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February 2006 |
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Career Corner Five Ways to Dazzle Your Boss 
For most of us, our job is our biggest investment. What else do we pour eight or nine hours into each day? It's also the one that pays us the biggest financial dividends. And nothing else that we do will have as big of an impact on our income. So, our advice is to do your job well, which is another way of saying "Dazzle your boss!" Here are five good work habits that will get you noticed and, down the road, more money and opportunity.1Show up on time. Seems like a no-brainer right? But look around your office. Few people are arriving on time. When you arrive on time, you get a head start on the day, which can make all the difference. (How many times have you felt like you were running behind all day?) But more importantly, it sends a very powerful message — you are reliable and want to do a good job — for the relatively small effort it takes to show up 15 minutes earlier. And it's a message you can send every day. 2Do what you say you are going to do. Not only does this please bosses, but follow-through is one of the keys to successes in everything. One trick to this one is not over promising. If your employer asks for a report that you know you can have done in an hour, tell her she'll have it on her desk in two hours. That way, if something goes wrong or you get tied up in a phone call, you can still deliver the report on time. If you hand in the report 30 minutes early, your boss will be reminded that you can be counted on. If you are late, you run the risk of having your boss ask what happened to the report and you'll have to deliver an excuse, which is really just a tiny argument as to why you can't be counted on. 3Have a good attitude. This means different things to different people. To your boss, it does not mean having a cheery attitude. Most bosses want their employees to find satisfaction in their jobs for the simple reason that such a situation usually works best. Wearing a smile doesn't hurt, but it's not what it's all about. When you see a need in your office, or your boss struggling with something, ask "How can I help?" When someone comes to you with a request, don't look at it like somebody is adding to your workload. Though that's true, it's not what's important. So focus on the fact that this is an opportunity to show that you're valuable. 4Keep a journal. Get a notebook — almost everything in life can be solved with a notebook! — and write down a few notes about each day. Make sure you write down everything you've done to contribute — especially things outside of your job description. Also, write down weekly and monthly goals and ideas for better productivity. The point is to reflect on your job each day. Most of the time, we spend so much energy just keeping up with our work that we never stop to think about it. Keeping a journal will keep you clearly focused and driven to make major contributions each month. It will help evoke ideas and they'll be written down so you won't lose them. So many of us just drift through our jobs trying to get it all done and hoping success comes to us. Doing journal entries can keep you on track. 5Be accountable. You're going to make mistakes in your job and when you do, admit it. "I screwed up." Trying to duck responsibility almost always backfires. Not just frequently, but almost every time. The trick is not to make too many mistakes and when you say, "I screwed up." Follow it quickly with, "Here's what I can do to fix it." Being accountable also goes back to attitude. The right attitude is one where your company succeeds — not just where you look good. So, if you need some data from one of your co-workers to enable you to get a presentation done on time, you've got communicate to your co-worker that need. You can't just shrug your shoulders and say, "Well, I didn't get the report on time, so I could get the presentation done on time." Your boss probably won't blame you, but he also won't commend your accountability. Being accountable is making all the steps you can toward averting failure. |
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