Dec 07, 2016
As one of the last blogs of the year, I thought it worth reflecting on whether we are actually MAD or not – yup, whether you’re Making A Difference at your workplace?
I came across this quote from William Arthur Ward (American Motivational Speaker) and thought that it was a good basis for my blog:
“Do more than belong: participate. Do more than care: help. Do more than believe: practice. Do more than be fair: be kind. Do more than forgive: forget. Do more than dream: work.”
#1 Participate and Practice
Whether we like it or not, we are connected to others in the workplace, even a dispersed workplace. Remember that old saying which goes that you get as much out at you put in? Well it was never truer than now. Just being a physical presence at work and doing your own thing is not enough; businesses thrive when there is synergy, and the catalyst for this is a connection with others. We exchange ideas, we discuss, we argue, we analyse and in all this, we contribute more than the mere job for which we were hired. Participation is about being active and proactive; it is about looking for opportunities and coming up with ideas. Share them and even if you get knocked back, keep going because one of your ideas will succeed and make your workplace better for you.
#2 Kind and Caring
Being kind and caring covers three areas, as I see it. However, I think they should be considered jointly because they are intertwined.
- Avoid negativity and I’m not talking about those days where you just need to vent your frustration about something! We all have those, right? No, I mean those people (and you know whom I mean) who never seem to be able to accept responsibility for problems, who seem defeated before they’ve even given something a try, and for whom it has become a toxic habit. Suggest that you and they look at solutions, or think about ways to make a difficult situation more palatable.
- Positive conversations are far healthier for you and the organisation. A focus that is forward thinking and solution-orientated carries you ahead. Be sincere when you compliment someone, and acknowledge when someone does something personal for you, like passing on an interesting article, or giving client feedback. I’d even suggest being gracious when someone does something exactly right, first time, deserves a positive response, because this is not widespread.
- Caring and helping is showing feelings for the wellbeing of colleagues. This doesn’t imply a therapy session but rather a genuine interest in your colleagues. This requires that you get to know them, especially those in your team or those with whom you work closely. If they’re moving house, a quick “How did the move go?” can make all the difference. It shows that you give-a-damn. An ability to be empathetic and validate the feelings of others is a tremendous asset and it doesn’t cost anything, other than having awareness beyond your own little world.
#3 Work
“Well I DO work”, I hear you say! I’m sure you do but I’m suggesting that you look at your job and consider a wider parameter: are there ways you could help someone new get on board quicker; share knowledge with colleagues, or pass on the “how-to” of the business where necessary.
Also, think like a lazy person; is there a way to work smarter not harder? Are you sure that you know exactly what is expected of you? Great communication skills are such an asset and can minimise the need for revision work. Achieve your goals so that they don’t hang over you and make you miserable. Learn more about your field by networking, participating in webinars and reading articles, to make sure that you aware of the latest thinking in your field.
In conclusion, appreciate the difference you already make. You shouldn’t need a performance appraisal or outside validation to know when you’ve done an effective job. Kudos are lovely, positive feedback is welcome, but I believe the “buzz” comes from realising that your effort has an overall contribution to the people you work with, the success of the business, and your own self-esteem.
For more information, take a look at New Horizons' Professional Development training.
How do your Excel skills stack up?
Test NowNext up:
- Talking about Men's mental health
- What you didn't know you could do in Skype for Business
- Configuring user profiles in SharePoint 2016
- How-to: Redirect to a different page after adding new list items in SharePoint
- Sharing a Word Document on OneDrive
- Why focus on company culture?
- Understanding layers in Photoshop
- A focus on value
- Elton got it right
- How to have a safe, happy, and productive holiday season
Previously
- Talking about Men's mental health
- Animating with Adobe CC: Part 2 - Importing Character designs into Flash CC
- Creating a shared service in Angular 2
- How to avoid the five major concerns of performance appraisals
- How-to: Screen recording in PowerPoint
- Feel safe with Advanced Security Management for Office 365
- Java: Extend or Implement? This is the question.
- Pessimist or Realistic Optimist?
- Microsoft Planner: Work together effortlessly
- Software defined networking in Windows Server 2016