1. Stay alert
In order to develop as a person at work you must look for new challenges in order to create opportunities for yourself, this means you must have a key understanding of how the organisation works, how it creates revenue and who the key people are. This way you can keep up to date on all this going on within the company so your can constantly seek for room to grow and any opportunities that may arise even in a different department that you may be interested in.
2. Are you Focusing on the Right Things?
Always try and create time – I know how that sounds but time is the most precious thing in the world and create slack in your schedule. As soon as you dedicate time to one thing and tell yourself you have to do it and you will. Eventually you will get into such a routine that you won’t even remember what you did with yourself before you started dedicating your time. Try a schedule (it sounds elementary I know, but it actually works, if you divide up your average working week and colour code your time slot, you will then be left with empty or green slots that you can fill with something that you enjoy. Such as a hobby or even a continuing professional development course, this will not only provide you a new goal to work for but it may even give you a pay rise afterwards! Why not try dividing up your time today and seeing how much spare time you have and perhaps discuss with your director how you could be using it in order to benefit not only your skills but the companies too. AAT and CMI courses are brilliant, they give you an in-depth knowledge in management, strategic planning and even accounting. There’s plenty out there, but make sure you do your research first, as most of these courses are a serious commitment and once you have paid your money and signed up there may not be any turning back for 12 months!
3. Make that Day, Today
Most people would like to take a more strategic approach to their work but don’t do so because they don’t know what doing strategy really means. Planning (and executing) is about “how” you do what is instructed. Strategy is about asking “what” we should be doing—figuring out what problems the company should be tackling, sensing what is happening in the world and learning how to apply it to your business. This is true leadership, being able to analyse all sides of the company and to see what you can improve on. Many companies are now turning 360 degree feedback software, this is a system that means you get reviewed from different members of your company; i.e. not only your boss will give you an appraisal but your peers will also review your work too.
4. Expand
Whether you are in work or not, you constantly grow as a person with every new experience or learning curve something else is absorbed. If work is looking quiet then perhaps you should look online for a local business events in order to help your company grow, suggest it to your boss and see if you can take the main lead in the organisation – every manager likes a bit of networking!
5. Finally…Enjoy
Let’s face it, unless we win the lottery we all have to work so we might as well enjoy it. Try and make the most out of every single day, whether your feel tired or ill – you don’t even get to do that day over again so make the very most of every opportunity there is. Be happy and you will naturally grow as a person, the more the give out, the more you get back.