Whistle While You Work

You have probably spent a lot of time and resources to get you where you are in your career. Those people who have chosen you to fill your position chose you because they recognized some positive traits in you that they thought would bring value to their organization. Once you have won the prize, however, the challenge has just begun. There are a few things to keep in mind if you expect to remain happy and successful in your chosen field and your chosen organization.

Stay in touch with what you were hired to do and what the company expects in the way of results. If you cannot produce measurable results, you are setting the stage for failure.

Keep raising your "bar". It is easy to become complacent if your goals become stagnant. Set your goals high and, as you meet them, set them higher. Do more than what is expected of you and the return will be more than you expected.

Don't get caught up in the notion that the more money you can make, the happier you will be. Certainly we work in order to support ourselves and our families but one can reach a point when the job or job environment is not worth any amount of money. Be open to the reality that money will mean little if you become truly unhappy in your job.

The talent that you demonstrated to land the position will not, alone, sustain you. You must couple that with a positive, can-do attitude. Being negative about the organization or your role in the organization is a sure way to get the employer's attention....but it won't be the attention you were looking for. If you become that unhappy, remove yourself and leave with a good record.

Finally, rise above the office politics. Listen and learn......learn to recognize the gossip for what it is and avoid becoming part of the gossip pool. If your attention is on the small-minded, petty commentary that is regularly circling the office environment, then your attention is definitely NOT on the organization's misson, goals, nor the tasks at hand.