WORKING 101 Maximizing Your Full Potential

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "WORKING 101 Maximizing Your Full Potential"

Dustin Patrick Logan
5 years ago
Views:

1 WORKING 101 MAXIMIZING YOUR FULL POTENTIAL American Public Works Association August 19,2008 New Orleans, La William A. Sterling, P.E. Leadership/Management Committee 1 WORKING 101 Maximizing Your Full Potential Everything You Need to Know to be Happy and Successful at Work 2 What work means to you will, to a great extent, determine how well you will do at it. 3 1

2 The Benefits of Work: Builds character, self confidence, and self esteem. Gives you a sense of accomplishment and personal satisfaction. Allows you the opportunity to be of service to others. 4 More Benefits of Work: Helps you to make contacts who can be of assistance to you in the future. Gives you the needed experience that employers are looking for. Helps you to develop skills and form habits that will serve you later. 5 And Some More Benefits of Work: Allows you to know your strengths and weaknesses. Gives you something to do. Makes you feel like you re part of something big. AND. It gives you money and the things money can buy! 6 2

3 Summary To live, we must work: by working, we are made better. When you like what you re doing, you ll do it better. When you re better at what you re doing, you ll like it more. Bad attitudes about work follow you wherever you go. 7 Remember: Every job is important to the organization that creates it, to the citizens who are served by it, and to the workers who work at it. 8 If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets as Michelangelo painted, or as Beethoven composed, or as Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven will pause to say here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well. Dr. Martin Luther King 9 3

4 Summary There is no such thing as just a job. Every job is important. It s not the job you have that counts, but the job you do. The job you have right now is the most important job of all. 10 Now, how do you define success at work? 11 TAKE A SELF INVENTORY OF YOURSELF Do you honor deadlines? Do you exceed your responsibilities? Are you wellinformed? Are you budget minded? Do you volunteer? Are you engaged? Are you resourceful? Are you high energy or low energy? What are your best accomplishments? Are you challenged? Have you attended training? 12 4

5 Success is: Having a job. Doing it well. Getting satisfaction from doing it. Engagement 13 EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT Only a handful of people reach their full potential. Organizations need to rethink training. Gallup Poll Organization research says only 29% of employees are fully engaged at work 71% are DISENGAGED to some extent! Yet you pay them all the same! 14 JOB DISENGAGEMENT Is caused by: Anonymity: People can not be fulfilled in their work if they are unknown. Irrelevance: Every one needs to know that their job matters. Immeasurement: Employees need to be able to immediately gauge their progress and level of contribution. Patrick Lencioni Three Signs of a Miserable Job 15 5

6 WORK ENGAGEMENT MEANS: Work all the time you are at work! 16 HOW? Chose meaningful work Align your role with your top talents Be responsible for your own development Be curious Be bold Be of value 17 UPGRADE YOUR SKILLS. Learn what you need to learn so that you can do your work better. 18 6

7 TAKE STOCK OF YOUR UNIQUE TALENTS AND ABILITIES ON A REGULAR BASIS. Do what you love to do! 19 LOOK INTO YOUR SELF What is it in me that is holding me back? 20 OTHER WAYS: Remember people connect to people not with organizations Find a mentor Be a mentor Don t let things build up Keep your eyes on the prize Find your knack for Leadership GET ENGAGED! 21 7

8 It s been said that there are three kinds of people in this world Those who make things happen Those who watch what happens And those who wonder what happen Which one are you? 22 You may fool the whole world down the pathway of life and get pats on your back as you pass, but your final reward will be heartaches and tears if you cheated the man in the looking glass Dale Winfrow 23 Summary How you define success will determine whether or not you achieve it. True success is not measured by the material rewards you get from it, but by the satisfaction you get from it. Success at work means having a job, doing it well, and getting satisfaction from it. Failure is not an option (unless you make it one.) 24 8

9 As good as you are, you can always get better: You can find something to get excited about. You can learn new skills or improve on the skills you have. You can get yourself into better shape physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. 25 Some Causes of Stress at Work Too much work. Not enough work. Deadlines and time pressures. Physical and mental fatigue. Not enough resources 26 Some Other Causes of Stress at Work: Change. Repercussions from mistakes. Unrealistic expectations from supervisors. Rude customers. Lazy coworkers. Bad supervisors. 27 9

10 And Some other Causes of Stress at Work: Responsibility for others. Job insecurity. Lack of information. Lack of opportunity. Lack of appreciation 28 What is missing from this list, and is the biggest cause of your stress at work? YOU 29 Stuff Happens : 1. Much of what happens to you is a direct or indirect result of your own thoughts, words, and deeds. 2. Nothing that happens to you, whether you cause it or not, is as important as how you react to what happens

11 Summary: You have the ability to control your own thoughts, actions, and emotions, and with these comes the ability to succeed. You are a very capable person, but as good as you are, you can always get better. When you find something to get excited about, celebrate every time you do it. 31 To work is both a privilege and a responsibility; to enjoy the privilege, you must accept the responsibility. If you accept the responsibility, You become engaged and committed 32 Choices You Can Make: Come to work OR Stay Home Work hard Hardly Work Be positive Be negative Accept responsibility Blame others. Serve others Serve yourself Be productive Waste Time 33 11

12 Some Other Choices You Can Make: Embrace change Face challenges Forgive and forget Do it now Make plans OR Resist change Run from challenges Hold grudges Put it off until later Make excuses 34 Top Ten Classic Excuses We Have All Heard: It s not my job. (YES it is!) It s not in my job description. (YES it is!) Nobody ever told me to do it. There isn t enough time. They don t pay me enough to do that. Nobody else is doing it, so why should I? 35 The Rest of The Top Ten Classic Excuses we Have all Heard: Nobody appreciates what I do anyway? If I do too much, my coworkers will resent me. If I do more than the expected, they ll just expect more. I ll never get ahead anyway because I m a (fill in the blank)

13 Decision Making Tips: You don t have to know everything to decide something. If you can t explain your decisions, you shouldn t be making them. You can t please everyone with your decisions, and you don t have to. The best decision makers are quicker to make decisions than to change them, but willing to change them if it becomes necessary. 37 Problem Solving Tips: Try to solve them yourself. Don t think of them as problems, but as challenges, or better still, as opportunities to find solutions. Approach problems with a positive, can do attitude. Be sure it s a problem before you try to solve it. Don t bother solving a problem that someone else could be or should be solving. Never wait for a problem to solve itself. 38 More Problem Solving Tips: Look for solutions, not faults. Look for simple solutions first. Focus on the causes of problems and not the symptoms. Ask for help if you need it. Accept the fact that if you can t solve a problem, you should try to learn to live with it. Not all a problems have solution

14 Some things, like money, responsibility, respect, and success, if not earned, are not worth having. 40 How Not to Succeed! By just showing up. By just promising to succeed. By just staying busy. By just doing enough. By just being a nice person. By just wishing to succeed. 41 How to Get Ahead: Do your fair share. (and more!) Be honest and trustworthy. Be reliable. Have respect for others. Have some self respect

15 How to Get Respect: Do the right thing. Don t be a complainer. Don t be a sore loser or an obnoxious winner. Don t gossip. Learn to say no. (In a nice way!) Be more critical of yourself and less critical of others. Know what you re doing and do it well. 43 Summary Money, respect, responsibility, and success must be earned, or they will not be worth having. You must do your best regardless of what your job is or how much you get paid to do it. 44 To better serve yourself, you must first serve others

16 Selfish vs. Selfless Workers: Selfish workers: Like to get even. Don t like to be interrupted. Think nothing of wasting time. Reject all criticism. Selfless workers: Like to get along. Don t mind being interrupted. Don t think about wasting time. Accept any just criticism. 46 Selfish vs. Selfless Workers (cont): Call in sick when they feel like it. sick only when sick. Call in Take longer breaks than they re entitled to. Take only the time they re entitled to. Make excuses. Make plans. Are never around when needed. Are always there when needed. Resist all change. Embrace all change. 47 And Finally Selfish vs. Selfless Workers: Refuse to do more unless paid more. Do more with no expectation of more pay. Look for ways to get out of work. Look for work to do. Ask, Why should I help? Ask How can I help? Don t do their best on tasks they don t like. Do their best whatever the task is. Argue for the sake of arguing. Avoid arguing for the sake of harmony. Are dissatisfied, disgruntled, and disinterested. Are happy and successful 48 16

17 Summary To serve yourself, you must first serve others. Selfishness is foolishness. Selfishness hurts everyone, including you. When you do something good for others or give something to them, you set in motion a series of events that eventually brings something good back to you. 49 Some Golden Rules of Customer Service: Be thankful they ask. Know what they want. Look for opportunities to serve them. When they need help, make it your top priority. Always respond promptly and courteously. Listen to them even when they re angry. 50 Some More Golden Rules of Customer Service: Listen to them even when they re being rude or obnoxious. Admit when you re wrong. When they re wrong, let it go! Don t complain to them or in front of them

18 Citizens: Have the right to be treated with respect. Have the right to be upset. Have the right to be wrong, and still get treated with respect. 52 Citizens Also: Have the right to express their feelings. Have the right to have all wrongs done to them made right. 53 Customer Service: Customer satisfaction is not just about serving citizens; it s about serving them well It s about going out of your way to work with your customers all of the time. It s about appreciating how important they are to you, and showing that appreciation And, it s about believing that whatever you may do for them, it can never be enough

19 Customer Service: Without citizens, there would be no jobs. Citizens are not an interruption... They are the reason you are here!! 55 Summary You and your coworkers are the key to the success or failure of your organization. Citizen satisfaction is more than service; it is customer service done well, done consistently, and done willingly. The rules of customer service should be followed daily. 56 Nobody works alone. Every job impacts, in some way, every other job

20 Interpersonal Relationships (IPR s): Admit when you re wrong. Be assertive. Don t be a jerk. Be nice. Be respectful. Trust others and be trustworthy. Don t try to change people. 58 More IPR s Be willing to help. Be willing to share. Be more critical of yourself than you are of others. Never seek to gain an advantage at someone else s expense. Do the right thing. 59 Getting Along With Your Supervisor: Speak up, not out. Make it easy for your supervisor to say yes. Don t become your boss s friend. Don t let your supervisor s incompetence be an excuse for your own. Never go over their heads without their knowledge. Don t be a nuisance

21 Supervisors Don t Like it When: You test them to see how much they ll put up with. You tell them what your previous supervisor would have done. You drag them into petty disagreements. You tell them something in confidence that they can t keep in confidence. You tell them something last when they should have been the first to know. 61 Supervisor s Also Don t Like it When: You make them do some work that you should be doing yourself. You complain too much about things they can t do anything about. You make them deal with the same mistake over and over. You occupy too much of their time. You keep doing things that they don t like you to be doing. 62 Summary Every job has an effect on every other job before it and after it. A team is a group of people brought together to achieve a common goal. The key to being an effective team member is to get along with the other team members. A good supervisor can do a lot for you; a bad supervisor can do a lot to you

22 Results: Results will be the ultimate measure of your success. The hours you put in, the effort you put forth during those hours, and the improvement you show will all be used to measure your success, but all three combined will not be as important as the results you put out. In the workplace, results rule! 64 Results that Organizations Want: Improved customer satisfaction. Fewer customer complaints. Fewer lost days from OTJ injuries. Lower employee turnover. 65 Some More Results That Organizations Want: Less absenteeism. Less tardiness. Better public image. Increased productivity. Lower costs

23 Summary Your objective is to help your organization to achieve its objectives. The effort you put in is more important than the hours you put in, but not as important as the results you get from your efforts. You will be evaluated by the hours you work, the effort you make, the improvement you show, and the results you get. 67 Saving Money for the Organization: Work with, and adapt to, directed cost cutting measures. Look for ways to cut costs yourself. Sweat the small stuff. Consider the costs and benefits of everything you do. Watch for hidden costs. 68 More Ways To Save Money for the Organization: Use equipment and supplies as they were intended to be used. Use only what you need. Don t waste time. Don t steal from the organization or destroy its property. Be an asset, not a liability

24 It s not the amount of time you have that matters, but how you choose to use the time you have. If you choose to waste it, you ll never have enough of it. 70 Being Productive Be aware of how you spend your time and admit when you have a problem. Set priorities. Get organized. Make plans. Start fast. 71 Other Ways To Be Productive: Take your time. But don t waste time. Stop procrastinating. Don t let everyone borrow your time. Make things happen. Simplify things. Don t waste someone else s time. Don t dwell on times past

25 Summary You cannot manage time, but you can manage what you do in the time you have. What matters is not the time you have, but how you choose to use the time you have. If you waste your time, you ll never have enough of it. Spend as much time as you can being productive, as little time as you can being unproductive, and no time at all being counterproductive. Stay engaged! 73 Typical Bad Assumptions: That because you explained something to someone, they will understand it. That because you didn t notice something, it s not there. That because something is important to you, it will be important to others. That because someone is saying nothing, he/she has nothing to say. 74 Communicating Effectively: Speak up. Speak the truth. Speak for yourself. Remove all barriers to effective communication. Take responsibility for reaching an understanding

26 Summary Anything that can be misunderstood, will be misunderstood. The key to effective communication is understanding, and you are the key to understanding. It helps to know what you re doing or what you re saying before you do or say anything. Without effective communication, organizations would not succeed, teams would not function, and you would not be happy and successful. 76 Change is good; it s good for the organization, it s good for you, and it s going to happen. 77 The Changing Workplace: The workforce is becoming more diverse. Organization are getting leaner and more efficient. Productivity is rising, as are expectations that it will continue to do so

27 Other Factors Effecting The Changing Workplace: Citizens are becoming more knowledgeable and more demanding. Technology is changing faster than ever before. Competition for jobs is heating up. New management philosophies are gaining popularity. 79 Summary Change is inevitable, it is necessary, and it is good. It is not natural to resist change; it is merely a matter of choice. If you give change a chance and a little time to work, you will find out if it works. If it works, you re better off; if it doesn t work, you can always change again (and you ve learned something too). If you don t change, you will become obsolete. 80 There are few obstacles that cannot be overcome with a little faith, hard work, creativity, and enthusiasm

28 What Are Your Obstacles? Is your work not important? Are there no opportunities for you? Do you lack education or experience? Do you hate your job? Does your boss not like you? 82 What Other Obstacles? Is your boss incompetent? Are your coworkers out to get you? Is the competition at work too intense? Are you afraid of failing? Do you have personal problems holding you back? 83 There is a huge difference between knowing what has to be done and actually doing what has to be done, especially when you re getting paid for what you have done and not for what you know

29 Doing your job as expected demonstrates DEPENDABILITY Doing your job better than expected demonstrates COMMITMENT 85 Commitment Having a sense of Dedication Shows you are Focused Comes from within Demonstrated by your Actions 86 Summary: You are paid to get things done, but it helps to know what you re doing. You can be happy and successful at work. You deserve to be happy and successful. The choice is yours you can be happy and successful, or you can be miserable

30 It is no disgrace to work, but it is a disgrace to work poorly. 88 Remember: Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body but rather a skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, Wow, what a ride. - Anonymous 89 DO NOT WAIT: The time will never be JUST RIGHT. Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along - Napoleon Hill 90 30

31 References: Ten Thousand Horses, John Stahl-Wert/ Ken Jennings Three Signs of a Miserable Job, Patrick Lencioni Working 101, Mike Jacobs 91 Thank you for coming..and for staying!

32 I can be reached at: Work: Home:

Understanding My Work Motivation

Understanding My Work Motivation A: RESPONSIBLE You believe that good people work so you re rarely unemployed for long. When you are, it s difficult to focus on anything but getting back to work. Whether the pay is good or bad, whether