The fundamentals of responsibility dont change.
This post originally appeared onThe Simple Dollar.
At my first job after college, I wound up working on a data organization project.
Unsurprisingly, over that year, I began to build a really strong relationship with the database administrator.
Eventually, we were offered much more permanent jobs.
So, why am I telling you this?
He taught agriculture classes at a rural high school in Iowa.
So, how did he wind up as an Oracle database administrator?
He didnt have a degree in computer science or information services.
How did he get there?
The only difference is that he actually applied them.
However, you likely already have most of the skills and traits that you gotta make that shift.
Be Reliable
When someone needs something from you, do you come through for them?
Do you only call in sick when youre legitimately sickand thats pretty rare?
Can people depend on the fact that youre doing what youre supposed to do at work?
Surprisingly enough, reliability is actually pretty rare, even at higher level jobs.
and then never deliver anything.
Similarly, I know many people who seem to never go to worktheyre always out sick or on vacation.
Theymightproduce something great, but they also might just produce nothing at all.
What can you do to improve your reliability?
Show up.A big part of success is simply showing up.
Yes, everyone wakes up sometimes with a desire to not go into work.
Everyone has days where theyd rather hang out around the house than work.
A reliable person goes in anyway, and in doing so becomes more valuable in their workplace.
Put a priority on things that other people are relying on to do their own work.
Dont waste time.Theres always something you could be doing, even during the down times.
Work on tasks that will make it easier to deal with the challenges during the busy times.
Keep your workplace organized.
Be a Good Listener, Especially in Meetings
Yes, many workplace meetings are incredibly boring.
Most of the time, youd rather be anywhere else, doing anything else.
Of course, its that very unwanted nature of meetings that makes them such a valuable place to be.
Stay as focused as you possibly can on the moment and react naturally to what you see and hear.
Here are three specific steps that are well worth taking.
There is no such thing as a stupid question, period.
Few people relish speaking in public.
Few people like leading small groups.
Few people like being in charge of collaborative reports.
Few people like cleaning up the worst messes.
The people who step up and take on these challenges are the ones who are retained.
They are the ones who are looked at positively for promotions.
They are the ones who find doors opening for them.
They are the ones building new skills that others really value.
Here are three steps you might take to make this a reality in your own career.
Yes, your day would probably be easier without it.
That comes with real perks.
Yes, sometimes youre not going to want to do it.
The difference between those who succeed and those who dont are results.
Did they take care of the challenge or not?
Are you going to take care of the challenge?
Maybe theyre not living up to the expectations that you have.
Maybe that person has a personality problem.
Maybe that person is causing undue conflict within the group.
Theres never a good reason to bash coworkers or speak negatively about others in workplace conversations.
Nothing good ever comes out of it in the long term.
Bashing coworkerseven when the conversation is privatecan come back around and haunt you in ways youll never expect.
Still, most workplaces still have negative conversations and backroom gossip.
People have negative feelings and vent them all the time.
Heres how you might take those situations and see to it youre not dragged down with it.
If you better vent, find friends outside of your workplace to talk to.
Write in your journal (I prefer this route myself).
Go to the gym and punch a bag.
Anything that doesnt introduce more negativity at work is a good thing.
I usually just find something else to do if the conversation turns negative.
Learn and Build SkillsAll the Time
Many jobs have downtime while youre at work.
Many jobs involve a commute, which means even more relative downtime.
Many people also have additionalspare timeat home.
Do you spend it sitting around twiddling your thumbs?
Do you browse websites and engage in idle chitchat?
Do you go on long bathroom breaks?
They just waste the minutes of your life.
Try spending your downtime and perhaps a bit of your free time on other things.
Learn from your coworkers.What kinds of things do they do?
What skills are they bringing to the table?
What are they working on?
What skills do they have, and how can you learn them?
Bringing these kinds of questions to your coworkers can be flattering.
That was a frustrating experience, to say the least.
When the student was alert and awake, he did reasonably good work, albeit at a slow pace.
The one thing he needed to do but didnt do was bring enough energy to work with him.
Here are three steps you should consider taking so that you dont fall into this kind of trap.
Try going to sleep earlier and, if that doesnt help after a while, call your doctor.
I save lower-energy and lower-focus tasks for later in the day.
Our bodies are actually pretty amazing.
Set Personal Goals
Where do you want to be five years from now?
Ten years from now?
What does that life look like?
Feel free to throw in as much detail as youd like.
Now, what do you gotta do between now and then to make that happen?
What needs to change in your life between now and then so you can make that vision a reality?
You should be able to come up with a nice list of changes.
Now,what can you do today to move forward on the things on that list?Today.
Not when you feel like it.Today.
Heres how to dig in.
What do you want your future to look like?
What does it look like personally and professionally?
Be optimistic, but dont be unrealistic.
Keep things within the realm of possibility.
What steps need to be taken to make that transformation happen?
Ask yourselfevery daywhat youre doing personally and professionally to get there.What are you doing today to execute that plan?
What are you doingright nowto build that great future?
you could escape from your low-paying job.
you might get a promotion.
you’re free to get a better job.
You just need to start applying the things that you have.
you’re able to be reliable, if you choose to.
you’ve got the option to make a plan for the future.
it’s possible for you to listen.
you could be more organized.
you’re free to build new skills.
it’s possible for you to show up well-rested.
you could take on the hard tasks.
Those are things that you’re free to do.
Those are things that will build you a better job, a better career, with more pay.
Those are things that will open up more opportunity than it’s possible for you to imagine.
All you have to do is bring up the door.
Image byStudiostoks(Shutterstock).
