According to a study cited in Forbes magazine, 46% of employees fail within 18 months of landing a new job. Here are my top 11 ways how to NOT get fired from your job, but instead, do extremely well.
1. Under promise and over deliver. Don’t be too quick to say you can do something unless you know you will have the results produced with excellence.
2. Be punctual. Whether you are arriving at work, turning in a project, getting on a conference call, or heading to a meeting, be the first one there and ready to go. Be a leader and not a follower.
3. Be open to feedback. As a matter of fact, you should be seeking honest feedback from people you work with regularly and have honest conversations with them on areas where you can improve or perform better. Make sure you take action and follow through on making those improvements. Walk the talk.
4. Be present. Prior to stepping into the office, all your personal problems and drama should be left at home or outside the door, or delete them from your mental computer. It is not nice for you to be using your employer’s time and money for your personal agendas and problems. When you are at work, you should be 100% focused on your job, doing it well, and being an asset to the organization, not a liability. Remember, when you make the company look good, you also look good.
5. Keep your word. Always do what you say you will do. People will trust and respect you more that way. When you commit to something, keep it and honor it. Don’t be flaky. When that happens, you will lose your responsibilities in your role and eventually, you will lose your job.
6. Don’t just meet expectations, exceed them. This means that if your schedule is 9 to 5, don’t just show up at 9 and leave at 5. There is so much to learn and grow from, take the opportunity while no one is around to do so. Come in early, leave late, and use that time to catch yourself up and be ahead of everyone. If you are asked to read one book per month, read 2,3, or even 4. Don’t wait for your boss to tell you what to do next. Be proactive, get ahead of the game, and surprise your employer!
7. Be respected rather than loved. If you are not in the love business, then you should be earning respect at work to get the job done. When people respect you, they will do what you say and help you to achieve goals and objectives. How do you earn respect from others? Do all of the 6 things I mentioned above. Respect pays the bills, not love.
8. Invest in yourself. The more self-aware you are, the more you will be able to contribute to the world, including your work and personal relationships. You know this is my favorite one as I am a student of life and am always seeking to learn, grow, and improve myself and become an asset to those around me.
9. Stay healthy. No matter what, take care of your health and mental well being. When you are healthy, you will be more productive and efficient at work and that will make your boss (and everyone around you) happy. Be sure to get at least 7 hours of sleep every night and exercise daily along with eating healthy. Meditation and Yoga also help to de-stress, too!
10. Become an expert in your role. Make sure you are the go-to person for everything in your area. The way to do this is to deliver quality work, not quantity. You will save time for the people that you work with because fewer mistakes are made and the result is money saved for the organization. You will be a valuable asset and resource and it will be hard to replace you.
11. Lastly, dress to win. Dress for the role you aspire to be in, not the role you are currently in. It’s always better to overdress and make everyone else look bad than to be the most unpolished one in the bunch and feel ashamed. When you look good, you feel good, and when you feel good, you do good and are more effective at work. Who would not want to be around a happy, confident, polished, and successful person?
I hope this post was helpful. There are more tips I could share, but I feel that after years of working with other high-level executives and business leaders and also running my own business, these are the things we appreciate about an employee. This is what I use to make my decision on keeping or letting go of an employee. As always, I am here to help. Please feel free to reach out should you need my assistance.
