Adhere to openness at work for career progress

Today, the buzz word in the corporate world is ‘transparency’. Openness at work is the new mantra. Similar is the case in government departments where people have a right to know how governance is being executed. In the corporate world, people have increasingly been insisting on transparent dealings by companies whose goods and services they contract or purchase. 

Openness is synonymous with transparency. What does openness mean and how does it impact workplace functioning and operations? Openness at work implies practicing honest dealings, frank communications and straightforward dispositions. It is also implies making useful contributions, including how to go about for the purpose. And most importantly, openness serves to give a boost to your career. 

So how do you practice openness at work? Here are five methods that can help you send signals of being candid, honest and truthful: 

• Keep your seniors in picture about what galvanizes 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. 
• Be conscious of your abilities: 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 utilize your skills for organisational and your personal benefits.
• Express your appreciation and gratification: 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. 
• Don't run after undue recognition: 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. 
• Your actions & conduct should speak of your helpfulness: 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.

If you go about your work with truthfulness and integrity, you are likely to do well in your career. But if you are transparent in your dealings, you stand more chances of success. You should thus always be ready to walk an extra mile as far as building trust with others. Considering the foregoing, it is essential that you maintain your poise and not deviate from the path that you have embarked upon.