Navigating a Course to Where You Want to Go

Good employees should be ambitious and set goals. Good employees do not settle for the status quo in their lives or in their work. Everyone should have in mind what they desire their lives to look like and have a plan to get there.

While attending graduate school, a fellow student confided in me that they wished they could go to the ocean and surf every day. Well, except for the days that he was sailing that is.

Making a Good Impression on a New Job is Critical

The impression that you make on your bosses and coworkers when you first start a job has an effect on your future relationship with them.

I worked in a supermarket while I was going to college. Management hired a new employee and it was up to the employees that had been their longer to show all new hires the ropes.

Adopt Your Employer's Goals as Your Own

Do you want to be the most valuable employee possible to your company? If you do, it begins by discovering your  company's goals and adopting them as your own.

You have been hired for a purpose. Regardless of your company, the industry it is in, your level of education or experience, you have been hired to accomplish tasks that benefit the company. You probably took the job to earn a living and provide resources for your family. It is a wonderful thing if you love your job and it gives you a sense of accomplishment other than providing the basic needs of life. Many people, however, work at jobs because of need not because they are fulfilling a sense of calling.

Work is Important

Many people will spend up to 95,000 hours of their lives on the job. Work is not just how we make money, but it also is the source of many of our psychological needs such as the need for significance and fulfillment, and self-esteem. Because work is such an important part of our lives, we should do the best and be the best that we can.

The structure of work is changing, and that affects the way that jobs are organized. Most organizations recognize the need to have a flexible workforce.

Employees Should Strive for Personal Mastery

A previous post covered Peter Senge's conception of a learning organization. Personal Mastery is a major element of a learning organization to which every employee should aspire. Personal Mastery is a phrase used for high levels of the discipline of personal growth and learning.

For a company to continue to grow and be successful, they must be learning organizations. Learning organizations learn only by their individual members learning. Employees that strategically and consistently learn optimize their potential and reach high levels of personal mastery.

BR: Emotional Intelligence 2.0

Emotional Intelligence was a previous topic, now followed up with a book review on the same topic, "Emotional Intelligence 2.0" by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves. They refer to Emotional Intelligence as EQ and remains a very popular topic in organization and leadership training.

Every day there are highly intelligent and well-educated people struggling to navigate in the world, while less intelligent and educated people are excelling. It has been thought that Emotional Intelligence (EI or EQ) makes the difference. EQ is harder to measure than IQ, but its power has been made clear.

Values and Values Congruence

Everyone has values that guide their life and decisions. Values are the principles or the standards of behavior. Values are the judgments of what is important in life. Values are instilled very early in life and are at the very core of what a person stands for.

"You may not be able to influence everyone around you, but you will be able to influence many when you stay true to your values."