What Does it take to Succeed At Work?

What Does it take to Succeed At Work?

 As much as the world says it is important to be happy and have great relationships – which I agree are critically important, it is also very important to be “successful” to feel fulfilled.

However, what is the meaning of being successful?

Is that promotion success? Is getting richer than your classmate success? Is the freedom to enjoy a beach without worry success?

Success at work, fortunately, is beyond all of these. It’s about the journey we choose to take every day, instead of the final destination that we see in terms of money, title or freedom.

Here’s what it takes succeed at work:

Defining our definition of growth: We have been conditioned by society to measure growth only when we are promoted. However, growth is a choice – whether we choose to listen more intently in a meeting, whether we choose to get things done better than yesterday, whether we choose to  play solo or a team game. Growth is what we own, and not what we wait for at the end of the year.

Do we want others to win: If we were to be honest with ourselves, most of us want only ourselves to win. However, is our work setting other people up for success? Because, how will we get to celebrate if we don’t take others with ourselves to the summit? 

Attitude >>> skills: Skills help us do the job. Attitude helps us create an artist’s version of the job. Someone with a great attitude will always be curious, on their toes, humble, and learning from their mistakes – something that skills do not teach. 

Owning the outcome: We’re told to do a task and we do it. That’s owning the output. However, when we stop and ask ourselves, “why was I told to do what I was told to do”, we own the outcome. That makes us indispensable.

Growing our network: Never interacted with someone outside the department? Offer to have lunch with them. Scared of reaching out to people? Reach out even more. With no hidden intent, rather just to learn from and listen to experiences of such diversity of people. 

Having all these won’t be easy, however, nothing worthwhile is easy.

And, what we become in the process is more than the end result that the world calls success.

PS: Did I tell you what will it take to succeed?

Everything!