The boss: a friend or foe?
Often times when we’re at work, it pretty much seems as though our boss is the enemy. After all, who is the one who makes us stay back after office hours, calls us back to work on weekends, criticises each and every little thing that we do and at times, even yells at us from across the room?
But think again.
It is this very boss that serves up your salary slip every month. This very same person could land you a promotion, or even approve an internal transfer within the company so that you get where you want to go. At crucial moments, it is also the boss who stands up for you and shields you from accusations from external parties who seek to find fault with your department or team for some unfounded reason.
So, this boss of yours... whose side is he or she really on?
I believe it is really up to us to make our boss our friend... or in some cases, our foe. This is because I think it is how we think and act around the boss that determine whether they will help or hinder us. Of course, there are those tyrant types (think ‘The Devil Wears Prada’) that really do breathe down our necks and make themselves a deliberate pain. But most of the time, it is really up to us to build a good rapport with our boss.
“How?” You may ask.
Here are some pointers you may want to keep in mind:
Sincerely get to know your boss
News flash: your boss is really a human being. Forget what you saw in the movies or what haunts you in your nightmares. That body you see seated at the Manager’s desk... it’s a human body. And that means your boss has feelings and interests too, just like you. A key to understanding your boss better (and therefore, getting along well with him) is seeking to find out what makes your boss tick. This is very easily done. In fact, all you need to do is be alert: look out for what your boss does, what interests him and what he likes to talk about. Having gathered as much information as you can in this way, you can then use it to your advantage when interacting with your boss. You can use any common interests both of you may have as a means of explaining tasks or issues you face at work to your boss.
Open up
Instead of eyeing your boss warily and keeping a cold distance from her, maybe you should try opening up to her instead. When it comes to being a friendly person, it takes one to know one. This doesn’t mean you have to be your boss’ best friend, but at the very least you should be on good terms. Share with them honestly about your work and your thoughts about it. Seek their advice on matters that you find challenging. In short, think of her as your personal coach in the workplace. If your boss encourages small talk, don’t hesitate to share a bit about your family or what you enjoy doing on weekends. However, do keep to your boundaries – it is not professional to get too intimate with your boss. A good guideline would be that you shouldn’t share with your boss anything that you wouldn’t want printed in the company newsletter.
Show appreciation
Many of us are in fact blessed with bosses that genuinely seek to care for their employees. This kind of bosses willingly go the extra mile for those under their care and sometimes give of themselves generously for the benefit of the staff. For instance, visiting employees when they are sick, personally covering their expenses when they are in financial difficulties or buying their team a lavish meal. Whenever you are the lucky recipient of such goodwill, do remember to thank your boss for his or her kindness and to show that you appreciate what has been done for you. Often a simple ‘thank you’ after your boss has paid for the meal for example goes a long way.
Make effort to communicate
One of the main causes for things going sour between employers and their subordinates is unmet expectations. This problem can be easily eradicated by making it a point to communicate with your boss often. Talk to your boss about what his or her expectations of you are so that you can make deliberate efforts to live up to it. Whenever you are given a new task, think thoroughly through the process that is required, and ask for further clarification if necessary, preferably even before beginning any work on it. Provide timely updates to your boss on your progress so that he or she knows what is going on. That way, even if you do need an extension of time for a deadline, it won’t come across as too much of a shocker since your boss was aware of the challenges you were facing all along.
I hope you catch what I’m trying to say here. Before we start pointing our fingers and blaming our boss for making our work experience such a lousy one, we should ask ourselves if we have been doing our part.
What do you think? Do you agree that it is up to us to build a good rapport with our bosses? Or perhaps you feel the boss really is the enemy – if so, why? Do drop me a comment or two. I’d love to hear your views.
But think again.
It is this very boss that serves up your salary slip every month. This very same person could land you a promotion, or even approve an internal transfer within the company so that you get where you want to go. At crucial moments, it is also the boss who stands up for you and shields you from accusations from external parties who seek to find fault with your department or team for some unfounded reason.
So, this boss of yours... whose side is he or she really on?
I believe it is really up to us to make our boss our friend... or in some cases, our foe. This is because I think it is how we think and act around the boss that determine whether they will help or hinder us. Of course, there are those tyrant types (think ‘The Devil Wears Prada’) that really do breathe down our necks and make themselves a deliberate pain. But most of the time, it is really up to us to build a good rapport with our boss.
“How?” You may ask.
Here are some pointers you may want to keep in mind:
Sincerely get to know your boss
News flash: your boss is really a human being. Forget what you saw in the movies or what haunts you in your nightmares. That body you see seated at the Manager’s desk... it’s a human body. And that means your boss has feelings and interests too, just like you. A key to understanding your boss better (and therefore, getting along well with him) is seeking to find out what makes your boss tick. This is very easily done. In fact, all you need to do is be alert: look out for what your boss does, what interests him and what he likes to talk about. Having gathered as much information as you can in this way, you can then use it to your advantage when interacting with your boss. You can use any common interests both of you may have as a means of explaining tasks or issues you face at work to your boss.
Open up
Instead of eyeing your boss warily and keeping a cold distance from her, maybe you should try opening up to her instead. When it comes to being a friendly person, it takes one to know one. This doesn’t mean you have to be your boss’ best friend, but at the very least you should be on good terms. Share with them honestly about your work and your thoughts about it. Seek their advice on matters that you find challenging. In short, think of her as your personal coach in the workplace. If your boss encourages small talk, don’t hesitate to share a bit about your family or what you enjoy doing on weekends. However, do keep to your boundaries – it is not professional to get too intimate with your boss. A good guideline would be that you shouldn’t share with your boss anything that you wouldn’t want printed in the company newsletter.
Show appreciation
Many of us are in fact blessed with bosses that genuinely seek to care for their employees. This kind of bosses willingly go the extra mile for those under their care and sometimes give of themselves generously for the benefit of the staff. For instance, visiting employees when they are sick, personally covering their expenses when they are in financial difficulties or buying their team a lavish meal. Whenever you are the lucky recipient of such goodwill, do remember to thank your boss for his or her kindness and to show that you appreciate what has been done for you. Often a simple ‘thank you’ after your boss has paid for the meal for example goes a long way.
Make effort to communicate
One of the main causes for things going sour between employers and their subordinates is unmet expectations. This problem can be easily eradicated by making it a point to communicate with your boss often. Talk to your boss about what his or her expectations of you are so that you can make deliberate efforts to live up to it. Whenever you are given a new task, think thoroughly through the process that is required, and ask for further clarification if necessary, preferably even before beginning any work on it. Provide timely updates to your boss on your progress so that he or she knows what is going on. That way, even if you do need an extension of time for a deadline, it won’t come across as too much of a shocker since your boss was aware of the challenges you were facing all along.
I hope you catch what I’m trying to say here. Before we start pointing our fingers and blaming our boss for making our work experience such a lousy one, we should ask ourselves if we have been doing our part.
What do you think? Do you agree that it is up to us to build a good rapport with our bosses? Or perhaps you feel the boss really is the enemy – if so, why? Do drop me a comment or two. I’d love to hear your views.
Initiating Improvement
I once read this somewhere: “Nobody’s perfect. I am nobody.”
As tickling as that may be, it’s something to consider. Often times, when we have held the same old responsibilities at work for a considerable amount of time, it’s easy to slip into this cosy assumption that we’re doing great and that there’s no need to put in any more effort for improvement. In other words, we think we’ve pretty much perfected our skills and then start to take it easy and rest on our laurels.
The truth is that there’s always something that we can work at making better. Every process or procedure can always be made more efficient in one way or another, and so can our abilities. Some of us may be privileged to have bosses who look into continuously stretching us and evaluating how we can grow further in our career, but not all of us are this lucky. Most of us will need to take our own initiative to examine how we may boost our own work capabilities in order to expand our career advancement opportunities.
Here are some simple and practical options you might want to consider for improving yourself at work:
Read regularly
As busy as your schedule may be, there are bound to be pockets of time where you can squeeze in reading a page or two each day. This could be whilst waiting for transport, or when winding down at the end of the day. Choose titles that are relevant to your profession, or self improvement books to help you in areas you are weak in. You will be surprised at how much extra knowledge or tips you can pick up just by reading.
Subscribe to websites or mailing lists
Identify a source of information that would be able to contribute towards increasing your competency for your job, then request to join the mailing list or email list. For example, this could be an association for those in your profession, where you can glean updates on the latest industry standards or find out about relevant upcoming events such as seminars or workshops within your area of expertise.
Learn from seniors
During your spare time at work, seek out a senior whom you look up to and engage them in a fruitful conversation about areas in your job that concern you. Try to ask them how they would handle some of the difficult situations you face, and learn from the advice and real life experiences that they share with you. It will save you the trouble of having to learn from your own mistakes.
Attend courses
Admittedly, there’s less time to pursue further education or training for our profession when we’re in full time employment. However, perhaps you can negotiate for some time off to attend a seminar or short term course that is relevant to what you do at work. Remember to be prepared to justify to your boss why it would be beneficial for you to go for a particular course or training session. If you ask nicely enough, maybe you could end up getting subsidized by the company for attending the course too.
Self evaluation
Once in awhile, take a breather during work hours and evaluate how your current performance has been. Are there things you would like to do better? Weaknesses or challenges you would like to overcome? Examine yourself and make a list of what you’d like to see change, and then work out steps you can take to achieve those goals. Sometimes it might not require much for the improvement to take place – just a little extra conscious initiative on your part could really go a long way.
These are certainly not the only ways to improve yourself at work, but are good for starters. In due time, you’ll find your own unique techniques for enhancing your capabilities. No matter the method, what’s most important is that there is a consistent state of progress. In the long run, you can be sure that you’ll definitely reap the benefits of your efforts.
Read more
As tickling as that may be, it’s something to consider. Often times, when we have held the same old responsibilities at work for a considerable amount of time, it’s easy to slip into this cosy assumption that we’re doing great and that there’s no need to put in any more effort for improvement. In other words, we think we’ve pretty much perfected our skills and then start to take it easy and rest on our laurels.
The truth is that there’s always something that we can work at making better. Every process or procedure can always be made more efficient in one way or another, and so can our abilities. Some of us may be privileged to have bosses who look into continuously stretching us and evaluating how we can grow further in our career, but not all of us are this lucky. Most of us will need to take our own initiative to examine how we may boost our own work capabilities in order to expand our career advancement opportunities.
Here are some simple and practical options you might want to consider for improving yourself at work:
Read regularly
As busy as your schedule may be, there are bound to be pockets of time where you can squeeze in reading a page or two each day. This could be whilst waiting for transport, or when winding down at the end of the day. Choose titles that are relevant to your profession, or self improvement books to help you in areas you are weak in. You will be surprised at how much extra knowledge or tips you can pick up just by reading.
Subscribe to websites or mailing lists
Identify a source of information that would be able to contribute towards increasing your competency for your job, then request to join the mailing list or email list. For example, this could be an association for those in your profession, where you can glean updates on the latest industry standards or find out about relevant upcoming events such as seminars or workshops within your area of expertise.
Learn from seniors
During your spare time at work, seek out a senior whom you look up to and engage them in a fruitful conversation about areas in your job that concern you. Try to ask them how they would handle some of the difficult situations you face, and learn from the advice and real life experiences that they share with you. It will save you the trouble of having to learn from your own mistakes.
Attend courses
Admittedly, there’s less time to pursue further education or training for our profession when we’re in full time employment. However, perhaps you can negotiate for some time off to attend a seminar or short term course that is relevant to what you do at work. Remember to be prepared to justify to your boss why it would be beneficial for you to go for a particular course or training session. If you ask nicely enough, maybe you could end up getting subsidized by the company for attending the course too.
Self evaluation
Once in awhile, take a breather during work hours and evaluate how your current performance has been. Are there things you would like to do better? Weaknesses or challenges you would like to overcome? Examine yourself and make a list of what you’d like to see change, and then work out steps you can take to achieve those goals. Sometimes it might not require much for the improvement to take place – just a little extra conscious initiative on your part could really go a long way.
These are certainly not the only ways to improve yourself at work, but are good for starters. In due time, you’ll find your own unique techniques for enhancing your capabilities. No matter the method, what’s most important is that there is a consistent state of progress. In the long run, you can be sure that you’ll definitely reap the benefits of your efforts.
Is bigger better?
I was reading an article online recently that advocated to its readers not to work in large companies. Apparently, it claimed that humans by nature are not meant to work in groups that are too enormous in size. This brought a very pertinent issue to my mind: the dilemma on whether it’s better to work at a small or a big organisation. Frankly, there are both benefits and detriments of working in either of these settings.
For the case of a small firm, the work style is typically a little more informal. As a staff, it is much easier to approach your boss to address any issues that concern you. Often, you may even be able to just walk right up to the CEO or General Manager’s room and talk to them right away. In a sense, this is good as it encourages greater transparency and better understanding between management and staff. Furthermore, decision making is more straightforward, and it may not even be necessary to call a meeting in order to decide certain matters which can be discussed and sorted out right there and then.
Due to the limited human resources, you may be required to do much more than what is stated in your formal employment letter. If you’re an individual who’s is looking for ways to expand your skill set, then this is a perfect environment for you to thrive in. This is because you will have the opportunity to get involved in various other tasks outside your normal job scope, something you probably would not be able to do in a large corporation.
As far as rules are concerned, there are very few standard policies imposed across the board on all staff. In all likelihood, any regulations that are implemented would have been created on an ad-hoc basis. In this sense, you could say that things are more negotiable, and you would probably be able to have a say on the way procedures are formulated and perhaps even influence the outcome.
One major disadvantage of being in a small company is that you will probably get a less attractive compensation package. Larger firms will have the budget to offer you a much more lucrative salary, on top of other benefits such as healthcare plans, insurance coverage, paid holidays, overtime rates and much more. Smaller enterprises may not be able to offer you such luxuries so you will need to be prepared to settle for less. In most cases, the company will probably make it up to you in other ways – for instance, granting wider exposure or authority than you might had you been in a bigger organisation instead.
For large companies, the general philosophy is that “one size fits all”. Anyone joining such a firm is expected to conform to the standard operating procedures of the organisation which are consistently applied to all staff. In a sense, things are more predictable and this lends a certain feeling of stability to your work environment. However, anything you wish to voice out to top management will probably need to go through many layers of middle management and also through the Human Resources (HR) department. This will probably be quite time consuming, as it requires a lot of third party intervention.
You work will probably be more structured in a big company, and your job scope would be much narrower as compared to the fluid operations of a small organisation. Looking on the bright side, that would mean your duties at work are very well defined. However, as time goes by, you may find the limited scope stifling, especially if you are a person who needs constant new challenges in order to stay motivated at work.
Your overall compensation package will be much more comprehensive – it will most likely cover a lot of other living expenses that go beyond your work needs such as dental or optical claims. Generous allowances may be given to you each month for expenses on items such as car maintenance or mobile phone bills. This would definitely take a whole lot of financial burden off from you, enabling you to enjoy work more and stay motivated for a longer time. Furthermore, training opportunities and various facilities or resources needed to help you do your job better are more easily within your reach due to the better financial standing of a large organisation.
A significant problem that presents itself in a big company is the large amounts of bureaucracy that an individual frequently needs to deal with. Due to massive amounts of internal policies, arriving at a decision may involve many people and require long waiting periods. This may jeopardize the efficiency of your work, and when it does, may dampen your enthusiasm on the job. Generally, most work procedures will be very impersonal in nature, and your input will have little impact on the outcome most of the time. Unless you are in an influential position within the organisation’s management team, of course.
In my own career, I have worked in both the environments of a multi-national corporation (MNC) and also that of small firms. Personally, I feel both have enriched my career experiences in different ways, so it’s hard to say that one is better than the other. I believe job satisfaction in either setting is possible, but which would suit you best really depends on your personal preferences. Whatever the case may be, you should be careful not to generalise too much when deciding between the two. Ultimately, your decision should be based on the overall quality of the work experience that an organisation can offer you, and not just the size of the company alone.
Read more
For the case of a small firm, the work style is typically a little more informal. As a staff, it is much easier to approach your boss to address any issues that concern you. Often, you may even be able to just walk right up to the CEO or General Manager’s room and talk to them right away. In a sense, this is good as it encourages greater transparency and better understanding between management and staff. Furthermore, decision making is more straightforward, and it may not even be necessary to call a meeting in order to decide certain matters which can be discussed and sorted out right there and then.
Due to the limited human resources, you may be required to do much more than what is stated in your formal employment letter. If you’re an individual who’s is looking for ways to expand your skill set, then this is a perfect environment for you to thrive in. This is because you will have the opportunity to get involved in various other tasks outside your normal job scope, something you probably would not be able to do in a large corporation.
As far as rules are concerned, there are very few standard policies imposed across the board on all staff. In all likelihood, any regulations that are implemented would have been created on an ad-hoc basis. In this sense, you could say that things are more negotiable, and you would probably be able to have a say on the way procedures are formulated and perhaps even influence the outcome.
One major disadvantage of being in a small company is that you will probably get a less attractive compensation package. Larger firms will have the budget to offer you a much more lucrative salary, on top of other benefits such as healthcare plans, insurance coverage, paid holidays, overtime rates and much more. Smaller enterprises may not be able to offer you such luxuries so you will need to be prepared to settle for less. In most cases, the company will probably make it up to you in other ways – for instance, granting wider exposure or authority than you might had you been in a bigger organisation instead.
For large companies, the general philosophy is that “one size fits all”. Anyone joining such a firm is expected to conform to the standard operating procedures of the organisation which are consistently applied to all staff. In a sense, things are more predictable and this lends a certain feeling of stability to your work environment. However, anything you wish to voice out to top management will probably need to go through many layers of middle management and also through the Human Resources (HR) department. This will probably be quite time consuming, as it requires a lot of third party intervention.
You work will probably be more structured in a big company, and your job scope would be much narrower as compared to the fluid operations of a small organisation. Looking on the bright side, that would mean your duties at work are very well defined. However, as time goes by, you may find the limited scope stifling, especially if you are a person who needs constant new challenges in order to stay motivated at work.
Your overall compensation package will be much more comprehensive – it will most likely cover a lot of other living expenses that go beyond your work needs such as dental or optical claims. Generous allowances may be given to you each month for expenses on items such as car maintenance or mobile phone bills. This would definitely take a whole lot of financial burden off from you, enabling you to enjoy work more and stay motivated for a longer time. Furthermore, training opportunities and various facilities or resources needed to help you do your job better are more easily within your reach due to the better financial standing of a large organisation.
A significant problem that presents itself in a big company is the large amounts of bureaucracy that an individual frequently needs to deal with. Due to massive amounts of internal policies, arriving at a decision may involve many people and require long waiting periods. This may jeopardize the efficiency of your work, and when it does, may dampen your enthusiasm on the job. Generally, most work procedures will be very impersonal in nature, and your input will have little impact on the outcome most of the time. Unless you are in an influential position within the organisation’s management team, of course.
In my own career, I have worked in both the environments of a multi-national corporation (MNC) and also that of small firms. Personally, I feel both have enriched my career experiences in different ways, so it’s hard to say that one is better than the other. I believe job satisfaction in either setting is possible, but which would suit you best really depends on your personal preferences. Whatever the case may be, you should be careful not to generalise too much when deciding between the two. Ultimately, your decision should be based on the overall quality of the work experience that an organisation can offer you, and not just the size of the company alone.
A view through the looking glass: Issues of transparency
Much has been discussed on the issue of transparency these days. People talk about it in terms of accounting and finance, managerial style, government administration and much more. More often than not, it feels like such a vague term – just another corporate jargon that gets mentioned at planning or review meetings, but which hardly anyone really knows much about. We often tend to think of it as a concern for higher echelons in our organization to take care of, thus making it something we are not too concerned about.
But really, the word transparency itself simply means a state of openness, an atmosphere where things can be easily seen and understood. This mostly pertains to the aspect of communication. Hence, it is something equally applicable to us as active members of the workforce, regardless of our position. But how truly important is it?
One obvious plus point from cultivating transparency is that it helps foster a more cooperative approach to work. Assuming that everyone within a certain project team is forthright in their opinions and ideas and the team leader is open with all issues regarding the project, there is a high likelihood that costly mistakes can be avoided as various team members spot loopholes or weaknesses in the plans that are being formulated and voice them out in good time. There would also be a greater sense of ownership over any decision that is made as a team, thus creating a more cohesive group that is capable of better performance.
Besides that, the practice of transparency creates a more conducive work culture. Consider the impact it would have on subordinates if their boss was honest and willingly disclosed why he was absent from an important meeting at work. This would prevent employees from drawing their own conclusions about their boss’ dedication to the job and his philosophy towards work in general. Suspicion and disrespect can therefore be curbed as employees’ concerns have now been effectively alleviated. As a result, productivity levels would rise and a sense of loyalty towards the boss and ultimately the company itself would have been cultivated.
Based on these examples, it is obvious that there are many benefits that the discipline of transparency has to offer. In fact, it doesn’t really require much on everyone’s part, yet the difficulty lies in making a habit out of it rather than only doing it upon demand. What is basically needed is for us to make the necessary effort. There are plenty of situations at work where ambiguity exists, and in such circumstances it would be our duty to take action to reduce this uncertainty by speaking up or asking questions or simply doing our bit. While it is true that most of us are not in a position to influence or change the formal policies at work, yet just taking measures to be honest or encourage clarity in speech and actions will really go a long way in making your working environment a more pleasant one.
For instance, if you are running behind schedule in your tasks, it would clear things up a lot if you spoke to your boss frankly about what’s going on. Maybe it really isn’t your fault that things are going at snail pace because someone at the client’s end has delayed in providing you with some much needed input or feedback. Having made your boss aware of your difficulty, you may find that he/she might even be able to help you resolve this problem that you are facing with the client. However, if you had merely kept quiet about your work backlog, your boss may come to the wrong conclusion that you are lazy or incompetent in your job.
As you can see, all that’s needed here is for you to be honest and strive to communicate effectively. These are the building blocks of transparency. As straightforward as this may sound, this often neglected aspect of work ethics is often the cause of many relational problems at work. Therefore, if you had asked me, I’d say this is something worth incorporating into the way we do things at work. You will find that it will not only earn you the respect of your co-workers, it will even help you a great deal in your career advancement in the years to come.
But really, the word transparency itself simply means a state of openness, an atmosphere where things can be easily seen and understood. This mostly pertains to the aspect of communication. Hence, it is something equally applicable to us as active members of the workforce, regardless of our position. But how truly important is it?
One obvious plus point from cultivating transparency is that it helps foster a more cooperative approach to work. Assuming that everyone within a certain project team is forthright in their opinions and ideas and the team leader is open with all issues regarding the project, there is a high likelihood that costly mistakes can be avoided as various team members spot loopholes or weaknesses in the plans that are being formulated and voice them out in good time. There would also be a greater sense of ownership over any decision that is made as a team, thus creating a more cohesive group that is capable of better performance.
Besides that, the practice of transparency creates a more conducive work culture. Consider the impact it would have on subordinates if their boss was honest and willingly disclosed why he was absent from an important meeting at work. This would prevent employees from drawing their own conclusions about their boss’ dedication to the job and his philosophy towards work in general. Suspicion and disrespect can therefore be curbed as employees’ concerns have now been effectively alleviated. As a result, productivity levels would rise and a sense of loyalty towards the boss and ultimately the company itself would have been cultivated.
Based on these examples, it is obvious that there are many benefits that the discipline of transparency has to offer. In fact, it doesn’t really require much on everyone’s part, yet the difficulty lies in making a habit out of it rather than only doing it upon demand. What is basically needed is for us to make the necessary effort. There are plenty of situations at work where ambiguity exists, and in such circumstances it would be our duty to take action to reduce this uncertainty by speaking up or asking questions or simply doing our bit. While it is true that most of us are not in a position to influence or change the formal policies at work, yet just taking measures to be honest or encourage clarity in speech and actions will really go a long way in making your working environment a more pleasant one.
For instance, if you are running behind schedule in your tasks, it would clear things up a lot if you spoke to your boss frankly about what’s going on. Maybe it really isn’t your fault that things are going at snail pace because someone at the client’s end has delayed in providing you with some much needed input or feedback. Having made your boss aware of your difficulty, you may find that he/she might even be able to help you resolve this problem that you are facing with the client. However, if you had merely kept quiet about your work backlog, your boss may come to the wrong conclusion that you are lazy or incompetent in your job.
As you can see, all that’s needed here is for you to be honest and strive to communicate effectively. These are the building blocks of transparency. As straightforward as this may sound, this often neglected aspect of work ethics is often the cause of many relational problems at work. Therefore, if you had asked me, I’d say this is something worth incorporating into the way we do things at work. You will find that it will not only earn you the respect of your co-workers, it will even help you a great deal in your career advancement in the years to come.
How NOT to sleep on the job
Even the most glamorous or captivating of jobs will occasionally present us with days where everything seems mundane and boring. It is really tempting to resort to neglecting our productivity at work at such times, but that really isn’t a good thing for the future of your career. Instead, we should find ways to keep our negative feelings at bay and to keep a steady pace at work.
Here are some of my suggestions on how you can stay motivated while on the job:
Keep your desk tidy
It may seem like a trivial thing to most people, but to me, having an orderly workspace can do wonders for your productivity. Being organised gives you a better feeling of control over yourself and hence, your work too. Moreover, a messy environment is not very inspiring when you need to do some serious thinking or brainstorming. Having to stare at a gigantic amount of clutter all around you will definitely squash any creative ideas that could have been lingering at the back of your mind. This will end up demoralising you in the long run. Therefore, I recommend just putting in that extra bit of effort daily to keep your desk neat – it will really go a long way in keeping you motivated at work.
Set achievable daily tasks
Quite often, tasks that are given to us at work are complex and require a long duration of time in order to complete it. Whenever we face any of these seemingly unsurmountable challenges, we tend to become easily discouraged. Therefore, it’s a good idea to break your large tasks into smaller, more achievable goals and then to proceed to achieve each of these mini goals one by one. In this way, you will soon find that you are actually able to achieve what’s required by the time the deadline rolls around the corner. Personally, I am in favour of setting daily targets, as these are easier to keep tabs on. Furthermore, once you manage to stay on track even for a day, it really helps boost your self esteem and will help keep you plodding on cheerfully at work.
Take frequent breaks
There are some people who really don’t know how to take breaks. I am one of them. When I am engrossed in a particularly difficult task and I find my time running out, I feel compelled to just keep on working instead of taking breaks to eat or refresh myself even when I really need it. I will then find myself getting more and more tired as the hours fly by and consequently, my productivity and motivation levels are increasingly depleted. However, I find I am able to withstand longer hours of work and stay on top of things whenever I make it a point to take short but frequent breaks. Whether it’s for a cup of coffee or just for a quick chat with a colleague, taking breaks is really an essential habit worth incorporating into your working hours.
Reward yourself
Sometimes there’s no one there to notice the effort you put into your work. In such circumstances, I keep myself motivated by rewarding myself for my achievements, especially any pertaining to my personal goals (such as the daily tasks that we talked about earlier). This doesn’t mean you have to go buy yourself expensive things that bust your budget each time. Practically speaking, it can be something small like an ice-cream or a book. In fact, it could just mean taking time for a hobby or relaxing activity that you love. The important thing is you are pampering yourself in some way or another and that it is enjoyable for you.
These are only a few out of many other possible solutions that will help keep your motivation level up at work. You will need to find out what works best for you, as it isn’t the same for everyone. It doesn’t really matter what you do, but it will make a difference to your work productivity in the long run if you manage to stay positive and motivated while at your job.
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Here are some of my suggestions on how you can stay motivated while on the job:
Keep your desk tidy
It may seem like a trivial thing to most people, but to me, having an orderly workspace can do wonders for your productivity. Being organised gives you a better feeling of control over yourself and hence, your work too. Moreover, a messy environment is not very inspiring when you need to do some serious thinking or brainstorming. Having to stare at a gigantic amount of clutter all around you will definitely squash any creative ideas that could have been lingering at the back of your mind. This will end up demoralising you in the long run. Therefore, I recommend just putting in that extra bit of effort daily to keep your desk neat – it will really go a long way in keeping you motivated at work.
Set achievable daily tasks
Quite often, tasks that are given to us at work are complex and require a long duration of time in order to complete it. Whenever we face any of these seemingly unsurmountable challenges, we tend to become easily discouraged. Therefore, it’s a good idea to break your large tasks into smaller, more achievable goals and then to proceed to achieve each of these mini goals one by one. In this way, you will soon find that you are actually able to achieve what’s required by the time the deadline rolls around the corner. Personally, I am in favour of setting daily targets, as these are easier to keep tabs on. Furthermore, once you manage to stay on track even for a day, it really helps boost your self esteem and will help keep you plodding on cheerfully at work.
Take frequent breaks
There are some people who really don’t know how to take breaks. I am one of them. When I am engrossed in a particularly difficult task and I find my time running out, I feel compelled to just keep on working instead of taking breaks to eat or refresh myself even when I really need it. I will then find myself getting more and more tired as the hours fly by and consequently, my productivity and motivation levels are increasingly depleted. However, I find I am able to withstand longer hours of work and stay on top of things whenever I make it a point to take short but frequent breaks. Whether it’s for a cup of coffee or just for a quick chat with a colleague, taking breaks is really an essential habit worth incorporating into your working hours.
Reward yourself
Sometimes there’s no one there to notice the effort you put into your work. In such circumstances, I keep myself motivated by rewarding myself for my achievements, especially any pertaining to my personal goals (such as the daily tasks that we talked about earlier). This doesn’t mean you have to go buy yourself expensive things that bust your budget each time. Practically speaking, it can be something small like an ice-cream or a book. In fact, it could just mean taking time for a hobby or relaxing activity that you love. The important thing is you are pampering yourself in some way or another and that it is enjoyable for you.
These are only a few out of many other possible solutions that will help keep your motivation level up at work. You will need to find out what works best for you, as it isn’t the same for everyone. It doesn’t really matter what you do, but it will make a difference to your work productivity in the long run if you manage to stay positive and motivated while at your job.
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at work,
enthusiasm,
experience,
initiative,
motivation,
on the job,
personal development,
sustenance
