BY CHERYL LOCK
You show up to the office on time, you’ve never
missed a project deadline, and you always refill the coffee pot when you’re
done.
What could you possibly be doing wrong?
Maybe nothing. After all, we don’t want to make you
paranoid. But, just for peace of mind, check out this list to see if you’re
unwittingly doing anything that could be derailing your full career potential.
We spoke with career experts to find out the five biggest mistakes that
employees make, as well as suggestions on how to fix them.
1. HANDLING
UPSETS POORLY
If you’re an overly motivated worker, dealing with
setbacks at the office--like losing an important account or having your (surely
awesome) ideas passed over in an important meeting--can be daunting. “Most
ambitious, well-educated folks are very hard on themselves; they’re overly
perfectionistic,” says Glo Harris, an executive coach and organizational
consultant. “So, when they feel they have made a mistake, or ‘failed’ in their
self opinion, it’s both disheartening and paralyzing.”
Disappointments at work can stop you from asking
crucial questions or taking on responsibilities that could potentially move you
ahead in your job. It’s unrealistic to believe you’ll never make mistakes in a
long career, though, and the ability to recover quickly is what can set you
apart from the pack.
Related: The
Top 5 Stressors at Work
What to do instead: Change your mind-set, suggests
Harris. “Tell yourself that taking the risk, whatever the outcome, is success
enough,” she says. Instead of being scared to put yourself out there at work
for fear of failure, set an objective to attempt at least one undertaking a
month that is outside your comfort zone.
For example, suggesting a new avenue of advertising
for your company could turn out to be a flop, or offering to take the lead on
pitching a new client might go awry if the client just won’t budge. But, over
time, you’ll learn how to move on from your mistakes, whether that means asking
for feedback on a presentation or planning for a better one next time.
2. FAILING
TO SELF-PROMOTE
In most work environments, it’s up to you to toot
your own horn from time to time when it comes to a job well done. This is
especially important when you’ve completed a task worthy of praise and your
bosses don’t even seem to notice. “Sometimes [a lack of self-praise] is
explained by an employee’s belief that self-promotion is somehow unprofessional,”
says Todd Dewett, a leadership development coach and author of The Little Black
Book of Leadership. “Other times it’s because a person has wrongly assumed the
boss or others are aware of their good work.”
What to do instead: Unless your boss comes out and
tells you you’ve done a good job, don’t just assume that she’s taken notice.
“Most workplaces are highly competitive,” says Dewett. “The more you rise in
the ranks, the more intelligence and experience becomes similar across people.”
In other words, leaving your hard work unmentioned allows other similarly
qualified coworkers to swoop in and reap the benefits of a boss who’s forced to
take notice.
The next time you ask to take on a particularly
demanding task at work, assure your boss that you are up to the job by
reminding her of past performances that went off without a hitch. Dewett
suggests saying something like, “Jan, let me throw my hat in the ring for the
Acme account. I’m wrapping the Johnson account about that time, and those two have
a very similar industry focus. I’d love to make another win with Acme if the
team needs me.” Keep your self-promotion targeted and low-key to make it the
most effective.
3. THINKING
“ME” INSTEAD OF “WE”
Taking an active role in your advancement at work
is important. But when you focus only on your personal success or recognition,
you’re making your work about individual goals rather than goals that are good
for the overall group. Think of it this way: Your boss’s boss isn’t interested
in your personal gain--he’s worried about what’s best for the company. If your
actions appear to benefit the overall health of the company, you’ll be integral
to helping them achieve their bottom line, which in turn will make them more
likely to want to keep you on and promote you.
What to do instead: Before taking any action at
work, ask yourself what the benefit will be for the team as a whole, suggests
Patti Johnson, a career and workplace expert and CEO of PeopleResults.
ONE OF THE WORST THINGS YOU CAN DO IS TO SHOW UP
AND GIVE THE SIGNAL THAT YOU HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS.
“One of the worst things you can do is to show up
and give the signal that you have all the answers,” she said. “This is a
surefire way to keep others out if you need them to play an active role in your
work or idea.”
Always position yourself as a team player, someone
who is ready and willing to take on group projects and work side-by-side with
others for the betterment of everyone involved. Johnson suggests using language
like, “Here are my ideas on this. What are you guys thinking?” and “Let’s plan
to work on this together” to get the ball rolling.
4. NOT
ASKING FOR FEEDBACK
Most workers go through some form of annual
employee evaluation, but you should be getting feedback more than once a year.
“In most organizations, [formal evaluations] are not terribly valuable for the
boss or the employee,” says Dewett. “The typical boss, even at many larger
firms, is not trained to deliver an evaluation effectively … without training,
they can just be exercises in unintentionally creating stress.” Evaluations
also tend to put unnecessary focus on recent events or very large projects,
leaving a great deal of your overall performance forgotten or unmentioned.
What to do instead: In order to become successful,
it’s important to evaluate your efforts frequently, and to analyze what works
and what doesn’t. “The most successful people know this and go beyond mere
compliance to actively find one or two honest and forthright colleagues who
will give them useful, constructive criticism,” says Dewett. “This type of
occasional feedback-seeking behavior is one of the hallmarks of top
professionals.”
Once you find the colleagues you feel comfortable
talking with, Dewett suggests starting simple. “Ask them what one thing you can
do to become a better version of yourself at work over the next year,” he
suggests. “You can make it even easier on them by not asking them to answer
immediately. If they are willing to help, tell them to think about it and drop
by later when they have a minute to share their ideas.”
5. DECLINING
TO TAKE ON NEW ROLES
Just doing what you were hired to do and nothing
more is a big no-no. “If all you do is what is listed in your job description,
it’s impossible to get ahead,” says Dan Schawbel, author of Promote Yourself:
The New Rules for Career Success. Consider your workplace an even playing
field. Everyone there has the same qualifications, the same hardworking
attitude and the same attention to detail. Stepping out of your comfort zone
could be just the push your boss needs to give you that promotion instead of
your cube mate.
What to do instead: Rather than focusing on the
typical tasks for someone in your position, ask yourself what accomplishments
you’ll need to have under your belt before you can score that big promotion.
“In order to justify salary increases and promotions, you have to think outside
your job description and take on additional responsibilities,” says Schawbel.
“After you master your current role, ask your manager for additional projects
that are more challenging.” At the end of the day, a boss is more likely to
take notice of and promote a person who goes above and beyond the call of
duty--not the person who’s happy to stick to the status quo.
But keep in mind that any additional work you take
on should help you develop your skills and lead to other high-level project
opportunities; it shouldn’t all be busywork. And don’t bite off more than you
can chew. Schawbel suggests taking stock of your current obligations first, and
setting a limit for any extra work you take on based on how much time you
estimate you’ll need to excel at all of your tasks.
This article originally appeared on LearnVest and
is reprinted with permission.
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario