You’ve met that person, the one everyone in the office thinks the world of. The one whose opinion really matters. The one you can always count on for a good word. The one who always gets the job done. The one that everyone respects and trusts. Wouldn’t it be great to be that person?
Here’s a few tips on how to become your office’s MVP.
Be the person who give praise when deserved. Everyone wants to be recognized for their hard work. The motivation to do a good job may not be praise, but it sure doesn’t hurt. It encourages you work harder next time. If you’re in a supervising position be sure that you’re also giving guidance when needed. People want to be recognized for doing their best and want to learn how to get there.
Be Organized. If you read our last blog post about having as set schedule you know the advantages of having a plan. For those you work with, being logical in your project planning and execution shows that you care about the job and about their schedules. Thinking about all that could influence the result and maintaining everyone informed who needs to be is the difference between being a good person to work with and great person to work with.
Be on time. Punctuality is important even in the little things. If you’re well organized this may be easy for you. If you’re striving towards a more organized work life make punctuality your first priority. You’ll be recognized for being where you need to be when you need to be there. Your ability to get a job done before the deadline will be appreciated.
Along with being organized and on time, is finishing the job. If you’ve made a commitment to a project, see it through to the end. Be that person that people can count on to get the job done well. Of course, getting it done before the deadline is ideal, but even when that doesn’t happen you need to be committed to get the job done.
Stay focused. Turn off your cell phone, skip that coffee break, don’t look at your e-mail in box. Stay focused on the job at hand. Don’t let distractions rule your work day. This might be especially important today as many of us work from home with many more distractions than we’ve had in the past!
Be a good communicator. Don’t be the sole owner of information. Keep everyone in the loop. If they need to know what’s happening make sure they do. Respond to e-mail or phone calls and make sure to touch base with those who are counting on you to get the job done. At the same time, don’t overshare. Not everyone needs the whole story, don’t weigh people down with too much information if they don’t need it.
Speak up! Especially if no one else does. If you’ve got a question or a concern about something that affects the office, chances are you’re not the only one. Go ahead and ask that question you know that everyone else wants to ask.
Be proactive. If you don’t understand something ask questions and do research where necessary. If you see something that’s a problem, don’t wait for someone else to notice, just take care of it. Ask yourself, “how can I help with this?” Make yourself more credible by actually knowing what you’re talking about and be a source of information for whatever project you’ve been assigned to work on.
Keep learning. Most of what we know and do in our jobs is not what we learned in school. We’re always learning on the job. Whether it’s shadowing a teammates job so you can fill in when they are on vacation, or skilling up in a new software, you’ll grow personally and in your job when you make a commitment to continue learning.
Take on new challenges. Instead of shying away from the project or client that you’re not sure of, approach it as an opportunity. Stretching yourself to new heights shows that you’re willing to go the extra step. You may surprise yourself when you find out what you’re capable of with a little bit of a push.
Own up to your mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes. It’s o.k. If you are a supervisor or staff member it’s better to admit to them and fix them as soon as possible. Rather than persist with faulty reasoning or take feedback as private criticism, it is best to simply acknowledge that you were incorrect and attempt to do better next time. It’s true that we can learn more from our mistakes than from our successes sometimes.
Be Social. In some office cultures this means joining the team after work for drinks. In other offices this means sitting down to lunch together. Whatever your office norms are, get to know the people you work with. They’ll appreciate when you ask about their dog or their kids. You’ll work better with people when you know where they are coming from outside of their nine to five day.
Be Positive! An upbeat work environment is always a more enticing one to work in. We’re not suggesting you gloss over problems, but be the person in the office who squashes gossip and is kind to other people. Even when the atmosphere is stressful and uptight, be the one to lighten the mood and ensure that everything can work out even if things have gone sideways. Not only will this affect the mood of the office, but it will draw the interest of your co-workers. Everyone enjoys being around people who lift them up. Be that person.
Be accepting. Things won’t always go the way you want them to. The copy machine won’t always cooperate, the person you were hoping would get the job won’t get it, the plan for the project isn’t exactly what you expected. It’s o.k. Move on. Do your best in the situation you’re in. you’ll get noticed. Unless you are being treated unfairly or receive unjust accusations, it is always best to be humble.
It’s a long list. We know. No one can do it all, but maybe you’ll find a few areas to make some changes and become the type of co-worker you’d love to have. Go ahead become the office MVP!
