PLANTING THE SEED FOR CAREER GROWTH || Taking Pride In Your Work
What does it mean to take pride in your work?
Instead of getting the job done to the bare minimum, you are always actively curious and searching for new opportunities to do your job better, which in turn translates into better-served clients.
You pay attention to every detail to ensure the execution is done properly and in a timely way. You get it done RIGHT.
You follow through and do what you say you will do.
You will not let a job that’s half-done leave your desk, because you will only serve up work you are proud of.
While recognition is important, having your finished work represent your high standards is more important to you than praise.
What you take pride in your work good things will happen for you. Here’s why.
When you take initiative to go above and beyond to service your clients, your boss will notice this, and they will also notice when others are doing just the bare minimum. When you take time to learn a new skill that helps you do your job better, this skill set will inadvertently come up through conversation, in meetings, and improve the quality of your work. Those who take pride in their work are those who grow with a company by taking initiative to grow their own skills. Opportunities come to those who are prepared for it - do you spend your off time playing or are you improving your skill set to prepare for the next opportunity?
When business books tout the quality of working fast, some employees take this at face value and end up delivering quickly but on a product that is riddled with mistakes. Speed doesn’t compensate for poor quality, and those with staying power in a company know that things must be completed correctly. Imagine a billboard going out with the wrong logo, or social media ad with spelling errors - these mistakes easily spell the end of business relationships. Consistently delivering work that meets deadlines and is done right builds TRUST between the team, with your boss, and with your clients. People like to work and do business with people they trust - are you in that category?
This next one is important. You must follow through with what you say you will do. This is not just a good business principle, it’s a good life principle. Again, it builds trust, which is the basis of all relationships. Think about when you recommend someone, you will likely have to ‘trust’ that they will do a great job, right?
A job that is not completed to your standard of quality does NOT leave your desk. Your work represents your personal brand, so you ensure that it meets your standards, even if it means putting in extra time. Great work gets noticed, which results in raises, promotions, and new opportunities because your team and your boss will trust you to go the extra mile to do a great job. Some of you may sigh and say that’s not the case in mid-large sized companies, where often quality work isn’t credited to the right person. In response, I think you should find another job, or another boss.
The last point is something you can’t really train for, because some people crave praise and attention, whereas those who truly take pride in their work is more happy about a job well done. This isn’t to say that recognition isn’t important, it’s saying that when given both, those who take pride in their work will be more satisfied knowing that their work was of a high standard.
So if you take pride in your work, you will find that through your daily efforts, you are steadily growing your career, whereas those who seek to deliver the bare minimum, will always be working a ‘job’.
So if you want to build a career, you know what to do - focus on delivering amazing work.
