Be A Star Performer !

[AjayKumar.Kataram]

Be A Star Performer !

Climbing the corporate ladder is not easy. The office corridors abound with gory tales of friends turning into colleagues, and colleagues turning fierce competitors.

Is aspiring for the hat of the head honcho, then, asking for too much? No. Everyone longs for a better deal in life, but few are ready to pay the price. Success does not come to you. You have to go get it. These tips may help.





Do some soul searching
Once we get into the grind, few of us take time out for introspection. Get to specifics.

What is it that's making you underachieve?
Is it your obsessive boyfriend/girlfriend, your own weak resolve, lack of consistency or plain old lethargy? Believe it or not, lethargy is most often the culprit. Write do wn why you put things off, procrastinate or limit yourself. Only then can you focus on strategies to chip away at it. Most of us spend more time planning vacations than we do planning our career.

Ask yourself some tough questions. Have you found your calling in life? What is it you love doing?" You never know how time flies when you are absorbed in doing work you love. What are your personality traits? Do you have a flair for connecting with people, are you good at motivating people, do you crave an adrenaline rush or do you go by the book? Do your personality traits match the job profile you are looking at? Most importantly, ask yourself what your encashable skill sets are. What is your trump card? How are you equipped to add to the bottom line of your company in a way no one else is?

Get organised
Successful professionals swear by the mantra of 'planning ahead' in order to soar at the workplace.
Start your day with a 'to do' list. Gather your supplies and resources for each task, set priorities and get similar tasks done together. Prioritising is important. If you have a lot on your plate, it becomes essential too. Of all the work you need to sink your teeth into, sort out what's important and urgent, what's important but not urgent, what's urgent and not important and, finally, what's neither important nor urgent but needs to get done. You'll get the hang of it eventually.
Set the early hours of the day, when energy levels are high, to tackle what's most important and urgent, proceed with the rest on your plate and, if possible, delegate the unimportant work. Do not deviate from your plans. Apart from getting your act right, being organised also has its innate advantages. An organised person will always be successful. You not only need to do a good job, but also keep a record of it. At the end of the day, if you do not have facts and figures to prove you have made a significant contribution, all your hard work accounts to nothing. It's all about numbers. Being organised will help you invest time on the right things and resist distractions that come by the truckload.

Set time frames
Give yourself a deadline. They are necessary evils. Nothing gets done without a set time frame.
Putting in face time is criminal. It is not important how many hours you linger around at the office. What counts is how much you generate in a given time frame. Most management gurus agree with the fact that work stretches in accordance with the time allotted to you. More often than not, one will take three days to finish a task if three days are allotted. If one were allotted two days to complete the same task, one would complete it in two days just as well.
Some people think they are hardworking because they take the entire day to do a 3-hour job. If you have to stay back late, day after day, it is a clear sign of being inefficient, more than anything else . Gone are the days when the powers-that- be were impressed with late hours. All that matters today is the ratio, where minimum input of time equals maximum output of substance. Making sure you give your undivided attention to the work at hand ensures you deliver within the set time frame. If you are skilled and focused at the same time, you will sail smoothly over troubled waters.

Appear appealing
As in your personal relationships, it's the little things that make the big difference in the workplace too.
The way you present yourself is gaining importance by the day. Grooming and image-building workshops have gained immense popularity. Follow the dress code your firm lays down religiously. Spruce up. Take the effort to appear well groomed at all times. Exude positive vibes. The office will be a better place for all concerned.
Choose the company you keep. A stimulating environment gets the best out of you. A strong support network helps. Stay away from gossip sessions and focus on doing a good job instead. Always be willing to lend a helping hand to a colleague in need. Never be caught displaying the, 'It's-not-my-job' attitude.

The office is usually a place where diverse personality types clash, which is where the excitement and fun begins. However much you detest your colleague's dress sense or crude rejoinders, be civil. Phrase your words carefully if you need to assert yourself. Always maintain proper protocol. Make it a point to get along with everyone at your workplace - be it your colleagues, superiors or subordinates. Getting in the bad books of your colleagues and seniors is nothing short of kissing your career advancement goodbye. After all, 80 per cent of your success at the firm is determined by your people management skills, and 20 per cent by your work-oriented skills.

Invest in yourself
Gone are the days when one could wait and watch till the company put up a training programme for employees. You are now responsible for your career graph. The dictum today is, 'Deliver or Disappear.' The workplace is changing every minute. Be wired-in at all times or go the dinosaur way.

One can borrow a leaf from Pooja Waankhade, head trainer at a training institute for call centre aspirants. This enterprising girl made sure she got her act right. She joined an international call centre as a service representative, made the most of the American accent training provided, and excelled at her job. Eight months down the line, she was promoted as a Trainer, Voice and Accent, after which there was no looking back. She enrolled for Train-the-Trainer courses in soft skills and language enhancement as well. Being an all-rounder, she was much sought after. Brilliant offers began pouring in the moment she floated her resume. Smart cookie that she is, she settled for nothing less than the position of Head Trainer. The moral of the story is: Make sure you add value to your job profile by the day.

Think like your boss Winning brownie points with the boss was always a good idea. But you need to change the perspective with which you view your boss. Your boss is not the slave driver your colleagues make him or her out to be. Look at your boss as your mentor. H/She has worked long and hard to get where he has. H/She speaks from experience. Take advantage of this experience. Learn the tricks of the trade. Your mentor can mould you to shoulder great responsibilities. Look at yourself and your boss as two people working hand-in-hand to accomplish the same goal. Ask yourself, "What can my boss do that I cannot? Do I need to be more assertive, more organised and efficient? What additional qualifications does the chief possess? What changes in personality would I require to make in order to do the top job?" Thinking like the boss will keep you ahead of the rest. Follow these pointers, and you're already halfway there.