5 Tips for Self-Improvement at Work – Daniel Kosmala

 

 

Want to better yourself at work? Through some self-evaluation and research I have done in the last couple of weeks, I’ve discovered five self-improvement areas that I know I need work on to be the best version of myself at the office. These are the five simple self-improvement tips that I came up with that could help me take my work to the next level. I know that by striving to improve these five areas, I will be a better person for it, and I am sure you will too if you commit to making them a reality.

• Study Situations Carefully.
  • Do not just take everything as it is presented to you. Prod around a little bit. Kick the tires. Do your best to look under the hood and at least get a general understanding of what is going on in a given situation. Why did one project turn out well while another fell flat? Study those, find out what went wrong and strive to fix it next time.
• Listen intently and speak genuinely.
  • I am a terrible listener. Most of us are. We are more concerned with what is going on between our own ears without ever giving consideration to what people might be saying to us. Sure, we’ll ‘fake’ listening to get by, but we miss the important stuff. Listen more. Strive to be able to recite back to people exactly what they just said to you.
  • Speak genuinely. Be real with people. Do not be a jerk, but do not hide the truth from them. Be authentic. People appreciate honesty far more than they can ever communicate. They would much rather be heartbroken because you were honest with them than elated because you spun a lie based on the truth and gave them false hope.
• Set the example by raising expectations.
  • Set the example at all times. Strive to be a ‘posterboy’ for your job. The guy that gets everything done at a higher quality before it is even due. Make that the norm and have people raise their expectations for not only the people around you, but primarily yourself. If you set the example and raise expectations, I bet your company will do better from your efforts.
• Give honest feedback.
  • Do not schmooze people, including yourself. It is entirely possible to con yourself into believing that things are better than they actually are. “How’s that project coming?” “Oh it’s going great. I have made a ton of progress in the last three days.” But in reality, you have barely moved an inch in the last week on that project. Be honest. Ask for help. It is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign that you are humble enough to ask for some direction and suggestions for how to succeed.
• Take responsibility and seek help.
  • If you make a mess out of something at work, do not try and back track your way out or circumvent the issue. Own up to it. Say, “I messed up. I failed.” When you allow yourself to do that, you will feel the freedom to ask for help. Chances are this is why you have a team in the first place. To support you.

 

What else? Do you have any other self-improvement tips to carry into the work environment? I’d love to hear them in the comments!