Monday Morning Meeting: Do you take the initiative at work? You should.

Monday Morning Meeting: Do you take the initiative at work? You should.

It’s so easy to get complacent in your job. To come in each day and do the same thing you did the day before and the day before that. It’s comfortable, you know what’s expected, and you do the minimums. But how fulfilled are you by your work when you don’t ever branch out and explore new opportunities? I’m guessing that you’re probably not. And the worst part is that your team could greatly use your initiative at work. Taking the time to think of what you can do to improve efficiency, communication, or production will make you an invaluable employee. And believe me, your employers will definitely see that you care about the success of your office.

Tips:

Change your mindset quickly. Employers can look at their staff and point out those who do take the initiative and those who don’t bother. And, chances are, if the same employer were to pick out those staff members who are the most valuable to the office, those who take the initiative would be the one’s chosen. There is no greater way to keep your job, to get promotions, or to earn a raise than to make yourself invaluable to your office. But if you lack initiative, you’re allowing this opportunity to slip past you. Take the time to change your mindset and start looking for ways to improve your workspace.

Don’t wait around for opportunity to knock. We all know that opportunity never knocks and that you’ve got to look for it. The best way to find opportunities is to stop and evaluate your skills, talents, and resources. Once you know better what you can offer your office, you’ll better be able to find opportunities for improvement. Think about taking the initiative each day. Where do you see needs? Who is looking for help with something that you’re good at? What can you improve and make better/easier/clearer?

Take the next step. Once you’ve identified the issues you feel you can assist with, go ahead and do something about it! Pick out the best opportunities you see and take it as far as you can, doing everything possible to make it happen.

Challenge:

This week, find one opportunity where you can improve something in our office. Take the initiative to see the issue and then find a solution.