Showing Passion At Work
Showing Passion At Work
No.10 Look professional
More important than the caliber of your clothes is their condition. it looks like you’re passing time and just don’t care.
No.9 Reach out to other departments to help on projects
it demonstrates both ambition and how committed you are to the company’s success (not just your own)
No.8 Offer solutions to problems
No job or company is ever perfect — there are always things to be changed or improved. And while not every situation can be fixed, you can always try.
congratulate others when they’re doing well. When somebody tells you about a problem, “that sucks” isn’t any help to them. Offer ideas; even just “Have you tried X?” Even if they have tried “X” or it won’t work for some reason, it shows you’re concerned and actively listening.
No.7 Know your competition
to project ambition and passion is to know your field. Who are the players? Who is your direct competition? What are the relative ages of the companies? Learn about the established companies as well as the young upstarts. What are the relative sizes of the companies and is that changing at all? More importantly, good ideas can come from anywhere: If the competition is doing something better than you, find out what’s working for them and adapt it to your own situation.
No.6 Know industry trends
Read up on what’s happening in your industry. Keep a broad focus — your industry is affected by countless factors and it’s nice to know how they affect you. Subscribe to an industry magazine or two and have these delivered to your office. Most job fields have free online newsletters; sign up for one of these and have it delivered to your work e-mail. Brush up on your reading when you have a minute or two, and forward some content to others in the company when it’s relevant. Just don’t go overboard.
No.5 Stay late
Make it a habit to stay late each day. It doesn’t have to be anything excessive — 15 to 30 minutes should do. Sure, you’ll get a bit more work done, but there’s a secondary benefit here. Even if you’re only staying 15 minutes, you’ll literally be among the last to leave for the day. More importantly, you won’t have a reputation as the person who’s sprinting out the door at 4:59 p.m. every day.
No.4 Talk about work
We always tend to talk to our boss and coworkers about their weekend, their kids and so on. Talk about work — what went well, what could be going better and what the rest of the month looks like. That’s not to say you shouldn’t be friendly and chat with others at work about their personal life, but it’s amazing how many people never talk work when they don’t have to.
No.3 Speak positively about work
This advice builds naturally from the point of talking about work. That wasn’t entirely true: Most everybody talks about work, but they’re just complaining about it — in the cafeteria, on their break and even in meetings. Complainers are everywhere, and you don’t want to be part of it. Take a proactive stance. Work to fix things that could be better, and speak about your job with positivity in mind. Project confidence that you’re moving in a good direction and point out the good results your coworkers have been getting
No.2 Have a projects list
Keep a list of everything you’re working on now and in the future. Carry it with you whenever practical and add to it often. Convey the sense that your work is direct and focused. Finally, refer to the list whenever you’re ending one task to see if there’s something on there you should address next. Every job has interruptions and emergencies that will knock you off track, but always hold your focus so your priorities remain clear.
No.1 Initiate projects
Whether it’s a big project or a small project, be the one who gets things started. Learn how to get support for the things you want to accomplish. The further you go in life, the more your success will be based on winning others to your cause or point of view. Many projects at work will be accomplished by a large team of people. Most of those people, however, will never initiate a project on their own. When they see a rolling ball, they will get behind it and lend their momentum. Be the one who gives it the first push.
