Working Woes ......

Are you sure the job you are doing is the job your boss and those above you want done?

Examine the job that you have been doing. Perhaps, you were given your basic instruction by a previous boss. Your present boss may have different goals, different instructions from above, or simply a different way of looking at things. Your job may be in jeopardy if you no longer produce what needs to be produced. You must protect yourself against changes in and around your job. The best protection is communication, and a close second is alertness. Keep asking if you are actually doing what people want done. Never get so comfortable in a routine that you fail to notice changes happening or impending. So, never stop asking, looking and listening.

Have you made yourself known as somebody who is willing to take on extra work and increased responsibility?

One of the least loved figures in the business world is a 'time-server' - the man or woman who plods through each day with no real sign of interest, does exactly what is required, never any more and is out of the door within ten seconds of closing down each afternoon. In good economic times, companies tolerate such people because they don't really do any harm. They perform their assigned work more or less reliably if well supervised, and in many operations they are the bulk of the work force. Don't ever let yourself be that kind of drone. The person that attracts attention is the one who shows interest in the work, the one who doesn't mind taking on extra burden once in a while. To your boss that is the kind of subordinate who gets somewhere. 

Are you an innovator?

It is not merely enough to become an expert in your job. Many people can do that, and most can at least become fast and efficient in carrying out job routines. What brings you to management attention is the ability and willingness to reach out beyond routines. Keep asking, "Is there a better way?" One good way to develop innovations is to concentrate your attention on problems that crop up in your work. What is there that frustrates you? What doesn't seem to go right? You may also find an innovative solution by brainstorming. The basic idea here is to turn off your brain's critical function temporarily. Pondering a given problem, you list every solution that comes to mind, including silly and outlandish solutions. You deliberately avoid saying, "No, that's too goofy, it won't work." For maybe it will after all. Most peole criticize and discard their own good ideas too quickly. As a brainstormer you may conceive the same idea that has occured to a lot of other people, but you will be the only one who thinks it all the way through.

(To be continued tommorrow)