While most people think office politics are the sole path to promotion, getting there and staying there are two entirely different feats. Once you get the big promotion, you are going have to work to keep it. Here are 7 tips to help you succeed after the big promotion.

1 – Keep a list of industry changes that are currently trending. Link those trends to what is happening in your current position. If you can see the line of sight to where the industry is going, you are ahead of the game.

Don’t just list the trends, take time to analyze them. What effect will they have on your current position? What type of training will you need in order to gain knowledge in that area? Understanding trends as they occur will help you to hold a knowledgeable conversation with management when the situation arises.

2 – List previous trends that have occurred in your industry. You can not understand where you’re going until you know where you’ve been. Make a list of changes that have occurred in your industry in the past 10 years. Think about it, if you don’t recall the changes from 8-Track tapes to cassettes to CD’s, just how informed are you?

3 – Learn company history. Every company has a DNA. While you may not be tested on the subject, knowing a company’s past successes and failures are extremely important. When you learn about the failures, you understand which roads not to travel down. Learning their successes keeps you from re-inventing the wheel.

4 – Join professional on-line networking groups such as LinkedIn. Keeping your finger “on the pulse” of your industry helps you to understand what other professionals in your field are doing, not only in your local area, but worldwide. Remember – keep it professional.

5 – Write it out. Find sites on the Internet or magazines that are looking for writers in your field. A well-written, published article or two will go a long way in identifying your name as an expert in the field.

6 – Keep track of any legislation that may touch not only your company, but your profession as well. For example, the health care reform bill may not touch you directly, but it can have a major impact on the organization. When management needs to meet to discuss changes in the organization due to proposed legislation, you will be able to provide well thought out insights and ideas.

7 – Attend training, meetings and seminars. Knowledge is a powerful tool. Gather the information and tools that you will need by attending events that will help bolster your skill sets.

It does not matter how you got your promotion, whether it was office politics or simply being the best person for the job, keeping a promotion is going to continue to take work. Even those who get promoted through questionable practices can not hide their lack of industry, company and job knowledge when it is put into daily play. The time to prepare for a promotion is before it happens.