Word-Of-the-Week #691: Long-term
November 2, 2017 by Susan Clarke
Long-term – seeing the big picture in the long run.
Do the managers and supervisors you work for inspire you? Do you follow their requests because you want to or because you have to? Are you in a position where you truly have influence over the success of the company?
This is Part 2 of the Baltimore Sun article by Jeff Haden Inc. Magazine “Path to Promotion: What one co-founder looks for when promoting employees” is our feature. He writes:
One of the most common questions that ambitious employees ask their boss — along with “Can I get a raise?” — is “What can I do to get promoted?”
- Focus on execution.
Planning is important, but too many shelves are filled with strategies that were never implemented.
The best employees develop an idea, create a strategy, set up a basic operational plan, then execute, adapt, execute, revise, execute, refine and make great things happen based on what works in practice, not in theory.
Success starts with strategy but ends with execution. Employees who advance are certainly good at planning, but they are awesome at execution.
- Think long-term.
Real leadership isn’t short-lived. Real leaders are able to consistently inspire, motivate and make people feel better about themselves than they think they have a
right to feel. Real leaders are people you follow not because you have to, but because you want to.
Other people will follow a real leader anywhere. And they’ll follow a real leader forever because she has a knack for making you feel you aren’t actually following — wherever you’re going, you feel like you’re going there together.
Creating that level of respect and trust and that type of bond takes time. Great employees consider not just the short-term but also the long-term, and then act accordingly.
In time, great employees are placed in positions where they can truly influence the success of their company.
- Be a volunteer, not a draftee.
The best employees are natural volunteers. They volunteer for extra tasks. They volunteer for responsibility before responsibility is delegated. They volunteer to train or mentor new employees. They offer to help people who need help, and even those who don’t.
Why is that important? Volunteering demonstrates leadership aptitude. Leaders are proactive, and proactive people don’t wait to be told what to do.
Successful employees earn promotions by working harder, just as successful businesses earn higher revenue by delivering greater value, and successful entrepreneurs earn bigger payoffs by working hard well before any potential return is in sight.
Draftees expect to be asked. Draftees expect to be compensated before they will even consider doing more.
This week’s focus is on the long-term. How good are you at planning & execution? Do you have the respect and trust of your management team? How often do you volunteer to take on projects or help your co-workers? Where do you see yourself in the big picture?
I LOVE feedback! Join my Facebook community on my FUN-damentals Fan Page.