Be the Difference Maker in Your Workplace.

Have five things laid out for the day that you can do that will help your team, supervisor, and company be more effective. You can be the difference maker in your office.

Each morning before you walk in the office door, stand up straight, put your shoulders back, and walk with your head up.  Put a pleasant look on your face.  Use open, welcoming gestures, and say good morning to each person you see.

Set the tone in the office that everyone is important.  Offer solutions wherever possible.  Offer to assist in anyway you can.

THERE IS A REASON THAT THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS HAS MORE THAN ONE MEMBER.

I have read a lot about lately about not asking for the opinions of other people.  That advice runs counter to every common sense business practice I have ever heard.  Google prides itself on team mentality and respect for the opinion of everyone on the team.  If you believe that your thinking alone makes you smarter than the combined intelligence of everyone in the room on everyone occasion, you are deluding yourself.  It is easy for all of us to believe our own bologna, because we have always heard it.  Ask for the opinion of other people and incorporate their thinking into your own thinking.

Get to know your boss.  Learn these things about your boss:

  • What is the name of your boss spouse and your bosses’ children?
  • What hobbies does your boss have?
  • What interests your boss?
  • What are your boss’s ideas about priorities in the company?
  • See yourself as an asset to your supervisor and your company and look for ways that you can contribute to the creation of solutions.

From my basic training at Procter and Gamble, I learned that I was the expert in my industry.  To be the expert, I needed to read the trade journals, internal company publications, and look for news about my industry.  You can do the same thing in your job.  You are the expert at your workplace.  Being the expert means that you will need to know everything useful about your industry, your company, and how you can play a role in your company’s success.

Become solution-minded.  Recognize the problem. Develop strategies to turn those problems into money-making ideas for your company.