How to excel with your projects and team
Be a team player by taking time to help your team members when they need help and they will usually reciprocate.
When you make a mistake don’t hide it, apologize, take the hit and learn from it.
When you say yes to doing something for someone, write it down and make sure you fulfill your promises otherwise it is best not to say yes in the first place.
Asking yourself why you don’t make excuses will help your mind answer and solve issues by coming up with reasons to get things done instead of excuses not to. An example would be; Why don’t I make excuses? Now your mind can work on answers such as…
Go the extra mile for your team and for your customers when needed.
Don’t harp on about the past, or your current projects to your co-workers or customers. Be positive about where you currently are and do more listening to others rather than talking about yourself.
When an emergency or urgent issue arises make sure you can be contacted so you can be part of the solution, and work with your team, and or your customers so be a person that is available and contactable..
Avoid the blame game, what really counts is taking care of the customer or situation, not whose fault it is. So avoid placing blame on others, learn to take responsibility for your own issues.
Isolating yourself may distance you from your team, so make sure to take time to visit and interact with your team regularly, even if your not that type of a person. This will help you have better relationships so when you need help, you will be able to work as a team.
Strive to be consistent and dependable. When others can count on you, the word will get around
Don’t get a big head, if anyone is not at work for two weeks, people will figure out how to do things without you, so understand that no one is irreplaceable. I have been in the industry for over 20 years and I have learned a thing or two during that time although getting a know it all attitude can become counter productive.
When people are not saying good things about you on a regular basis, know that complaining or getting upset about this will not make you a better person. My wife always says if you are great at what you do, you should never be the one to point that out to others.
When you offer help to others in a genuine way, allow others to help you when needed, and in this way the team will become stronger.
Step out of your comfort zone and stretch your abilities from time to time, this will help you improve. When you fail get backup and learn from that failure. While stepping out of that comfort zone, include the help of a mentor, asking for advice and direction will give you much better odds of success.
Strive to live the policies at your work place and stay within those guidelines. When others don’t live by the rules keep in mind that it is not your job to point those things out to management unless there is a legal or moral issue that should be addressed. Avoid telling on others when the items are petty.
Avoid bragging about your skill set, I have mentioned this in one form although I reiterate it because when we exaggerate our skills and others find out this can often lead to you being let go. Many people look at exaggeration in many respects as a lie.
Try to complement people in a genuine manner, and avoid complaining about the small stuff unless you have solutions to offer, even then many times it is best to take someone aside in a positive manner and ask if there is anything you can do to help rather than to complain about things. Often complainers end up getting the can so take care what you say and how you go about complaining. Think it through, write the complaints down, and then ask yourself what positive results will come from submitting these complaints to management.
Try to improve your skill set on a daily basis by taking ongoing training programs, reading books, or listening to books on tape in order to improve and stay on top of your industry. Don’t rely on what you learned years ago because most industries are growing and changing, so grow and change with the industry or you may be left behind.
Strive to be honest even when it may not help you look good, people respect a person that tells them that they do not know, but will find out much more than a person that is faking to be a know it all.. Tell people you will research it and talk to an expert in that field and then make it a point to follow up with what you have found out.
Larry Love is a current employee for Johnson Controls. Please contact Larry with any corrections or comments. (801) 898 6003 Larry.Love@JCI.com.