Every day, at work, you are given tremendous opportunities to learn. Thomas Jefferson, one of the founding fathers of the United States, and the principal author of their Declaration of Independence, purportedly said, “I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.“
The question is; are you being “lucky” and figuring out what these lessons are? Or are you one of these people who is “unlucky” in perpetuity.
The trick for getting results at work in terms of your growth trajectory, lies in your ability to learn quick lessons and leveraging on that learning.
Let me help you with three important lessons you should have learnt by the time you have had about two to three years of working experience.
The first and most important lesson is that your attitude, by far, is the most important asset you have at your disposal. If you do not get this, you are doomed to spend your entire work-life in stagnation.
Establishing early on in your job that you are a positive member of the team, will make you a noticeable hit with your bosses.
See, your work-life will be fraught with complications, irritations, and multitude of problems. You will have deal with other people, and that always creates complexities.
Do not attempt to fake your attitude. You will fail, even if you are an Oscar-worthy performer. The sheer volume of disappoint that will come your way, does not allow you to lie about your attitude, for any length of time. You have to be authentic.
The cornerstone of the right attitude at work is your willingness to be an energy giver.
Remind yourself to be helpful even if it does not profit you, immediately. Understand how to respect others, especially when they annoy you. Learn to be committed to your word. And, when you make mistakes, admit them and own up. Tell your boss what you learnt, and how you will do it differently the next time.
This is lesson number one.
The next thing to learn, is that there is a very high likelihood that you do not like your boss. This is not a science, but I can safely say that over the past 15 years of being a management and training consultant, nearly every time I ask a group of people to give me some anecdotes about their bosses, the majority of their narratives will be about how bad their bosses are.
Interestingly, Robert Hogan, an American psychologist best known for his innovations in personality testing, wrote in his book “Personality and the Fate of Organizations” that 60-75 percent of managers are incompetent, or poor leaders. That ranges from managers who are simply in over their heads to those who are truly awful and destructive.
The lesson for you to learn as quickly as you can, is that it so much better to figure out ways to peacefully co-exist with people, especially superiors, you do not enjoy. You cannot resolve a problematic boss by sulking or fighting. Instead, you need to learn to manage your own reactions, and to work within the conditions you face.
The art of managing a difficult boss is founded on your ability to keep all your interactions with them on the topic at hand, and to the point. Even if your boss does not do this, you need to continue to be civil, pleasant and polite.
The most counter-productive thing you can do, is to form a gang of like-minded colleagues who collectively dislike the boss. It never solves your issue with your boss. Do not do this, and do not entertain others who do this.
When you accept that many people, just like you, have problematic bosses, and you adapt to work around them, the less you’ll be impacted by their actions, both in and out of the office.
The third lesson I would like to share is that you have been hired to solve problems.
Many people capitulate whenever they encounter problems. I often have to remind the participants in my executive leadership coaching sessions, that without problems, they would be out of a job. Most people eschew problems, or start looking for a new job, or become the “problem” when they are faced with complications at work.
Condition your mind swiftly to the reality that you will be inundated with problems at work, and that is, in fact, a good thing. Do not dwell on the pain of the problems. Alternatively, focus on working at unravelling them.
I have realized through my work that people fall broadly into two categories; they are either problem-oriented or solution-oriented. I know who I would promote.
These are the three most valuable lessons you need to learn expeditiously, at work.
Keep your attitude in check and have a learning approach to everything. Manage your emotions with your bosses, especially if you are led by a high functioning sociopath. And, focus on resolving problems, rather than contributing to them.
You will get results, when you master these three lessons.
SHANKAR R. SANTHIRAM is managing consultant and executive leadership coach at EQTD Consulting. He is also the author of national bestseller “So, You Want To Get Promoted?”. The writer can be reached at shankar@eqtd.com