Take responsibility for your
actions. Taking responsibility for your
actions cuts both ways: don't be modest about your accomplishments (though
don't showboat, either), but you also need to take responsibility for your
mistakes. Don't try to pass the blame, and don't be overly defensive about your
mistakes. Simply accept that a mistake was made, acknowledge what you should
have done differently, and use the incident as a learning experience.
- Trying to blame others for your mistakes may make you feel slightly better about yourself in the moment, but your coworkers or employees will resent you for passing the blame, and your supervisors/managers may lose respect for you if they're privy to what you're doing.
- While it's important to take responsibility for your errors, it's also important that you don't beat yourself up over them. Try to find the lesson of what you can do different next time, and move on.
Be self-motivated. In the professional world, no one will likely be there to
help you budget your time or offer motivation on a project you've been
dreading. You need to summon the strength and responsibility to be your own
motivator. That means taking calculated and informed risks, coming up with new
ideas, and keeping on schedule at all times.
- Don't wait for work to be assigned to you. If you're finished with a project, let your boss know and ask for more work. It will show initiative and strong work ethic.
- Manage your time. Plan backwards from the anticipated deadline and know in advance what portions of your project need to be completed by what date(s). That way you'll be able to stay on schedule (or even finish early), and you'll make a strong impression on both your colleagues and your managers.
Learn to ask. Whether you're asking for help, asking for clarification,
or asking for a promotion, you've got to be willing and able to ask.
Opportunities rarely come without any effort, and the same is true of
professional opportunities. If you're unclear on a manager's instructions for a
project, ask for clarification. If you need help with a project, ask someone
whose work you trust if they can take a look at the plans with you. If you want
a promotion or a raise, you've got to work up the nerve to ask for it.
- There's seldom any harm in asking. If you work with reasonable people, you'll probably get a reasonable response.
- Asking for things, including asking for more responsibility or additional projects, will not only boost your reputation - it can also make you feel more fulfilled by your work.
Make S.M.A.R.T. goals. Goals are important to better yourself, both in your
personal life and your professional life. They give you something to work
toward and they help fill your work and your life with greater purpose. But
it's important that you make goals that are both beneficial and attainable.
That's where it may be helpful to create and strive for S.M.A.R.T. goals, an
acronym for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Results-focused, and Time-bound.
- Specific goals - be simple and clear with what it is your hope to accomplish. For example, instead of vaguely wanting to do better at work, have a clear goal in mind, like getting a raise or a promotion.
- Measurable goals - as you create your goals, be sure that they can be measured. That way you will have a clear idea of whether or not you've accomplished your goal. For example, if your goal is work-related, you may want to measure your goal by whether or not your salary or responsibilities have increased.
- Achievable goals - make sure your goals are realistic and relevant to your career. A good achievable goal should push you just enough to test your abilities, but ultimately be defined clearly enough that you can accomplish your end goal. For example, instead of hoping to become the CEO of your company, work for a promotion into a position that you are actually qualified for. You can always aim to move upward from there, but start with a position that is realistic and achievable at this point in time.
- Results-focused goals - create goals that measure the outcomes of your effort, not your activities. For example, create a goal with a clear objective that will produce some type of unambiguous result (like a better position at work or a higher salary, to continue with the previous examples).
- Time-bound goals - set up a timeframe that is close enough to create a sense of urgency that will spur you to action, but distant enough that you can actually accomplish your goal. For example, don't try to get promoted by the end of the week. A better timeframe might be to work hard over the next six to eight months, prove your worth to your boss and coworkers, and then approach your boss to ask about a raise or a promotion in six months to a year.
