How can I tell if I am doing a good job?
The Job Machine (patent pending) provides the kind of detailed and useful answers to job-related queries you won’t find anywhere else. We send your questions to a wide array of experts, feed their responses into the Job Machine, and reveal the best answers.
01.
Eighty per cent of success is showing up. Make sure you are taking care of all that is assigned to you. Don’t fish for good feedback. Spend that time doing your job better than anyone else.
02.
Toot your own horn. Not that you need to cry out “I did it” after you finish every task, but don’t be afraid to claim credit where credit is due. You need to be able to explain your own output in the supervisor’s language. That means tracking your own production, taking good notes on what you accomplish, and using those notes at your next performance review. You’re not bragging. You’re explaining the value you bring to the organization.
03.
Although wealth cannot buy you happiness, happiness does seem to be able to “buy” you money. Project the impression of knowing you’re doing a good job and it will influence how people – including yourself – think of your performance.
04.
Many receive advice. Few profit by it. Listen when a boss or colleague has a suggestion. Learn from the good or bad habits of those around you. Study how your employer interacts with others: does she like to hear about your day-to-day tasks or does she prefer a less frequently updated environment that requires more self-reliance and self-actualization? Remember you are piece of a puzzle, not the puzzle itself. Your boss has way more on her mind than just you.
05.
Reflect on whether the work you’re doing resonates with what’s important to you. If it does, you’re probably engaged and you’re likely doing a good job. Most satisfaction in your work life will come from the work you actually do.
06.
In an organization, the work you do ultimately contributes to the work others do. As the people you work with if you are helping them. Are you surrounded by talented, engaged teammates who like coming to work and doing their job? The faces you see every day provide a mirror into how you are doing at your job.
07.
Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. Always look for new ways to do your job better. Be self-correcting. Train yourself to see your mistakes without having to be told.
08.
Derive happiness in oneself from a good day’s work, illuminating the fog that surrounds us. Break your work into measurable tasks that allow you to tell immediately if you are making progress – not to mention giving you a sense of instant accomplishment. Set goals for yourself, when they are achieved you will know you are doing good work. Did you meet your sales targets this month? Try to surpass them next month.
09.
Don’t rely on others for validation – it has to come from within. Ask yourself what is possible and measure yourself against this.
10.
When you get to the endzone, act like you’ve been there before. Take time to celebrate if you score a big account or win a big client, but make sure no one around you thinks you have peaked. Be forward-thinking. Act as if every success is merely preparation for the next one. And always move toward to the next challenge.
Fed Into the Job Machine
- Woody Allen, comedian, director and professional neurotic
- Aristotle, Greek philosopher, student of Plato, teacher of Alexander the Great and pre-Renaissance man (music, politics, zoology and government were a few areas of interest)
- Paul William “Bear” Bryant, American college football coach
- Jean Chatzky, motivational speaker and author of The Difference: How Anyone Can Prosper in Even the Toughest Times
- David Gibbons, consultant, the Refinery Leadership Partners
- Henri Matisse, French painter, master of colour
- Publilius Syrus, mime and writer of Latin witticisms
Category: Career Track, Entrepreneurship, First Job, Job Machine, Know-How, Work
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