1. Seek Out Ways To Improve Your Place Of Work
There’s little as impressive as solving a problem that your coworkers and boss didn’t even know existed. If you keep an eye out you are sure to find some kind of flaw that’s slowing down or prohibiting workflow. Don’t overstep your bounds in your search (like by criticizing a co-worker to your boss) but feel free to look for things that would only require a small fix to increase productivity.
2. Have A Slightly Competitive Relationship With Your Boss
A “yes man” is boring, and can only go so far. Don’t be too afraid to treat your employer like a peer. Just because he or she is higher up the ladder than you at the office doesn’t mean you have to be their lackey to get along with them. Build up a friendship or, even better, build up a bit of a friendly rivalry between the two of you so that your boss thinks of you as an equal. You may even become someone who your employer thinks deserves a status at the workplace equal to their own.
3. Be Neutral If You Can’t Be Positive
You can’t be chipper everyday; we all have ups and downs throughout the week and month and year. However, a priority should be placed on avoiding negativity at all costs. It’s okay if some days you simply do the tasks set before you and mostly keep to yourself. It’s a problem if you spread your negativity around to other people in the workplace. It’s unfortunate, but your co-workers and your boss will often remember you based on how you acted on your worst day. Keep a bad day from becoming detrimental to your mission to get promoted.
4. Lead Where You’re Able
If you have a map to the Promised Land, feel free to get your Moses on. Likewise, when a project comes up that you know you’ll excel at, don’t hesitate to ask for a chance to demonstrate your leadership. Followers are quickly forgotten, but leaders are long remembered. If a task comes up that you think you can do effectively and efficiently, rise to the occasion so that people will take notice of you on your best day.
5. Follow When You Need To
Followers may be quickly forgotten, but there are some things that you don’t want to be remembered for. If a project arises that you know you won’t do particularly well at, carefully consider whether or not you should really take a prominent role in it. If you’re not going to get good attention for what you do, you probably don’t want to get any attention at all. Some people are a little too eager to be in the spotlight when they should really be picking their spots wisely.
6. Keep Adapting
Your role at your place of work will always be in flux. That’s life, and that’s certainly business. Be sure to take advantage of the good changes and roll with the bad ones to the best of your ability. People will take notice when you’re the first to embrace a new facet of the job, maybe even enough that they’ll want you to get promoted to a better position! Featured photo credit: Pascal via flickr.com
