How can I Improve My Performance At Work?
How to improve your performance at work
It is important that you improve your performance at work.
- Some people think they are paid for their efforts. They're not.
- Some people think they are paid for their time. They're not.
- You're not paid for your time nor your efforts; You are paid for the value that you can add to others, in the time available.
The more value you add to your customer; to your organisation; to your colleagues; the more you will progress in your chosen field.
If you want to improve your performance at work, then you need to find more ways to add more value to more people.
If you do, then your career will progress. If you don't, it won't.
How can you improve your ability to add value to the others?
There are four simple steps to improving your performance at work.
Each step is itself a set of skills to be mastered.
Take a look at the four steps and make them the object of serious study.
1. Positive attitude. Your attitude is the key determining factor on how your life turns out.
Positive attitudes bring positive results.
Negative attitudes bring negative results.
What is the definition of "A positive attitude"? It is the attitude of "wanting to add value to others".
To get on in life, you must be of service to others.
The more you help others, by the rendering of your help, knowledge, skills, product, service, and cooperation, the better off you will be.
Others will only help you, (pay you) if you have first rendered them service which they value.
A positive attitude is an attitude that states: "I will add as much value to you as I can".
The organisations and individuals who succeed in rendering the most and the best service to their customers, win more back in compensation.
Make the following sentence your mantra: "I will add as much value to you as I can".
Take that thought process; and make it yours.
2. Develop a sensitivity to others and identify their specific needs.
Your aim should be to: Understand the needs and goals of others.
In order to add value to others, you need to figure out exactly what the other person wants, or needs. You need to develop the skill of finding out what other people want, and then you do your best to fulfil their needs.
It is clear that you cannot fulfil a need, if you don't know what it is.
You must therefore, look, listen and try to feel exactly what it is that others want, and then go out of your way to provide that service, as well as you possibly can.
If you do that, you will build extremely profitable relationships.
- This is true for business relationships.
- This is true for family relationships.
- This is true for romantic relationships.
Find out what he or she needs; and then supply their needs.
- They will love you for it.
- They may even pay you for it.
The second skill is therefore:
Develop a sensitivity for others and be able to identify their needs.
3. Specialised skills and knowledge.
In order to achieve your goal of fulfilling the needs of other people in your family and beyond, you need to have developed some specialised skills and knowledge.
If the people with whom you spend your time, all need something, then you may want to deliver on that need. If you are to deliver, then you will need to have specialised skills and knowledge. You have to really know your stuff.
Know your stuff. Strive to be an expert at whatever you do. You need to be good at what you do.
If you are a doctor, you had better know your stuff. Be the best doctor you can be.
If you are a plumber, you had better know your stuff. Be the best plumber you can be.
If you are a writer, be the best writer you can be.
How can you best improve your technical skills?
One simple answer: Read. Read. Read.
Readers are leaders. Read all you can on your specialism. Become the best read person you know.
Read and study more than the others. Understand more than the others. Become an expert in your field.
Let your reputation and your practice be based upon the fact that you are an authority on your subject. Remember that you are not paid for your time. You are paid for the value you can add in that time. And you can only add value to others if you know your stuff.
Ignorance is not bliss. Knowledge is power.
Make it your policy to spend at least 90 minutes per day reading educational, technical or specialist material.
Don't read what the average person reads. Skip the trash.
Instead, read what the high end earners read. And if you do read for 90 minutes per day, for six years, then you too will float towards the higher end of the income scale.
4. Friendliness.
Develop the attributes of friendliness.
Be friendly. Be relaxed. Be joyous. Be easy to be with.
Don't make yourself a difficult person to be with. Too many people are difficult to be with.
Difficult people spend too much time complaining: They complain about the weather. They complain about the traffic. They complain about the government. They never stop complaining, moaning and griping about things they don't like.
We need to be more positive and friendly, and make people warm to us.
We need to be easy company.
Like a pair of warm slippers.
Cooperative, friendly, and interested in others.
If you can cultivate the art of being easy company, then you will attract people to you and you will have a greater chance of building rapport.
When you have rapport with others, you will be able to discover their needs, and you will be able to use your specialised talents to fulfil those needs.
The more you can develop the reputation of being a friendly, expert, helpful, value-adding person, the more your career will advance.
And the more you will perform better at work.
Four Ways to Improve
- Develop a positive attitude. Your attitude is the key determining factor on how your life turns out.
- Develop a sensitivity to others and identify their specific needs.
- Develop your specialised skills and knowledge. Read for 90 minutes per day and you will gravitate towards the high end of the scale.
- Develop the art of friendliness. Develop rapport with others.
Blog: Mind hack to improve performance
Personal Development Training
In order to improve your performance, you may need to develop your personal and professional skills: meaning: skills of communication, planning, prioritisation, motivation and personal confidence. If you want to learn more, then click here for personal development training.
Definition: value-adding mindset
In a work setting, a value-adding mindset is a way of thinking that puts service first. It makes you look for what your customer, team or firm really needs, and then use your best skills to meet that need fast and well. You do this with a warm, helpful spirit that builds trust. The result is clear gains for others and steady progress for you.
Show CG4D Definition
- Puts the gain of others before personal gain
- Finds and understands the real needs of customers, colleagues and the firm
- Applies expert skills and knowledge to meet those needs well and on time
- Shows a friendly, positive approach that builds trust and ease of work
Article Summary
When you bring a positive mind, notice what people need, master expert skills and stay friendly, you add more value than time alone can. That extra value fuels trust, profit and growth, so you improve performance at work and move your career forward.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some questions that frequently get asked about this topic during our training sessions.
What does “adding value” at work mean?
How can a positive attitude boost my work performance?
Why does understanding colleagues’ needs aid career progression?
What daily habit helps me build specialist skills fast?
How does friendliness influence workplace success?
Is pay based on effort, time or value created?
What four steps improve performance at work quickly?
Thought of something that's not been answered? Ask Us Today!
Did You Know: Key Statistics
The 2024 LinkedIn Learning Report finds that firms that give staff at least one hour each week to learn new skills see 23% more staff move to new roles inside the firm, lifting career growth and talent stay. Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace 2023 study of 112,000 workers shows that teams with high worker engagement produce 18% more work and earn 23% more profit than teams with low engagement.About the Author: Chris Farmer
Chris Farmer is the founder of the Corporate Coach Group and has many years' experience in training leaders and managers, in both the public and private sectors, to achieve their organisational goals, especially during tough economic times. He is also well aware of the disciplines and problems associated with running a business.
Over the years, Chris has designed and delivered thousands of training programmes and has coached and motivated many management teams, groups and individuals. His training programmes are both structured and clear, designed to help delegates organise their thinking and, wherever necessary, to improve their techniques and skills.
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