January - March 2016 •
The Lion King
• 39
PUTTING YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD |
PRODUCTIVITY
Your Boss management capabilities to the rescue:
A great employee strives to be the one who really under-
stands what the Boss needs and delivers it, when and how
he/she wants it delivered. Regularly making certain that the
results you focus on and produce are the ones your boss
and company would value most. Some see the act of sup-
porting their bosses as “sucking up” to them. Rather, think
of it as creating and maintaining good relationships with
superiors, just as you do with colleagues, which, by the way,
is simply part of doing your job.
Your political savvy is key:
Are you one of those who abhor office politics? Catch up
fast on the “shadow organization” that really “runs things”
and impact every key decision within your organization;
including those about promotions, restructuring and down-
sizing. Maintain strong relationships and create high visibility
with the powers that be. Make it your duty to get to know
their interests outside of the office where possible, that is and
without seeming to encroach.
In other words, make the effort to bond management at
every opportunity that presents itself. Do not be an ostrich.
Catch the signs of shifting tides and be a detective (having
ears to the ground) about what lies ahead, so that you can
proactively position yourself.
Your up skilling ability should be on the upward trajec-
tory:
To remain relevant and ahead of the pack, great employ-
ees make it their duty and consciously too, to keep learning
new skills and knowledge. Make the internet work for you in
any spare time that you have, do not assume that you are
indispensable based on probable obsolete knowledge and
skills you acquired years back.
Your Leadership qualities or abilities should be show-
cased:
Great employees get along with and motivate others.
How peers or direct reports view you becomes increasingly
important during economic downturns within the organiza-
tion and world at large. At lay off time, the tolerance level
rapidly decreases toward people who are good at doing
their job but perceived as being jerks or bullies. Think big.
Stay positive. Generate solutions, especially to problems
that no one else wants to handle or even acknowledge.
fully researched and now shared with you:
Your attitude can make or mar you:
Great employees maintain a positive attitude, especially
during difficult situations. They roll up their sleeves and tackle
projects and challenges, irrespective of the magnitude, in
a straightforward manner. If they have a sensitive issue to
discuss, especially one they consider could affect the team
dynamics, they do so in private, with their leadership. They
consciously promote team spirit and good morale, and
above all, they are a pleasure to work with and be around;
a trait that is often minimized as an essential job character-
istic.
Your Personal Brand matters:
Supervisors have a special place for staff that project a very
strong personal brand, which in turn reinforces the organiza-
tion’s brand. They want to retain people who are trustwor-
thy, have solid reputations, inside and outside of work, and
have a good work ethic, willing to give more and ready to
take up new challenges. Great employees have a strong
sense of what is appropriate in the workplace and outside,
and they know how to balance the two.
Your Motivation should come from within:
While one of the inalienable roles of every manager is to
motivate their employees, they indeed appreciate as well
as and seek ones that create their own motivation. It makes
a world of difference to have employees that have the
inner drive to organize their work versus those who require
constant guidance to perform day to day chores. Employers
look for employees that have a decent level of self–motiva-
tion and that will not require a high level of “hand-holding,”
as well as the ability to tackle the expected obstacles that
arise in day to day business environment.
Your dependability should never be in doubt:
Certain core expectations are required for all jobs, but
dependability would probably feature at the top of the list.
Employees show dependability by taking personal owner-
ship of all aspects of their deliverables, including being on
time, dressing and working in a professional manner, and
demonstrating a high level of commitment. Always seek
opportunities to demonstrate your versatility. Versatility
becomes even more important during times of cutbacks,
when fewer employees remain.
Your team play capabilities should be honed:
No one can achieve “greatness” in an organization com-
pletely alone. Great and remarkable employees know this
to be true. They are the consummate team players who
can highlight their own successes, and also praise others for
theirs. These crop of employees are focused and keep rein-
venting themselves for greater performance and contribu-
tion to the overall success of the entity and above all, they
recognize that success is better achieved through team
work- always.
Your ability to rise to the occasion should not be in doubt:
A good employee gets the job done, simple! However, a
great employee gets the job done in spite of everything,
including when priorities and schedules shift. They are self–
motivated and can problem solve and think on their feet.
They are indefatigable and irrepressible and see problems
as opportunities to better the lot of the team and the orga-
nization at large. At UBA, we refer to this quality as having
the UBA DNA!
