Be a cut above others at work

Who does not want to be a leader at work? Every person, young or old, senior or junior aspires to get into limelight and be recognised as a cut above others. But to be able to carry that tag attached with one’s name, you need to be knowing the path on which you are moving, actually be moving on it and guiding others to do likewise. That is the essence of leadership. 

How do you go about achieving a position or status wherein everybody looks upon you? There are many techniques, some time-tested and some purely theoretical to do so. The following tips can be beneficial in this context:

· Shoulder responsibilities: If it is your desire to be an 'influence' at work, you need to take responsibility for possibly everything that has your signature on it. Remember that the price of greatness is responsibility and no action springs from contemplation, but from a willingness to shoulder responsibility. Accepting responsibility is mandatory to achieve success. This implies that so long as you are associated with an assignment, you are accountable for its failure. You need to accept responsibilities for all fiascos. There is nothing wrong if you go wrong, so you should accept responsibility for going wrong.

· Think win-win: You should always think win-win. The environment around you may believe that it is only through exploitation that a person can win, but you need not subscribe to such an ideology. On the contrary, you should have faith in yourself –a faith that can bring about a total transformation in the thought processes of your seniors, colleagues and subordinates alike. Without being offensive, the clout of upbeat influence that you may behaving on others should be made the most of. You should also exploit the sway that you are capable of wielding by way of boosting motivational and enthusiasm levels.

· Take reasonable risks: They say that a ship in harbour is safe – but is that what ships are meant for? Remember that if you have to eat an egg, you have to break the shell. So, if you want to win, you have to risk loss. Let not the scares of being derided make you a coward. Always keep a fruit tree in mind - if you want the fruit, you have to get on to the limb. Identify for yourself that crucial aspect that you believe in and that you are willing to take risk for. You may take simple risk like volunteering for an assignment that everybody else wants to stay away from. Be like a turtle - stick your neck out and you will move.

· Reduce your plans to writing: Somebody said that every written word is a victory over death. A leader at work is required to do something extraordinary and be active. If you want to be a leader at work, make that plan. If at all there are any brain waves that you get, reduce them to writing. These jottings may not be a map of action by any standards. If you do not write those thoughts, you will have no body to remind you about them. Therefore, jotting them down is the best way to keep a record of them.

· Seize opportunities: You will find opportunities to lead in abundance; efforts to generate them need not be made, even in the most difficult times. You simply have to be on the watch and if an opportunity knocks, you still have to get up from your chair and open the door. Today, opportunities exist in abundance but people are not qualified enough to clutch them. But yet people miss out on them because hard work is a prerequisite. Remember that you have to be out there waiting to grab an opportunity, even if it is one refused by others for any reason whatsoever.

· Accept criticism in correct spirit: If you are not open to censure or denigration, you are simply living your life without a meaning. You ought to be open-minded and receptive to ideas. Such ideas come for free and could be in the form of simple clues on how to improve oneself and fare better in life. This is precisely what a leader wants - regular response and reaction. The final proof however, lies in enduring criticism without any umbrage. Just as pain in the body is like ringing an alarm bell against disease, criticism invites your attention to the countless shortcomings in you and your workstyle. With criticism come newer ideas; and with newer ideas, a leader does not stop dead.

· Explore new ideas & options: They say that from what you get, you can make a living but from what you give, you can make a life. And that is exactly how you should be unlocking yourself. You must share your ideas and views with others. If you can understand your vulnerabilities, a stage will come when you will start appreciating them even. The cycle will thus go on – new ideas replacing old ones on a continuous basis. It may perhaps surprise you, but it is a fact that a majority of new ideas will come to you from your critics as also supporters, who obviously do not harbour any expectations from you. With more and more options available to you, you will be thrilled to experience an extraordinary intellectual strengthening. And that is how you will take on the mantle of a leader at work.

Your desire is the key to motivation, but your resolve and will power for an unalterable pursuit of your goal, which ought to be a commitment to excellence is what will enable you to attain the success that you seek. Remember that you will be what you repeatedly do and therefore, being a cut above others is not an act, but a habit.