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Present at Work or Really Showing Up?
Over 3 billion people across the planet showed up for work today...plus you.
But which version of you arrived at your workplace? Was it one your friends would recognise? Was it the best side of yourself...or the same person you promised at your interview...or a version your family could be proud of?
It’s possible to be simply present at work without really Showing Up…here are 5 tips to increase your impact in the work you do:
Mindset - Get Your Head in the Game
The ways you and I are thinking right now will make a massive difference to the direction our lives and careers take and outcomes of the work we do. Your attention defines your direction...meaning where your attention is, is where you’ll go. Where’s your head today? Stay focused on your goals, the results you want to see and manage your reactions in the face of temporary set-backs. Get back on the bike and stay focused on what you’re heading for...and it’ll be party time when we meet at the finish line.
Outcomes - Make your plans Well-Formed and don’t leave it all to chance
Most of us have dreams and ideas...and far fewer of us realise them. The best-designed Outcomes are ones that are in our own control and don’t rely on anyone else to make them happen. Think about your customers and current sales plan - landing the deal isn’t in your control because someone else has to decide to buy, so don’t place all your focus in the hands of their decision. What you CAN control is your personal performance in any sales interaction, the quality of the questions you ask, the rapport you build and your overall preparation for each customer...focus on those things and you’ll have a much better chance of sales success.
Strengths - Train your talents like a muscle and develop them as strengths
We all have gifts and talents and developing them into consistent Strengths takes time, effort and training. Talent x Investment = Strength and focusing on your strengths will give you far better results than obsessing over your weaknesses. Imagine telling Mo Farah he had to try the javelin or pole vault before he could be considered a world-class athlete...?!? He’s training, right now, to be one or maybe two per cent better at the things he’s already world class at...so focus on developing your talents and training them to become your Strengths.
Time - get a grip on your schedule, switch on and make your difference
A 40-year career is just over 10,000 working days...and this one’ll be over before you know it. If I followed you around at work for a couple of days, I reckon I could get a pretty good read on your performance level through the things you spend, invest, waste or lose your time doing. And you’d be able to do the same for me. If we don’t manage, control and take responsibility for our schedules, they end up managing us - and that rarely puts a smile on our faces. Get a grip on your schedule - you’ve normally got more time than you think you have.
Updates are Available - refresh, re-wire and overhaul your thinking…all the time.
Just like when we download an update to the apps we’ve installed on our smartphones, our thinking needs to be constantly upgraded to deliver a sales performance that can match the dynamic commercial conditions around us. Too many of us carry bugs and glitches in our thinking, or find we occasionally run-slow or lock-up under pressure - the ‘version’ of you that’s operating today will probably be out of date by the time we hit 2015, so look out for the chances to make personal upgrades, add new features to your performance or increase your capacity, to perform in market conditions that will always be changing...
With the right sort of thinking Showing Up at our best is possible for ALL of us...and our work and performance can be amazing once our heads are in the right place.
By Tim Robson is the author of Showing Up: How to Make a Greater Impact at Work and runs Now Show Up!, with programmes and training for new workplace thinking.
