How To Do Just About Everything
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The workplace can be described as a light of opportunity that can help anyone succeed beyond their wildest dreams. To others, however, this environment can result in an endless pitfall, should anyone's particular actions (or lack thereof) get in between work ethics. The ability to shine in the office is only achievable if we, as employees, play our cards right and maintain our chin up throughout this unpredictable journey. Learn not only how to be the best you can be in the office, but also enjoy it while you're at it.
Be reliable. Unfortunately, the average person tends to only perform good enough to meet their daily quota. True successors, however, always go for that extra mile to step up as a valuable employee, and as a good overall person. Analyze the tasks that you might be most helpful with, and those that people seem to need often. Be your colleague's "go-to" person when they need a specific computer application troubleshot. If the workplace requires a lot of written communication, study your colleague's weaknesses. Not so that you can secretly laugh at them, of course, but so that YOU can be their hero when, let's say, someone needs help with their grammar. Do not be satisfied by being just a number in the office!
Be as dependable as you can, and make sure others notice your willingness to assist. When feeling under the whether, it is absolutely important to call well over ahead. Same goes for an estimated late arrival to work. Do not just arrive to work "on time", but instead make it at least ten minutes early, if possible. If stuck in traffic, calculate the approximated time you will be helpless among the crowd, and call your boss immediately. If you happen to fail in doing so (if already late before calling) make sure you STILL place a call, if late for longer than ten to fifteen minutes. While health issues and personal matters are clearly not anyone's choice, nevertheless try to be present as much as humanly possible. All in all, take responsibility for your actions.
Show initiative! This is in fact one of the most helpful things one can accomplish at work. Let's say you work as a customer care representative (or service desk technician,) and everyone seems a little uncomfortable understanding the latest program implementation in the office. Everyone feels relatively safe working with it, but nonetheless could need a little more experience. If you understand how the application works, write down a step-by-step e-mail (or attach a document with your work) describing the program's most basic features, to the most advanced ones. Additionally, insert a screen shot of every step you are explaining to help everyone understand what you are referring to. Visual learning can never be underestimated. Once finished and revised, send it off to everyone and ask them to leave you any feedback, or to come see you personally if any other confusion arises.
Keep yourself organized. Whether referring to your office desk or keeping your e-mail client clean, this will, without a doubt, let everyone know (especially your boss) that you have everything under control. There is no stress, no procrastination, and things are always taken care of. By the way, by keeping that e-mail client clean will save you priceless time when someone asks you to forward an important e-mail that person might be missing. Some ways to organize such information would be by deleting trivial data, or by categorizing them by named folders, for instance.
Commit to your responsibilities. You will never be successful at making it through a hard day at work if you do not enjoy what you are told to do. If a task happens to be hard to grasp, simply ask for help; remember you are only human. Rather than force yourself to an overwhelming procedure, talk to your colleague and look for ways you can both work step by step. Practice what you have learned, and remember that everyone is fully depending on your great input in order to drive business forward, and possibly to even move you up the ladder as well.
Be flexible. Take notes while attending a meeting, ask questions, and let your voice be heard. By doing so, you are giving everyone a great example of leadership. When providing feedback, state both sides of a story to ensure everyone is on the same page. Should your opinion be overruled and you're still unsatisfied, ask for a moment in private with your superior and make sure there is a clean understanding of your needs. Whether you never get to achieve what you set out to accomplish is not a problem; the important thing is that you are willing to lend a hand in the company by all means necessary. This, as you know, is a priceless piece of information to your manager's knowledge.
Think outside the box. This phrase is commonly used, but whether it is actually taking place is up to you. Usually in fast-paced environments, changes are very common and new strategies are developed in order to keep up with their services and/or surroundings. Not everyone is able to keep up with such overwhelming activities at work (or changes in general). If you notice this is becoming a problem, talk to your superior and provide some advice that will help everyone from certain emotional distraction. For example, ask to organize a thirty-minute meeting on a bi-weekly basis. This will give your boss a chance to catch up on everyone's progress, and your colleagues will have a very good chance to ask any questions, and/or speak their mind when something is making the job difficult.
Take action even when not entirely necessary. For example, many businesses create rotating schedules if they happen to be short on staff. If a colleague seems a bit uneasy about working on a certain date, lend a hand and make an adjustment. Perhaps he/she will feel better working on your scheduled date! Once discussed, it is up to your boss to make the final arrangement. Overall, always encourage and support your co-workers.
Do not get ahead of yourself. Sure, working hard is all about endless effort to show your true colors. However, how will you be able to accomplish this if you're feeling overwhelmed by your own actions? Live one day at a time, and then perform your tasks carefully. When you're on a mission, stress is one thing you do NOT want in the way. In the long run, you will manage to achieve so much more as long as you analyze, organize, and plan accordingly.
Finally, doing "good" is never enough. Try to analyze the way your environment works. What is the office/company doing well? What could it be missing? Ask yourself optimistic questions and create scenarios that could potentially improve the way your company does business. If you already know how to do a good job with the things your office offers (applications, for instance) think of new ways to improve your own knowledge, or try and assist others in need. Create tutorials if necessary for any new employee that joins the organization, and so on. You might not be the next best adviser or CEO, but in the end, every single contribution adds up. Believe me.
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