Tip 3: Communicate — provide update!
Great workplace behaviours you must acquire.
If there is one thing that will make your boss fall for your business-style, it would be your ability to communicate, update, provide timely feedback and ask the right questions in a proactive fashion!
When I completed the university, I never applied for any job. I was head-hunted and given a big position in a marketing and media house. It was a great honour and I needed to make my boss and employers proud. I was just 23 (at that time 23 was a pretty young age), and one behavior I quickly learned at the workplace was to be upfront with information, even before I was asked.
Each time I was assigned a task, I would give constant updates and next-to-do actions to my boss. I would call him any day, anytime to let him know my movement. I would share any idea I had about business and how to improve things.
Then I became a boss myself, and I must say, the best people I have got on my team are those who do things like I did.
Why is that so?
1. Communication shows that you are on the ball and know what you are doing at any time. It indicates to your employer that you have a sense of responsibility and accountability.
2. It helps you to minimize mistakes and blunders, because if you are about to do anything disastrous, your boss or colleagues can flag it and warn you about what your to-do-activities can bring. They can only do so because you communicated your ideas and actions to them.
3. Communication helps you to beat deadlines and get things done in a timely fashion. This is so because your own actions will keep you on your toes, and you will less likely waste time on your projects.
4. Customers and clients would love to work with you, because they trust that they will receive updates and info, and not keep them waiting for nothing. They will also know if something is not right, because it would be unlike you.
5. It’s a sign of respect for authority. You acknowledge that the business or your employer has invested in an entity, which has given you the opportunity to work and make some money. You also understand that the owners of the business have a right to know what engagement and negotiations you are doing on their behalf. If you were a boss, would you not like your staff to treat you this way? Sure! Its pure respect to your employer.
As a senior person on our team, one thing I cannot stand for a minute (and it is so for many business owners and bosses) is waiting for forever for feedback! You send emails, — no reply! You ring and leave a message — no call back! You give someone a task—no acknowledgment, and even if they have done it, no feedback to that effect, and you sit wondering! You could easily be fired with this behavior!
There you go, take a look at the other workplace behaviours that can help you become a better team player and business person.