Openness at work winches up your career prospects

Today, the corporate world and all workplaces are abuzz with the word ‘transparency’. Why the corporate world, people want transparent governance and also transparent dealings by companies whose goods they purchase.

Openness is synonymous with transparency. What does openness mean and what are its implications at work? Openness at work implies being truthful, candid and forthright about your concerns and abilities, It is also about what useful contributions you can make at your workplace and how. Openness is honesty and sincerity in all your dealings; and they are important tools that can uplift your career.

How can you be a follower of openness at your job? Here are five methods that can help you portray an image of being frank, upright and trustworthy: 

· Be aware of your competencies: You should be confident of your skills and abilities. When you discuss anything with your boss, you should be frank and forthright in voicing opinions and recommendations. While you should not volunteer for an assignment that you know is beyond your capabilities, it is also important to not let any of your dexterity known for fear of being assigned additional responsibilities. Even if you do not or are not required to make use of a special skill that you possess in your present role, letting the management know about it will always stand you in good stead for obvious reasons. If you are not communicative about what you are capable or incapable of doing, your company will not be able to utilise your skills for organisational and your personal benefits.

· Let your actions manifest your keenness to help: You can have brilliant ideas about how your company can improve or even how you can effect a better performance. Such ideas are of no use unless you make them known. Communicating your ideas will indicate to the management and the environment that you indeed have your thinking cap on and that you want to be really valuable in so far as discharging your work responsibilities are concerned. You could be engaged in a specific task that calls for an understanding of how a different vertical functions but under normal circumstances, you do not play an active role in the functioning of that vertical. If you make your intent known, you will be appreciated for your keenness to learn and work sincerely.

· Inform your seniors about what inspires you: It is possible that because of financial constraints, your company may not be in a position to offer you a substantial increment. However, if you are frank about various non-pecuniary motivations that impel you, you will certain succeeds in getting some that raises your job contentment level. There may be occasions when you would like a couple of hours off to attend to family obligations or when you would like to take recourse to a flexible time schedule. If you have been interacting with your seniors on a plane of candidness and forthrightness, it is unlikely that your management will not oblige you.

· Voice your gratitude & contentment: You could be adept at certain types of assignments or enjoy the demands of specific ones. It is essential that you provide this information to your management. If you make your preference known, in all probabilities, your boss will keep you in mind while allocating tasks next time. Your company, as much as you will be happy at it because eventually when you undertake a preferred task, the organisational productivity will be boosted.

· Take only fair share of credit: Your individual contributions as distinct from your team’s performance should be known to your seniors. This will ensure that the credit and reward that is justifiably yours will come to you. You should make it a point to not take credit for a job well done that otherwise is deserved by somebody else. The foregoing will also make certain that if a job is not completed or is not done with perfection, you will not get blamed for it. If your management gets to know who makes more contributions at work or who makes sincere efforts, it will be fair distribution of rewards and promotions. 

If you commit yourself to honesty and sincerity at your workplace, you will do well no doubt. But if you one step more and be transparent, you will go further. You should display a readiness to go above and beyond what is expected of you to foster mutual trust. Openness is going above and beyond what is required of you to build mutual trust. Overall, it is bound to uplift your career.