to organize your work so that you give the greatest and most immediate attention to the most important jobs. You want to be known as someone who always comes through on the big jobs. That’s how you build a reputation—not by accomplishing the little things that don’t matter.

4. Do it right the first time. Of course if you’re putting off doing something and you’re doing it a second and third time because of a lack of understanding between you and your superiors, then you might consider making check lists and taking down better notes.

5. Set deadlines. Conceptualize a task within a time frame. You can set a deadline for practically anything. Then use the techniques outlined above.

Break Muna
Taking five to get some air or going out for a quick breather from a load of work is okay and will not be taken against you. But if the merienda or yosi break happens too often every single day, you can be sure it will be noticed. One CEO of a publishing company was heard asking, “Why do they keep going on breaks to eat even when they’re not hungry?” referring to a couple of executives.

Possner says that though you’re judged by your accomplishments and not be how many hours you put in the job or by how much breaks you took in a ten-hour workday, you can be sure taking five too many times that it amounts to an hour doesn’t create a good impression. It’s unproductive and it slows down your momentum.

One solution, Castro says, is to accomplish the things you have to and take the longer break after. That way, you reward yourself by taking the break at the end of the job. If you keep your mind on the job until it’s done, your break will be less stress-filled and you don’t lose time gaining back the momentum you lost starting anew after every break.

Keep in mind that with the proper work ethic and behavior, you can do anything. If you’re hell-bent on getting that promotion, then what’s waiting for you at the top is worth all the sacrifice you’ve done to get there.