week 4 Task 6

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Print This Document [MUSIC PLAYING] The exceptional employee is the employee that knows what they have to do to succeed. The exceptional employee is the one who is always willing to go the extra mile. The exceptional employee is one that loves what they're doing, is enthusiastic about their job, and one that takes responsibility for the assignments they've been given. To be indispensable, is this possible in the workplace? Well, most working professionals would say that it isn't. If this is true, how do we find the motivation to strive for success? And as you enter into the workforce, will you have any control over the success of your own careers? Consider this, from Black Enterprise magazine, "It is now more important than ever for you to take an active role in how your career advances. It is your responsibility to develop the skills you need to guide your career TO the level you desire." So what if there were certain employee skills and traits that could assist you in this role and make you a solid asset in the workplace? Well, we have discovered that there are such skills and traits that employees viewed as exceptional to possess. And throughout this program we will share them with you, along with other surprising and critical information that we've uncovered, on how to be the exceptional employee. To assist us to define and explore the term exceptional, we went out and interviewed distinguished employees that were selected from some of the world's most successful corporations. Throughout this program, you'll be hearing from employees from Ameritech, Delphi, and Hudson's, as they share their insights on what they believe makes an exceptional employee. We will also be showcasing the supervisors of these employees, who will be sharing with us what it takes to be a solid asset in the workplace. Terry is an exceptional employee because he does a lot of things above and beyond. He has a passion for his job. It is always heartening to see an employee who gets up in the morning with a smile on their face, who loves what they do. When we first defined an exceptional employee, Joe Johnson demonstrates all of these things. Number one, he has the ability to think logically. He can see a design in his mind before we even put it down on paper. Number two, he works well with people. He's a very aggressive employee, but at same time he is a very functional part of all of our teams. Number three, he's very enthusiastic. Every job that gets, he's super enthusiastic about how he does it. Pat and I laugh. Pat and I have a good time. We have developed a partnership. I help her. She helps me. When I talked about having to develop into that exceptional employee, she's the one I go to when I want to find out what's happening on the floor or when I need something solved. So who is the exceptional employee? Is it the individual that possesses a positive attitude? Or how about the most productive individual? Let's find out by introducing each of our program guests to explore this important question. We started out by asking them to describe their roles within their companies and their thoughts on success. I'm a design engineer in the Advanced Development Group of Delphi interior and lighting systems. The secret to my success is that I love what I do, and that reflects itself in enthusiasm for my job and to working hard. I am a sales consultant, and my main responsibility is to service the guests that come to shop with us. I think the secret to my success is that I am open-minded, and I, when I work with a guest I'm very forthright with them. I'm a public relations director, and main responsibility really includes representing Ameritech to the community. I go to work, and I want to do good. I mean I don't want to just sit at my job and let the day pass me by. I want to control the day, and I want to control the situations that come in to me. So I think the self-motivation that I have I think is the biggest-- my biggest asset. Now that we know what makes our guests exceptional employees, let's categorize and dissect each of the pertinent working skills and traits that they utilize to achieve their success. We'll begin with contribution. Employees go to work every day, but many of them may not stop to think what they contribute to their companies. Does the company make a profit? Are the people around them productive? What is their role in that process? This is contribution. And while each employees contributes something unique, there is a key process to follow in order to be exceptional. As you enter into the workforce, you'll need to take great interest in what you can contribute to your company. And this goes beyond your daily responsibilities. Take a moment to consider the type of contributor you are. Do you offer assistance to struggling classmates? Are you a problem solver within a group project? Are you dependable? Do you research assignment content and format to ensure that the assignments are being completed accurately? Do you take pride in your school work? If you answered yes to all of these questions, congratulations. You're on your way to security within the workplace. If you answered no to any of these questions, you may not be a strong candidate for security. Let's dissect this further by finding out what our exceptional employees have to say about contribution. I contribute to Delphi in a number of ways. Mainly it's through designing innovative mechanisms, mechanisms that other people wouldn't think of that are patentable, that then give us a competitive advantage. But more than that, I think I lead teams and get the right sort of atmosphere at work so that people are wanting to do their job. People are doing their job better because I'm around, sort of go, go, go. I feel that I contribute to Hudson's by being a team member, by sharing with those that I work with, but most importantly, by sharing with the guests that I service. I always look to see what's important at Ameritech. Or I'll call my boss up and talk to my boss and say, "I'm really kind of focusing on this area. What do you think about that?" So I'll bounce questions off my boss, and to find out what is the best direction that I should head as an employee because what's going to contribute to our success? Obviously, if the company succeeds, it's because of me succeeding out in the business, in the business place. And if I succeed and the company succeeds, it's a win-win situation for me. So as you can see, although we may contribute differently, there are key contributions that are necessary to be exceptional in the workplace. We have heard how to be exceptional from the employees' perspective. Now, let's hear what management has to say on this topic. Exceptional employees possess a variety of qualities that make them exceptional. First and foremost, they understand the goals of the business. But beyond that, they also understand what the goals of the team are. The exceptional employee goes above and beyond the actual requirements, and this is recognized by the customer in solving their problems. The exceptional employee will have a can-do attitude. They will make it happen. Nothing will stay in their way. It's the kind of person who always moves forward. Sure, we may have some setbacks, but we always go forward. They're also very, very much informed of what's going on around them. They have a picture, a whole picture, and that really helps us be successful. So what we've learned is that contribution is a lot more than just doing our jobs. Support of our colleagues, going the extra mile in tough times, and following through on management priorities is the beginning process to security in the workplace. But this process alters as the business industry grows. With the changing technology that goes on in today's corporate world, such as computer software, video conferencing, and the internet, the exceptional employee also learns to adapt to these changes. One way that an employee can secure longevity in any corporation is to never stop learning. The more you know, the more you can bring value to more than just the organization that you report to. Employees need to be educating themselves constantly. Keeping up with the changing times will play a vital role in your ability to contribute effectively. And this information is available to you through many sources, such as the internet, trade magazines, a company's internal communication network, and trade shows and conventions. Learning how to use new technology is a process in which employees exchange information so they can adapt to new ways of performing work. Your colleagues are an extremely beneficial source for your professional growth in the workplace. Learning to utilize their resources may make the difference between success and failure. And it's all in the way you build relationships through teamwork. Within the workplace, interaction with colleagues is unavoidable. The exceptional employee learns how to capitalize on these relationships in an effective and a productive way. Let's face it, in today's working world, now more than ever, individuals are faced with the challenge of working with others who may not always share the same convictions or ideas that they do. Think about how many times a schoolmate has debated with you on a variety of issues that may or may not have been school-related. These conflicts may very well have disrupted a project or assignment. The same situations happen in the workplace. The first step in dealing with this is identifying this truth. Teams have proved to be critical in improving the quality of decision making, helping to build consensus and support for action, and helping to build a cooperative goal-oriented culture. With this in mind, how do we ensure that these goals are met? By being an effective team player. A good team player is one that contributes to the team and really puts them self in second. The team is number one. Because you have a goal that you want to reach as a team, so you're one of the cogs in that wheel, and that wheel can only function as good as its weakest cog or weakest link. And like the weakest link in a chain, that's how strong that chain will be. And so you have to be a contributing and supporting member of that team, and the team has to be first. A good team player for me has two qualities that are important. The first one is the ability to listen to other people's ideas and see the good in those ideas. But I think equally important is the ability to advocate, to be an advocate for a certain idea. If everybody is seeing the good in every idea and there's nobody saying, "Well, I like this idea. This is the good reason. This is a good idea for these reasons," then I don't think the team is getting the most use out of those ideas. And so I like on a team somebody who is not only listening to my ideas and seeing good things in my ideas, but suggesting their ideas and then saying "I think we ought to go this way because. " And I think that really-- the teams that have those kind of an employees on them are the ones that I think are successful. What makes a good team player is someone who's willing to share, has a can-do attitude, and is one of the first ones to come forward and say, "How can I help you? " Some very interesting insight on the role of being an effective team player. To assess the type of team player you are, think about the following perspective from an article in Human Relations. "As a member of a decision making group, the successful member will be able to adapt to the diversity within the group and play a major role in building cohesion by having team participation, motivation, explicit communication, and commitment toward completing the task." Completing tasks means overcoming obstacles that may face the group. Uncontrolled conflict is usually the hindering factor. An exceptional team player recognizes that conflict is an essential part of decision making. Effective teams know how to manage conflict so that it makes a positive contribution. The key is to focus on substantive issue-related differences of opinion, and accepting diversity within the group is critical. When we talk about conflict, it is important to point out that although conflicts among members in different roles are common, they should be well-accepted. And members of different roles should generally recognize that the other's viewpoint is legitimate or valuable, and effective communication is the key to this process. To assess yourself as a team player, answer yes or no to the following questions. Am I a self-starter? Am I able to confront and solve problems? Are my communication skills effective? Do I listen to others as well as communicate my ideas? An exceptional problem solver is a person who has the ability to understand what the problem is. Getting to the root of the problem enables the problem to be solved. Most problems are easily solved once they're identified. A potent problem solver not only looks at what could be the problem, but also looks to find out how you can solve that problem using whatever resources are available. And not just confining the solution to what they do. A problem solver is one who listens, who is a very good listener. A problem solver is one who asks the right questions. The more questions you ask and the harder you listen, the better that you can come to a conclusion. So what motivates effective communication? Quite simply, it's all in attitude. Your attitude could very well be the center of your success or failure. Your outlook on the challenges that face you, working with others, and your overall method for completing tasks will be the difference between rising and falling. Have you ever worked with someone that complained all the time, or had a negative outlook on just about everything? These individuals are not very productive because they spend their time causing problems instead of solving problems. The decisions that you'll make every day in work-related situations will be driven by your attitude, decisions dealing with behavior, work ethic, and overall outlook on responsibilities within the workplace. Most of us believe that a positive attitude is essential in order to achieve success. But the exceptional employee knows that without it success is not possible. I think a good attitude is one that looks on the brighter side of things. Doom and gloom people aren't really known for being successful people. I feel the best attitude is a can-do attitude. In this company, we find that most times there's always a way to resolve a situation, whether it's at the level of you and your co-workers or you and your manager. It just a matter of dialogue. As long as you talk, there's an answer. I look forward to my job. As I said earlier, I believe that's 90% of the battle. If you like what you're doing, you're there. And it's easy to have a good attitude about it. And I have a good attitude I think anyways even in just in life in general. There's things that are going to overwhelm you every day, at work or in your personal life. And that's just going to happen. And I don't let that overwhelm me. I mean I keep a positive attitude about things that I do. I like to meet people. I like to be out in the community, talking to people. And so for me to have positive attitude or a good attitude is really pretty easy to do. And I just enjoy what I do. According to marketing communications, there are essential attributes of exceptional employees. These are enthusiasm for hard work, a firm belief in the work ethic, the ability to motivate people, communication skills, flexibility, the ability to respond quickly and calmly under pressure. My dream employee is an employee who not only goes above and beyond their job descriptions or my expectations of what the job entails, but a dream employee looks for opportunities. They look for ways to help the rest of the team. They look for solutions. One of the things that I really need, I benefit by having, is someone with a sense of humor. I am here eight hours a day. I am here with problems. I am here with goals. I am here under stressful situations. So if I have someone that I can laugh with, that's very important to me. My dream employee, this is an employee who can in turn take something from nothing, put it on paper, and in turn bring a product to fruition. He's an employee that has the ability to think 90 degrees contrary to what everybody else is thinking. In other words, he's not in the same rut, the same old dirt road going from A to B. He's able to go across the hill and find the superhighway. So as you can see, our attitude plays a major role in the skills and traits needed to be an exceptional employee. Having a positive attitude, even during the most trying times of the company, can be the difference between being let go and being kept on. Equally as important, that positive attitude can get you through the most stressful times in the workplace, and managing stress greatly affects your ability to be productive. To help you design an effective approach to having a productive attitude, we have uncovered eight steps that will assist you in achieving this. Understand that communication is your responsibility. Address the communication dimension of each decision made. Think strategically about every communication situation. Take an integrated approach. Become more visible. Manage every crisis proactively. View training programs as communication opportunities. And talk mission, vision, and goals every chance you get. So now we have a clear understanding of the importance of contribution, teamwork, and attitude. All of these areas are greatly affected by our next area of discussion, organization. For some individuals there is just not enough time in the day to complete all tasks that need to be done. And although the simple justification of that is that we're overworked, the problem becomes even more of a mess. In fact, how we organize our work tasks can play a major role in job satisfaction. Just as you organize your school work in order of urgency, the same strategy should be used to organize work-related tasks. And it's not as difficult as it may seem. Successful employees are always going to have too much to do. I mean people are always going to say, "Ah, give it to Joe. He's the one that doesn't drop the ball when we give it to him." I think the important thing to remember when you have too much to do is that you need to get help. You need to delegate to people who you can. You need to, if it looks like even with help that you're not going to be able to keep all the important balls from hitting the ground, you're going to need to talk to your employer. You're going to need to say, "I need help with this or else these are going to be the consequences." And I think if you're up front with your manager I have always had help from them. When there's not enough time to do everything that you want to do, you have to focus on what's important. Because that's going to happen, especially when you're one person in an office and you have email coming in, you have paper mail coming in, you have the telephone ringing. You have to decide what is important. I think I'm a very organized individual. I carry around a to-do list and that I prioritize daily to make sure that the most important things get done first. And the things that can wait, I take care of the following day. You'd be surprised how something as simple as a to-do list can increase your organizational skills. Think about it. If you made a list of the tasks needing to be completed the following work day, each day you would be able to enter the workplace one step ahead. So as you can see, there are key factors for organization. And as simple as these skills may sound, they are not always easy to achieve. In order to be exceptional, in the workplace, though, these skills are essential. When a student leaves school and enters the business world, I don't think they should limit themselves to I'll go in. I'll work. I'll just do the best I can every day. I think that they should shoot for the moon. It's difficult to overstate how important being enthusiastic about your job is. That invades all parts of your work, and people really want you to be on their team if you're enthusiastic about what you're doing. I can train them. I can get them to do this and this and this. Is the desire there? And that, I think, is something that if you convey that, that'll be-- that will get you right down the road. I would advise a student when looking for a position to be very open-minded, very willing to share, and very willing to cope with change. I like to see the student be very enthusiastic about their job. I also, again, like to see a person that can motivate themselves to be a self-starter. Contribution, teamwork, attitude, and organization, quite simply the most essential qualities of any employee desiring to be exceptional. You can achieve these goals. All you need to do is follow the advice from our guests and from the information that we've covered, and strive to be exceptional. So when the time comes for your company to downsize and re-evaluate its mission, you'll be on the winning side of those decisions. And when your company is in search to reward the employee that makes a difference in the workplace, you'll be on the top of that list. Being indispensable may not necessarily be out of reach after all. Go get them, and thanks for watching. You're on your way.
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Running head: BECOMING SUCCESSFUL AT WORK

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HRM 552 Week 4 Task 6
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BECOMING SUCCESSFUL AT WORK

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Becoming Successful At Work
Every employee tries to perform best at his/her w...


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