Being Effective at Work

Most of us feel great to have a high opinion about ourselves. We think that we are totally dedicated and result-oriented; our effectiveness at work is perceived as supreme. Such a disposition amounts to blowing one’s own trumpet. While everybody has his strong-points, there are vulnerabilities too; both of them affect our values and efficacy. This aspect can be fine-tuned to be more effectual at work.

Efficacy at work can stand you in good stead today, tomorrow and always. Individuals who are effective and efficient are invariably assigned stimulating responsibilities because they always prevail over key customers. They are also held in high esteem by everybody at their workplace. So, how do you be effective at work?   

Have a positive outlook:  Effective workers usually have a positive approach to work. They are ever willing to help others, take on additional responsibilities and maintain high standards. Your effectiveness at work, coupled with professional honesty and honest decision-making will place you on a pedestal of honour. 

Set precedence:   You should know what your objectives at work are. If you do not know them, you cannot prioritize them. As a result, you will always be buried under work. To be able to do so, you must evaluate what your job is all about and what does it entail. Having done that, you will be able to distinguish the important from the not-so-important ones.

Acquire expertise: It is quite likely that you run against time; under such circumstances, you can increase your effectiveness by well-organized time management. Handling pressures and strain, improving writing and speaking abilities and focusing on career progress are other skills that have a positive effect: these skills are:

·      New knowledge:  Regular and continuous acquisition of additional qualifications boosts effectiveness at work. You need to be cognizant of spheres that you are weak in and make efforts to improve upon them. Skill upgrading is not acquiring formal academic qualifications alone, but it involves being well-informed about all aspects related to the industry and organization you are associated with.

·      Communication skills:  You need to have good communication skills to assert yourself during presentations, conferences and routine interactions; such skills also help you disseminate orders and instructions. Communication skills also call for good listening abilities because if you seek to understand first, you will be understood.   

·      Time management:  You should evaluate your daily routine to discern any matters consuming your valuable time unnecessarily. In this way you would be able to concentrate on important aspects and decide which amongst them is to be attended first and when. In addition, you will be able to take stock of your objectives and the progress achieved. The important point is not prioritizing your schedule, but scheduling your priorities also.

·      Stress management:  Everybody can cope with work pressures up to a certain limit; individual outputs decrease thereafter, besides having a telling effect on health and relationships. To be effective, you should be fit and robust; the foregoing calls for identification of stress-inducing factors and taking remedial measures to reduce, if not eliminate them.

Men and women who are effective at their work are admired and revered by all. And when it comes to filling a post with more responsibility, they are the ones who are selected; the same goes for promotions. You need to introspect and weigh up what you are to your job. Anyone can ask how and when, but if you can overlook them and ask what and why, your effectiveness will come to the fore.

Being effective means giving the best of you to ensure that the best of others is also brought to the fore. Being effective at work implies knowing the way, showing the way and going the way. Your effectiveness will stand out if you are able to inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and be more.