Lady LUX

Navigating the workplace is quite important for those looking to sustain their careers and enhance their presence at work.

Many might think that your work alone is the determining factor of your success, but that is simply not true. As with most things, the dynamic of relationships and workplace norms can wreak havoc even for the most talented of employees.

This is inspired by the reading of ‘GOAL! Your 30 Day Career Plan for Business and Career Success’ by authors Fred Whelan and Glady Stone. Consider this a LUX-interpretation of how to ‘avoid’ failure and to begin focusing on success!!

As a way to assist you in being pro-active, we thought we would highlight a few tips to remember below.

First of all, consistency and follow through are the foundation of integrity and work ethic. These will be things that companies will look to when reducing budgets and eliminating positions. It is important to keep to your word and communicate when projects are falling behind as a way to be sure to not be setting a deadline just for the sake of putting a date on the calendar. Leave room for adjustments and estimated time frames, especially when delivering on projects that others are waiting on your part to even start their portion.

It is also important to remember that nothing has ever been built alone, especially in the workplace. There are always factors that are often overlooked that helped to create the space for even the success to be an option, so be sure to acknowledge all parts of the daily operation. To apply this, begin developing a ‘whole’ perspective, rather than just looking out for yourself. Understanding how you contribute to the bigger vision of the organization and helping to foster that in others is a talent that once honed is quite valuable!! Remember, the power of the whole is always more powerful and effective than the sum of the parts.

Being able to accept responsibility and ownership over your work, especially mistakes or failure, is of great importance in career success. It is one thing to be confident, but to always put the responsibility on someone else shows lack of maturity and can be a real determinate to long term success. It is a fine balance between ‘understanding’ how something happened and ‘blaming’ others for the result. Be sure to stay focused on how you, as the project lead or employee, has influence in your position and when you come from this perspective you also have the power to make a more positive difference!

Also, remember to stay humble and grounded. Be sure to give credit where credit is due and to include all the people that helped to contribute to the positive result. Regardless of how much they are contributing, it is always important to keep in mind that a leader within an organization does not aim to do it all by themselves and think they will be successful. They are grateful for the team’s effort.

Being able to learn from previous mistakes is also a huge advantage of a great leader in the making. This is a way to show that we might fail, but we are growing and learning from the experience.

So whether you are currently in the lead or have your eyes set on this destination, it is important that we are always ‘leading’ simply with our presence or nature. In order to be seen as the leader, you must embody one now. Become that which you desire. Leading is a mindset, a way of working, not just a role that is filled in an organization.

With all of these quick highlights, which one do you believe is your strength as a leader?? How do you resonate with this message and quick highlights? Do you find these to be true of the best leaders you have had the pleasure to work with? We look forward to hearing from you!

Tagged in: career success, promotion, positive traits, navigating the workplace, internal leaders,