Ahsan Gardezi
The pandemic has had quite the effect on our workplaces. With a still-shaky recovery, indifferent hiring policies, and unenthused timetable reshuffling, employees are looking for ways to get inspired. However, improving job performance gets you in the driving seat to rise up the ranks, should the opportunity arise. Put yourself in a position to allow some room for improvement – aim for the next big step. Looking ahead, here’s how to do well at your job.
Related: Changing Your Schedule When Lockdown Gets A Curtain Call
‘Whatever your life’s work is, do it well. A man should do his job so well that the living, the dead, and the unborn could do it no better.’
Martin Luther King, Jr. left behind these pearls of wisdom for the anxious souls that reside within us. What’s stopping you from achieving your dreams in the face of man-made adversity?
Most of us want to be good employees – and most of us want to excel at what we get hired to do. This simply isn’t a matter of being good at what we do; it involves professionalism, attitude, team work, and determination.
Get Organized | How To Do Well At Your Job
With the onslaught of mail, texting and everything else, it can be challenging to stay on top of your workload.
A couple months back, we ran this story about how to overcome procrastination at your workplace, that recommends productive techniques. Here for instance, let’s talk about email.
- Adopt a system prioritizing urgent items, dealing with short requests quickly, and putting fewer pressing matters on a to-do list.
- Delete junk and put less pressure on your technical skills.
- Impose some discipline on email interruptions. How do we do that? Apply restraint on some of your social media pseudo-warrior stints by visiting platforms like Facebook and Instagram twice during office hours.
- Check your inbox once every 30 minutes, and give yourself time to complete tasks that require concentration.
CAUTION: Don’t be a gossip.
It gets hard to be a bridge builder when you’re a gossip. No matter how good an employee you think you are, getting caught in gossip will quickly downgrade your standing with your bosses. Digressing let’s your focus adrift of your daily objectives, so try to counteract on such things that spoil growth!
Put Yourself In Your Boss’s Shoes
Your boss has a lot of things to think about. Put yourself in his/her shoes and plan.
The most effective strategy: Empathize and discover your boss’s style, so that you can imagine what they’re looking for in an employee.
For getting up-to-speed, ask them questions like:
- How did they come to their current job?
- Did they get promoted by default, simply because they were next in line?
- How hard was their journey to where they currently stand today?
Be innovative, be brave. Bosses love questions, especially if they’re simple – or stupid. As long as your work ethic is spotless, it won’t matter what you ask. Just be respectful!
Forging Relationships Outside Your Area | Coalition
Browsing in the food section at a grocery store is very similar to forging relationships outside your area of responsibility. A recipe has no soul. You, as the cook, must bring your soul to the recipe. Similarly, work isn’t fun if your soul isn’t in it.
Companies – even smaller ones – can be very political places. Ally yourself with people who can help you, including people who’re veterans of your workforce. Befriend colleagues who may be overlooked by others, those who work in human resources, custodial staffers, tech guys, and even security guards.
Build your own coalition. You might not realize it yet, but doing all this is ALWAYS a blessing in disguise.
Always!
Accepting Feedback | Be Grateful in Victory | Be Graceful In Defeat
The caption feels like motivation for combat/blood sports, but the analogy works the same way in workplaces.
Most people find it hard to learn how to handle constructive criticism. However, learning from well-intentioned critiques can improve job performance by big, BIG margins.
Aim to incorporate the constructive criticism that you’ve received from your boss, into how you perform your job. Pay attention to the less-than-positive portions of your work assessments. Simply putting: adjust to a roadmap that inspires motivation and drives success in your favor!
Go the extra mile!
In the bygone days, just showing up for work was enough to get by in some companies. Today, however, the secret to ‘how to excel at work’ involves not only showing up on time, but also staying busy, and producing results regularly.
While it’s great to chat with your co-workers to build relationships, don’t allow these water cooler conversations to go on for long periods of time. Make a to-do list for every day, and make sure to abide by it religiously.
Stay off of social media (unless you are on a break) and don’t spend a ton of time texting or making personal calls. To avoid distractions, put your phone on Do Not Disturb mode and only respond to personal messages while on break.
Take Ownership | How To Do Well At Your Job
For most of us, it’s important to strive to be the best all-rounder at work.
It’s not necessarily about impressing the bosses and obtaining promotion – desire that down the road – it’s more about having that little sense of accomplishment for a job well done.
Try humility, develop aspirations for having a wonderful experience. Inspire growth in others by being a mirror that helps reflect the right results.
Well, there you have it guys! This was all about how to do well at your job. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment in the section provided below. We’ll get back to you shortly.
Good luck!
