Tuesday, August 6, 2019

Would you want to work with you?



Perhaps an odd question, but think about it for a moment. On a day to day basis are you a person that others want to work with? Are you the person people want on the team?

No one works in a vacuum. We all work with a variety of people in a variety of jobs and situations every day. What attitudes are you bringing with you day in and day out?

Let’s consider two different team members: Mary and Rodger.

Mary is energetic, positive and full of life. She is truly excited about what she does and looks forward to getting to work and helping make a difference no matter what has to be done. She is a team player and looks to help everyone she can throughout her day. She thinks before responding and chooses her words thoughtfully.

Rodger takes diligent notes but rarely comments in meetings and answers most questions with as few words as possible. He gets his work done and done well, but is not one to ask if others need help; he expects everyone to pull their own weight. He brings his lunch but avoids the break room in favor of eating alone in his car. He never talks about his weekend plans or anything in his personal life; he is all business all the time.

It would seem obvious that Mary would be a much better coworker, but there are quite a number of Rodgers in the workplace. Hard working and focused, but not that engaged with other team members or, often times, the organization itself. 

Take a step back and examine how you are interacting in your workplace. Are you engaged, outgoing and connected to others on your team, or are you a bit disengaged with your head down focused solely on your specific job tasks. If you are the latter I encourage you to be bold, lift your head up, put a smile on your face and start to engage with others in your workplace. You will find work will get more enjoyable, that people will respond more favorably to you and maybe, just maybe, you’ll get even better at your job, be looked at in a more positive light and even be given more responsibilities. Sounds like a win- win all around to me.         

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