i.am.sagar

Here are ten things that I do (and recommend to you) to stay ahead!

1)      I learned this one from personal experience.  What would you do you knew that someone you work with was going to say something negative about you?  What would you do?  Say something positive about them (that’s true of course) to who so ever the negative thing about you is going to be said.  While this may sound counter-intuitive, think about the perception.  It makes you look like the bigger person.  The person upon hearing the negative comment about you is going to think of your comment, and then evaluate the two on one scale.  Chances are, yours will score higher.

2)      Look back at everything, but don’t think of anything negative as a milestone.  Milestones are all positive – negative events are steps that elevate us.  Conclude each day with a mental list of “lessons learned” and “milestones met”.

3)      Organize!  Organize! Organize!  - Your desk at work, the bag that you carry, your night-stand.  Anything you come in contact with as you start your day.  Organize it.  You will be amazed at how many minutes it saves per day when you’re not looking for that badge or that piece of paper at work.

4)      Sleep over stuff.  I found this at some other blogs and I found it to be so true.  When I hit a problem at work, I shelve it and work on something else.  If I can’t get back to it, I sleep over it.  The next day, things generally click.  This is because when you sleep, your mind processes the information from the day and finds solutions at night.

5)      Be realistic about what you can get done.  Make a plan for the week.  Make the first couple of your days of the week the time to get ahead.  Friday should be your day to close out the week early.  Try not to work late on Fridays. 

6)      Satisfaction comes from deep within – not from others.  Set your own goals and be happy when you achieve them.  Don’t expect others to always recognize or compliment your achievements.  Worry about your only critic – you!

7)      I learned through my career that people will approach you the way you present yourself.  Dress a grade better than everyone you work with.  People will think you are more senior than you are.  They will also mentally consider you that – and this can help with promotions.  Do not back down from a fight, but fight on principle, not personally.  If someone gets under your skin, then it’s not the issue you’re upset about.  It’s the person.  If the issue gets under your skin, fight it.  I noticed on a recent business trip that I was met with some hostility initially.  I was taking over a project mid-stream from someone else, so I wasn’t fully aware of the history behind what transpired.  What I realized was that it didn’t matter.  My first instinct was to try and diffuse the situation, but then I thought about it and realized that – what I did next would set the tone for the rest of my engagement.  So, I instead went on the offensive, but did so systematically.  I took the hostility and made it look small and petty.  I focused on the bigger issue and there really wasn’t any.  The thing I focused on was not to look like the under-dog.  It worked.  Those initial conversations set the tone for all future discussions.  People are a lot more cautious to come across abrasively.  So my point is – whenever you can, try and control the situation.  Don’t let it control you.

8)      Address things directly and in few words.  People have short attention spans.  The art of communicating isn’t really an art.  It is more of a skill that is a perfected over time.  I used to speak faster.  I now speak a bit slower, end conversations with a point, and make eye contact at key intervals.  It works for me.  I give people time to talk and try not to interrupt them. 

9)      Switching cost – this is the cost of switching tasks mid-stream.  If I am working on something and someone stops by and asks me to look at something.  I am switching to another task.  This is subconscious but not so to your mind.  If I can, I try and defer those types of interactions to “free slots” on my calendar.  If people cannot wait, then I finish what I’m doing with the intention of coming back to it later.  Also remember that email can be very disruptive.  Don’t check email every 5 minutes – it will take you off course.

10)  Don’t worry about what people may (or may not) think of you.  I doesn’t really matter.  You have no control over that.  Focus on things you have control over.  Try and focus very little on things you cannot control.  This holds true for virtually everything.  I’m not saying that one shouldn’t be aware of the things they do not have control over.  They should.  However, if you have little or no control over the outcome, try and plan for the expected results to some degree and move on.