Are you damaging your career without realizing it? It’s common to see even high performers get tripped up by some common stumbling blocks when no one gives them feedback about the effects of their behavior. Here are a few secrets you probably take for granted yet they may help you in getting a promotion and enhance your experience at the workplace.
According to Ruth Njuguna, a Human Resource Manager at Kenyans.co.ke, accepting criticism in stride can help individuals grow their careers.
"Criticism is pivotal in your career and even personal development. It offers you a different perspective from your own and once you’re able to process the criticism, you’re able to improve yourself and do better at your job,"
"Ownership is also a very integral part of growing in any workplace. Once you’re able to own up to not only your success but also your failures, you adjust the way you work factoring in any challenges you might have and in this way, your results will be different," continued Njuguna.
- Bosses notice when you sneak in the back
Never be late to meetings. Being late tells your boss that this isn't a priority for you. Also, your time is just as valuable as theirs and if your boss thinks that you don’t prioritize your time with them then he/she won’t be as eager to give you his/her time in the first place.
- Own your mistakes
The two things managers can’t stand are if an employee makes excuses for, or blame a client for a problem. The client is always right, so it’s the employee’s job to react and adapt to their individual requirements, not expect them to fit into a ‘one size fits all’ mold for the benefit of your manager's convenience.”
- Despite what your parents told you, you are not a special snowflake
"Special snowflake" is a criticism often leveled at millennials, but everyone would do well to remember that when you work for a company, you are one part of a larger machine. Expecting to always have your work lauded or to get special favors isn’t realistic and is setting you up for some uncomfortable confrontations down the line.
“You can’t always be the star,” says Lyn Hastings who is the vice president of marketing & operations of Powerline Group.
She further adds that how an employee rebounds from a tough situation says more about their work ethic and character than the easy win.
- Give bad updates as well as good ones
Employees are usually excited to give good progress reports and managers are usually excited to get them. However, most projects are not simply a series of one success after another and it’s just as important to report the failures as it is the successes.
“Even if something isn’t completed, let a boss know that you’re working on it and give an estimate of when it will be finished,” says Lyn Hastings.
- Learn to take criticism
Bosses aren’t giving you criticism because they hate you and they enjoy pointing out people’s faults, they’re doing it because it’s their job. You should know that part of being the boss is helping your employees learn and grow and they can’t do that if you think you’re already perfect. Bosses want your feedback on your review but please don’t provide a rebuttal for every piece of constructive feedback they give you. This is because it may come across as combative and most employers honestly find it annoying.
- Your emails might make you sound unprofessional
When writing an email avoid using a harsh tone which is likely to invite conflict. What you can do instead, is take a deep breath before you hit send and always focus on giving facts, not emotion. If you need to vent, do so verbally so at least it’s not in writing.
7. Covering up your mistake is the worst mistake you can make
We all make mistakes. In fact, your boss expects you to make mistakes from time to time. What they don’t expect is for you to lie about it. Most bosses appreciate when you take ownership of your work and your actions instead of deflecting or making them chase for the truth. They’ll respect you a lot more if they hear it directly from you instead of a co-worker or a client.
