Everyone wants to get ahead, in their careers and their lives. Even with the best career advice, some of us still aren't where we want to be. In fact, many of us are holding our own selves back without even realizing it.
In Part One of this series, I mentioned a survey that polled 972 working adults and asked them questions about their work habits to find out what things they may be doing that could potentially limit their ability to be promoted, cause them stress at work or even cost them their jobs.
The results were really amazing and they shed some light on the things that we are all guilty of. Many of them, we may be too ashamed to admit.
When I read over the results, there were a few that rang true for me as well.
Each of these habits are important enough to go into in depth, so I think that in order to give each of them the attention each of them need, we can cover one each week.
Here is the number two habit that could be holding you back:
“It's Not My Job!”
This is a huge reason that people are being passed over for promotions. This is one of those insiduious habits that can seriously limit your career. It doesn't matter what your job decription is, your primary job is to be effective at work and make sure that people like working with you. This is what makes you employable. Trust me, no matter how good you are at your job, there is probably someone else out there who, while they might not be quite as good, they are willing to do whatever it takes to make the workplace run smoothly. They tackle the work that other people don't want to do and don't complain. For that, most bosses are more than happy to sacrifice a “star”. Trust me on this.
The best thing you can do for your career is to throw out your job description. In all honesty, the job description was probably just written as a guideline for hiring rather than being a binding document. Your job description is to make the office run smoothly and make your boss's life easier. That's really it. No matter what it is that you do each day, underneath that, you are there to do whatever your boss wants you to do. That's why they are the boss.
If your boss asks you to do something, and you reply with “That's not my job”, you aren't increasing your value. In fact, your boss probably already knows what your job is. So, if they are asking you to do something else, it means that they want you to do that other thing. It's really that simple.
Team players and people who are willing to pitch in are the people who get promoted. You might feel more comfortable doing your preset tasks, and you might even be able to hold onto your job with that attitude. However, you probably won't be asked to take on any more responsibility.
Even if you don't want a promotion and are happy where you're at, by doing things that help the office and that help your boss, you make yourself more valuable. As your value increases, it will be less likely that your boss would be willing to sacrifice such a valuable employee on other tasks. So, by just doing whatever you're asked, and doing it well, you can regain control over your work flow and work your way up the ladder.
The main thing about these habits is being honest with yourself. Accepting the things that are preventing you from achieving the success that you deserve is the first step in the journey to being the best you can possibly be. These aren't meant to be accusatory, but rather a way to reflect and see if you are holding yourself back.
Are you sometimes unwilling to take on other tasks? What keeps you from pitching in? I would love to hear your suggestions in the comments.
By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for LogisticsJobsiteBlog, along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.
Stay tuned next week for the number three habit.
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