Why Aren’t You Reaching Your Potential at Work?
There’s nothing anyone can do to prevent you from reaching your potential; the challenge is for you to identify your goals, develop the skills to get there, and exhibit character and leadership. Then, you need to have the courage to reassess, make adjustments, and pursue an attitude at work that reflects who you truly are.
It is important to aim to be the best that you can be. But the question is, how? Ask yourself, how can you push yourself to succeed and reach your full potential at work? Whether it be striving for a promotion, pay rise, or asking for the opportunity to prove yourself by taking on more responsibility at work, it is important to recognise the next step that you want to take and create a plan of action to succeed.
“Am I reaching my potential?” is not the same as asking, “How do I rise to the top?”
To do that, you must step back and reassess yourself —starting with notion that reaching your potential is your own responsibility. Too many people feel like victims in their careers, when in fact they have a substantial degree of control. Seizing control requires you to take a fresh look at your behaviour in three main areas: knowing yourself, excelling at critical tasks, demonstrating character and leadership, & belief.
Reaching your potential requires introspection and certain proactive behaviours— but it starts with these simple steps.
Character & Leadership Development
Character and leadership often make the difference between an average career and a fantastic career. One measure of character is the degree to which you put the interests of your company and colleagues ahead of your own. Excellent leaders are willing to do things for others without regard to what’s in it for them. They coach and mentor. They have the mindset of an owner and figure out what they would do if they were the ultimate decision maker.
Identifying Critical Tasks
In your job, identifying critical tasks helps you determine how to spend your time and develop your skills. What are the integral things you need to do to succeed at your job? If you work in sales, it might be having more confidence on the phone or pitching, or if you work in Technology, it might be honing specific skills in one area.
Try, fail, learn. Try, fail, learn. Continuous learning is a crucial part of our everyday lives. Adopting a never stop learning attitude will ensure that you are continually developing yourself and your career.
Know Yourself Better
Taking responsibility for your career starts with an accurate assessment of your current skills and performance. Can you write down your two or three greatest strengths and your two or three most significant weaknesses? While most people can detail their strengths, they often struggle to identify key weaknesses (for fear of looking weak or embarrassment). This exercise involves meaningful reflection and, almost always, requires soliciting the views of people who will tell you the brutal truth.
Don’t always just rely on your boss to accurately assess your strengths or to be willing to confront you with what you’re doing wrong. It’s up to you to take control of this process by asking for very specific feedback, from a wide variety of people at various levels within your organization. This type of initiative takes time, humility, and a willingness to confront weaknesses, fears, and blind spots that many of us would rather ignore.
Training & Organisation
In your role, you should be attending training courses that can help you to develop as a person and a professional. Get internal training, go to external training courses, attend events, and connect with industry professionals. All of these things will help you learn more about your field and develop you professionally. It will not only boost your confidence but help build your network and set you apart from your colleagues.
Being organised is a simple way to reach your potential at work. Organisation makes room for prioritisation and allows for more work as you will notice gaps on your to-do list. This can help you to make time for more training and development whilst at work, and you will find that you are more relaxed and happier as a result.
Believe in yourself (and don’t get distracted)
Most importantly, you should believe in yourself. Often people think that they are undeserving of a promotion or that they aren’t ready for more responsibility. Or perhaps you are surrounded by team members who are coasting and it’s subliminally influencing your drive to succeed. As human beings, we react to our environment. If you associate with slackers or unambitious people in the workplace, it is more likely that you will let your work slip, even if it isn’t a part of your character. Aspire to be a harder worker, and you will reap the rewards as you show that you are able to take on more responsibility, by performing tasks well and on-time.
Having confidence in yourself is half the battle. Believing that you can achieve more in your role will help you be better at your job and aid in achieving your goals.
About NP Group
At NP Group we challenge the status quo of the global talent market. We provide bold solutions, creative approaches and, above all, collaboration. We don’t believe in transactional recruitment relationships, focusing on forging close partnerships with all our clients.
Our consultants are highly knowledgeable in the industry sectors and technologies they serve and provide a consultative, advisory service tailored to you.
If you are looking for more ways to improve yourself, your career or are interested in new opportunities, please contact us.
e: info@groupnp.com
t: +44207 953 0000
w: www.groupnp.com