28 April 2013

SELF MOTIVATION - The 10 Golden Work Attitudes














By Joan Marques · August 7, 2003 

Although every work environment has its own peculiarities and, therefore, its own unique approach requirements, there may still be some general points to ponder in every setting. These points, based on positive organizational behavior, have proven to work through times, cultures, and work environments. They may do it for you too!
1. Be friendly and helpful to superiors, peers, and subordinates alike, but don’t overdo it. This approach calls for two clarifications:
a. First: Some people only hang out with those individuals at work that they consider valuable to their career progress. They thereby forget that there is a way up and one down, and that one never knows who will cross his or her path on a rainy day. Being friendly toward everybody you come cross -colleagues and customers alike- is really not an altruistic mentality, because it will deliver its pay off on the long term: when you least expect it.
b. Second: Some people are so excessively friendly and nice that the insincerity drips from all sides of their attitude. This may have a reverse effect on what they actually want to obtain: being liked by everybody. The reason is simple: Most people can easily see through hypocritical behavior. They will lose their trust in you and consider you to be a person to be careful with.
2. Stay alert. Try to distinguish the simple stuff from the important, and make sure you keep documentation on every issue that may come back to haunt you later. The friendly people you work with today may be gone tomorrow, and so will be their goodwill, then. It is therefore imperative to make sure that you keep appointments, agreements, and important decisions documented as securely as possible.
3. Analyze. It is especially important with regards to the people you work with to know where you really stand. Consider the possibility of running across some colleagues with a point 1a-mentality: hypocritical. You should always know what you can say, and where. This brings to mind a quote I read long ago: “To keep your lips from slips; five things observe with care: To whom you speak; Of whom you speak; and How, and When, and Where.” There is no setting where this applies better than the work environment.
4. Socialize. You don’t have to attend every get-together with co-workers outside work, but now and then it may be appropriate to show your face. Getting to know people outside of the work setting, and allowing them to get to know you may enhance the mutual feelings of trust and connection.
5. Sharpen your creative skills. Don’t slack away in a routine of daily tasks, but keep wondering how you would be able to enhance current processes in such a way that as many people as possible will benefit from your suggestions. Above all: make sure that when you come up with these suggestions, you have thought them through in detail, listed their pro’s and cons, and most importantly, explained how they will serve co-workers as well as the organization in total.
6. Don’t get discouraged. When an idea that you know to be valuable does not get accepted, there may be more behind the decline than you may see from your point of view. You can either keep your idea in the drawer for a while and apply point 3 above: analyzing the possible reasons for the decline; or you may modify your proposal in a way that it better pleases the ones who criticized it in the first place, yet without being detrimental to its applicability.
7. Remember the ones who have been good to you. Too often we have a propensity to forget the good that has been done to us once we said our thank you’s. But imagine how good it will feel to the ones that awarded you at one time, when they find that you have not discarded the memory of their good deed, even when they themselves did! And imagine how great it would feel if this would be done to you when you did something good to someone!
8. Involve others. If you are the one in a decision making position, you should still consider the tremendous importance of the 4p’s as I once read them in a management book by Bridges: Tell them the Purpose, share with them the Plan; keep them updated on the Progress; and most importantly: give them a Part To Play. That’s the guarantee for success in any project. At another level, involving others is vital when you are confronted with an issue of which you are not sure what to do with it. Remember: you only have your perception. A remark made to- or about you, or a decision taken might not have been meant the way you took it. Before jumping to conclusions and undertaking harsh actions, run the issue by some people in the organization you trust. They may enlighten you.
9. Develop your own style in dealing with others. It’s good to apply some of the good things you see in the approach of colleagues; but don’t be a mindless copycat. You have your own personality, and thus, your own personal leadership style. Besides, it’s easy for anyone you deal with to detect whether you sincerely believe in your approach, or whether you are just forcing yourself in a pattern that is not yours at all.
10. Don’t disparage any task performed by anybody. Rather: be ready to assist when and where you can, no matter how prestigious your own position. It’s this one unforgettable flexibility trait that will win others’ hearts for you. They will realize that you respect their contribution to the organization, feel motivated toward what they are doing, and stand up for you whenever you need that. After all, one never knows.

By Joan Marques