Advancing to the highest rank in your career is something that everyone strives for, or at least most people. However, not many reach mid-level positions and sit back and think, good enough. Even if you believe that you are already doing the best you can possibly do, there’s always room for improvement. If you are interested in reaching your highest potential, take a look at these ten tips.
You don’t have to try and do them all at once, but at least pick out a couple and see how you can implement them to improve work performance.
1. Be Inquisitive
You might be afraid to ask questions because you feel it makes it look like you don’t know what you’re doing. Your managers and leaders actually prefer that you ask questions because then you aren’t wasting time trying to figure it out all on your own. Don’t be scared to talk over something you aren’t clear on.
2. Set Reachable Goals
To keep moving forward, you have to set goals that you can reach each week, month and year. The goals should be aimed at improving your abilities, but you don’t want to make them so complicated that you can’t complete them. Take the time to write down your ideas and check back on them frequently. You can even pin them up in your office as a constant reminder of what you’re trying to accomplish.
3. Use Flexible Tools
Improve work performance through employee self-service tools and schedule management software. You can work from home or get a peek at your upcoming schedule or projects any time of the day with the use of flexible tools. You can start planning your day this way before you ever enter the office to improve work performance.
If you have these tools available, but you’re not sure how to use them, ask someone to show you how.
4. Talk Out Issues
If something in the office is causing problems with your ability to do your work, talk with management about it. It could be anything from a printer malfunctioning to a co-worker bothering you. Don’t sit back and try and deal with it, because it’s only going to slow down your productivity.
5. Make Lists of Priorities
Put your daily tasks in order of importance each morning when you start. That way you aren’t spending hours on things that don’t mean very much. You don’t want to reach the end of your shift only to find out that you don’t have enough time to complete the big job you were supposed to.
6. Take a Break
Don’t get so lost in your work that you forget to take a breather once in a while. Take a nice relaxing lunch or go for a walk. Whenever you feel you are getting too absorbed in what you’re doing, you have to go out and recharge or you aren’t going to be putting out your best work.
7. Learn Lessons from Mistakes
You’re human, and mistakes are going to happen. Instead of getting upset or angry about it, turn it into a lesson. Figure out what went wrong and how you can prevent it from happening again.
8. Take Constructive Criticism
Your leaders and other co-workers are going to tell you what you are doing right and what you need to improve on. Don’t get bitter about it. Take what they are telling you and implement it. Even if they are overly critical, you can still turn it into motivation to do better.
9. Don’t Get Distracted
Phones, co-workers, social media, and e-mails coming in are excellent examples of distractions that take you away from doing your work. It might seem as though you are multi-tasking, but it’s not going to give you the best results when it’s all said and done. Shut off the phone, close out your internet, and talk to your co-workers about giving you some time alone to complete your tasks without disruption.
10. Learn How You Are Most Productive
You and your co-workers aren’t going to follow the same practices to work the most productively. Each individual is different, and you have to figure out what works for you. You might need constant interaction or complete solitude. Maybe music helps you stay motivated. Test out different scenarios and see which environment you do the best work in. Then, set up your workspace to match it. If you want to change in a big way, like working from home a couple of days a week, talk it over with your manager. It might just be a possibility.
If you want to get a raise or a promotion, you should continually be trying to improve work performance. Not only is your boss or manager going to notice and put you where you deserve to be, but you’ll feel better about your career. Quickly become a better member of your company’s team by implementing at least one or two of these tips at work right now
