Mistake #2 is being loyal. That's a surefire way to never get anywhere. For me it's a learned skill to be sure. I learned it when I saw that people whom managem

Mistake #2 is being loyal. That's a surefire way to never get anywhere. For me it's a learned skill to be sure. I learned it when I saw that people whom management is afraid to lose are promoted ahead of everybody else. So I make sure my managers know that I re-evaluate my options about once a year. I'm also "well respected" and paid very well, but unless things are going spectacularly well for me, no one is under an impression that I'll stick around. I think it's fair. Those same people would fire my ass if they weren't getting good value out of me, so it follows that I should do the same and expect good value out of them.