| Author: Mary Schaefer |
Whether you are new to your job or a veteran, its always the right time to look at ways to boost your work performance, so your boss and co-workers wonder how they ever got along without you! 1. Nail Down the Fundamentals. Whether you are new to your job, or have been in the chaos for a long time, you might find yourself wondering at times, whats important and whats not?! If you are feeling overwhelmed, or like you are never going to catch-on, take a moment to regroup. Its imperative to take some time to get clear on the baseline for what is expected of your position. Only then can you make realistic choices about how you are going to enhance your performance in a way that works for you and your employer both. Know what success looks like for your position ask your boss and others you trust, and then deliver on whats expected! Clean up your own messes. Know when to notify your boss and when to ask for help. Being a hero doesnt always work out in your favor.2. Make Your Relationship With Your Boss Work FOR You. Whether we have a boss we think we can work with or not, it is worthwhile to consider how to make the best of it. After all, despite the fact that you might not like or even respect your boss, your bosss opinion matters and has a significant impact on your earnings, your enjoyment of your work, and your future employment. As you look at the list below, you may find yourself resisting some of the points. Before you totally reject any of them, consider what you might learn by discovering where your boss stands. Some key points to get clear on when navigating this working relationship include: Know what your boss views as success for your position. Get agreement on your work objectives and how they will be measured. Identify what your boss thinks you should already know. Know your bosss hot buttons, what she always looks for, what he never ask about. Put any proposal/concern in terms that influences your boss to buy-in, in other words, make clear what is it in for them/the company.Just because you do get your bosss opinion on any of these items, it doesnt mean you have to agree. At least now you know what you are dealing with though. You may not like the conclusions you come to (new job? new company?), but knowledge IS power and you will be making more informed choices. 3. Distinguish Yourself. This may be a no-brainer, but just in case People like to work with people who are helpful and low-maintenance. By following some simple rules, you will get things done more quickly and smoothly than you ever thought possible. You can become the person that your management and co-workers know they can count on to get things done, on time and well, without requiring them to give it another thought. And even if you do make a slip, you can maintain and even build others respect for you (and desire to be cooperative), by making things right, quietly and without drama. CAUTION: Im not suggesting you be a fake or a doormat. As you plan for upgrading your behavior and work performance in this area, consider these rules. Dont complain about the non-negotiable, for example, if you dont like the rule about submitting travel expense reports within 10 days, comply or work to change that, but dont only complain. Dont make people come after you about perfunctory requirements, e.g. completing travel expense reports or taking your turn running the staff meeting. Quietly volunteer to do conventionally unattractive tasks, e.g. organizing a safety meeting, presenting work environment training, etc. Make your bosss and your co-workers jobs easier every chance you get. Improve your chances of others cooperating with what you need from them by sending gracious reminders, such as, I know you probably have a lot on your plate, and Ill need that data by the end of the day or by offering streamlined and understandable instructions to get the task done.Conclusion: Yes, these points may seem like common sense, and as we all know, analyzing our behavior objectively and changing it, is easier said than done. If you want to give your work performance a boost, and give yourself an edge, there are several resources that you can turn to. I recommend you: Improve your emotional intelligence (EI) or emotional quotient (EQ). I believe this is what will distinguish truly valuable work performance from so-what, expendable performance in the future. I think it is what distinguishes it now, but not many are acknowledging it yet [See books by Daniel Goleman.] Seek out development and training opportunities in your workplace take all the opportunities you can to get to know your strengths, inclinations and foibles better. Also take opportunities that allow you to learn how to get along with the broadest variety of people as possible. (Tip dont become a development junkie at the expense of keeping your work performance high.) And (you knew this was coming), get a coach. This involves seeking a partner in improving your work performance and your career prospects a partner who is invested in only you, and has no other agenda, which a boss, mentor or co-worker may have A coach can help you go deeper into any of the ideas listed above, and strategize about how to make them work for you.Copyright 2005-2006, Mary C. Schaefer, all rights reserved. |
Author Bio:
Mary Schaefer
Mary has always been interested in how the human element plays out in what, and how, things get done in the workplace. Mary?s belief is that organizations are composed of unique human beings requiring individual attention in order to make the most of what they can contribute to an organization, and at the same time meet their own specific needs for meaningful work. She formed her company, Artemis Path, to help managers and employees see how they can get more from themselves and each other by working WITH what makes us human beings ? an unexpected resourcefulness and energy that can only come from a respectful and collaborative work environment.
Having started as a computer systems analyst, over time she noticed that she was more interested in how people reacted to changing job expectations and a changing work environment, how people reacted to learning new skills, and how to overcome the obstacles to that.
As she started pursuing a career in Human Resources and a Master?s in HR, Mary was chosen for several work assignments that allowed her to try out her vision for how people can be more positively engaged in the workplace. She took an active role in leading hundreds of survivors of corporate downsizing to see how they could make positive choices moving forward, rather than be overwhelmed by constant job insecurity.
While leading a manufacturing project team made up of several shop-floor employees, Mary worked with every person on her team on their skill-development needs. In just a few years, several were promoted and were able to significantly expand their career possibilities. Mary was recognized for this and more with a division-level award for being a ?champion of human potential?.
Mary eventually put her vision on the line once again, when she became an HR manager, receiving 2 promotions in her last 3 years in the corporate world. Not only did Mary fulfill basic HR tasks in serving her 550 constituents, she also initiated positive change in areas like ethics, and respectful behavior. In the area of performance management Mary developed an approach that helped give supervisors the confidence to deal with performance issues quickly, and actually make the discussions encouraging and positive.
After completing advanced coaching skills training, she struck out on her own to help organizations and their members to make use of training and interventions which help the organization make the best of their own ?human? resources.
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