Here are the ABCs of success at work – this is how I make the best of work at my workplace!
A
Attitude – When I wear my confident-happy-attitude at work; that is who I am that day. When I wear my ‘can-do-anything’ and ‘I-am-Successful-at-what-I-do’ attitude; that is who I am that day. I am always aware of the fact that my attitude defines who I am. My attitude at work and towards work has helped me make my workdays a pleasure, everyday.
B
Boss – I keep my boss informed on my current tasks and those I would want to work in future. I make all efforts every week to update my boss on my accomplishments – I want to be in my boss’s good books for sure!
C
Customer /Client – What I do today is significant to my customers’ and clients’ expectations. It is because of my customers/clients that I am here. I make sure that every now and then I try to find out how my work is satisfying my them. I always am on the alert on what can I do now and in near-future to make them happy and feel ‘treated-well’.
D
Deadlines, I keep a note of all task deadlines on sticky notes all over my workplace. When you consistently meet deadlines at work it shows how efficient you are at time management and how driven you are; in short meeting deadlines is critical to success at work.
E
Effort – Sometimes I just have to put in that extra effort to get the work done. I do not shy away from putting in a few extra hours and that extra effort that can get the work done on time. I show my diligence and the eagerness to be good at what I do.
F
Focus – I give special emphasis on focus at work. There are many things that distract me, email, coworkers gossip or politics, meetings.. with too much to do focus can take a backseat. I try my best to avoid distractions when I am my productive best. It has helped me keep up to my deadlines and do what I am being paid for.
G
Goals – I always keep in mind to define goals and keep them SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound). To get somewhere you ought to know where to go, without goals I would have no idea if I ever was successful at anything.
H
Helping others – I have my workload brimming most of the time, but I take out 2-3 hours every week devoting that time to help my colleagues or new hires or my manager if they need help with something they are working on.
I
Ideas – I work on having a lot of them, but I make sure that I sift through to get the best and work on it to see the light of the day. An idea without “make-it-real” strategy goes nowhere.
J
Jog – oh yes, you didn’t expect this word to be on the best worker’s work list, but it is! I jog for half an hour around midday; it helps relieve tension and gets me fresh and focused for the rest of the day. I have noticed that I tend to get a little lethargic around mid day so it is time to take a break and I understand that being healthy is directly propotional to my success at the workplace. I have to take care of my body and mind first and only then I can be exceptional at work.
K
Keen – I am a keen person. I am interested in learning more and maintain a spirited interest in the news and breakthroughs in my industry. I strive to be better every day and this would not have been possible if I was not a keen learner and explorer or new ideas.
L
Language – I mind my language at work. I work in a multi-cultural environment and with clients in various countries over the globe. I know that respecting my colleagues is of utmost importance to me. I want to build healthy relations and learn from my colleagues and therefore I make sure that I’m respectful of their culture and beliefs.
M
Meetings – like them or not they are there. I try to make the best out of them by knowing beforehand what they are about and how they affect my current work and tasks. And if they are not so important then I just skip them to get my priority tasks taken care of first.
N
No – I have learnt that work never ends, there is more somewhere all the time. Learning to say NO has helped me prioritize my work and be an expert on the very few areas I want to be working on. Doing more is always not efficient. Less but doing a great job matters most to me.
O
Organization – there is so much to do and limited time at hand and therefore I need to be more organized to make the best use of my time. Organization helps me be efficient and not lose any precious time when on time-critical tasks.
P
Performance Reviews are essential monitors of my growth at work and I want to stay on top of them. I do not wait for the annual reviews to daunt me; I take charge and am proactive towards my reviews.
Q
I Question a lot at work. Observation and right questioning have been most effective in helping me find out how to get my work done in the best possible way. And my coworkers and managers like me more because I guess they like to be asked!
R
Respect the time of others, I do not hang out in their work areas or gossip around the water-cooler now and then. I do not interrupt my co-workers or manager without prior appointment (unless of course urgent) and expect the same from them. I am at my work for a certain time, the best way to make complete use of this time is to respect time itself.
S
Synergy – no man is an island and teamwork is the only way to achieve breakthroughs on whatever we do. I honor teamwork and often work on my team building and collaboration skills at my workplace.
T
Training – I am true believer in training, I ensure that I keep myself abreast on new technology and change in the workplace by training on new systems and software that my industry endorses. I train to learn more, I train to ensure that I remain valuable in the job market.
U
Urgency – I am a good listener and an active participant in my team’s tasks. I understand when things are urgent and need my extra efforts and time; I am ready to shift my schedule to take care of urgent matters first. I know that by doing this I am making myself more visible and valuable.
V
Value – I want to be a valuable retarget to my organization and also provide the best value of my work. I want to be recognized for what I do and for that I ensure that I provide the best quality value from my side and the adulations will follow.
W
Workaholic – Ok that’s not me. I do not intend to be one because I want to enjoy my work and for that I have to be away from it to have a balance in life and then I would want to get back to work refreshed with a happy mind and relaxed body. I remind myself often – do not be a Workaholic!
X
X-Ray – Alright I admit I did not find a good word for what I have to say here but I do have a point which refers to X-RAY! Through an X-ray exam you can reveal internal structure which is not visible from outside. It is an in-depth analysis and that is what I like doing at my work. Quality of work is the essence of success and if you can provide the best possible quality of your products and services to your customers you can build a sustainable business. That’s exactly why I like X-rays at work – a deeper look to make your product solid at the core.
Y
Yield – yield by definition here would mean ‘production of labor’, or what is the return on your input. The amount of work I put in at my workplace, I want to see an optimal return – the yield that I desire for my work input. I ensure that I am proactive about asking for promotions or pay raise – it is my job to ask my boss or upper management, the first step must come from my side.
Z
Zeal – Nothing great was achieved without enthusiasm. And that is true even at work; I am passionate about my work and work with zeal to make the best of each day. It makes my work life satisfying and happy, that is exactly how I want to be every day!
Which one of the above is your favorite?
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