I think the best advice I can give to anyone at a job, whether working for me or not, is this:
BE THE PERSON WHO IS IRREPLACEABLE.
ir·re·place·a·ble ˌi(r)rəˈplāsəb(ə)l / adjective
impossible to replace.
Synonyms: invaluable, priceless, unrepeatable, one-of-a-kind, incomparable, unparalleled;
That is the ultimate job security.
But instead, we have a workforce of phone checking, unobservant dumb-dumbs who are blown away and shocked when they are laid off, let go or fired.
So, here 5 ways you can stop being a dummy at work and start being IRREPLACEABLE.
1. GET OFF YOUR PHONE. How is this not the most obvious thing at work? Does your boss pay you to text, double tap instagrams or send 500 snapchats? No. So why would you think for a second that is okay? And why are you shocked when you get in trouble for such a thing? Seriously, just get off your phone. Check it before work, on your break and when you get home. It's that easy.
2. BE MORE OBSERVANT. I find myself absolutely amazed at how unobservant some people can be. I will see people stand beside a piece of trash, for example, look at it, all while waiting to be assigned a task, and never pick it up. When asked why they didn't pick up the trash they will say, "It's not in my job description", or "I didn't know you wanted me to", or "I didn't know where the trash can is." FIND THE TRASH CAN! If you are more observant at work guess who is going to notice? Your Boss. Because most people in charge, aka your Boss, are observant. That's how they ended up being in charge. They saw jobs that needed to be done and did them. If you want to get promoted at work just try being more observant.
3. ASK QUESTIONS. I have found that people would rather act like they know what they are doing and do it poorly than admit they don't know what they are doing and ask a question. How backwards is that? Just ask a question if you are confused. People would rather have a few questions and something done right, compared to no questions and something done wrong.
4. DON'T ASK DUMB QUESTIONS. One of the silliest statements in our society is there is "no such thing as a dumb question." Hang out with high schoolers long enough and you will find that statement debunked within minutes. There are dumb questions, so try not to fill empty space with them. If you have a question think to yourself, "Do I actually know the answer to this?" Take a breathe and think about that. If you do, don't ask. If you don't then it's probably a legitimate question and you should ask.
5. GO THE EXTRA MILE...OR EVEN MILLIMETER. I have seen employees and co-workers, working for myself or other companies, who are so concerned with "getting what they deserve" that they end up never going a single step extra for their job. One time I was at a grocery store and the self check out was having a total meltdown. I made eye contact with an employee, who was already walking toward me, and asked for help. This employee said "I will be with you in one second" and then slowly, slushing their feet, walked all the way to the other end of the store to clock in - clearly not in any rush to clock in quickly due to some sort of rule or anything. Then, they turned around, walked back, typed in their code on my screen and sent me on my way. Do you think they could have helped me without being clocked in? Do you think those two seconds would have gone a long way for customer service? And do you think if a boss saw his or her employee put a customer in front of themselves that it would have gone a long way come raise or bonus time? Bosses and managers totally notice things like that. (And if they don't, they probably won't be your boss for very long. Cause their boss will notice. Again, the observant people thing..) They notice if you stay a little late just to finish a task or if you showed up early to get ahead of work. They notice the extra. Why would you expect a bonus if you never do any bonus work? Good question, right? And it's certainly not a dumb one.
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