The ABC of the Work World

The ABC of the Work World

The Corporate world is a place where work counts more than anything else. Hence maintaining a professional attitude is the key to cope. And this cannot be learnt in a day or two but is a gradual process. As a beginner it is even more important to practice few values that may help in sailing smoothly through the corporate life.

Listed below are the 3 basic values or what we can call them as ABC for Corporate or the Work World.

 

A - Acceptance

Accept the UNEXPECTED. This will make you strong to face everything.  Some practical examples of an unexpected situation are - 

1.     Someone else getting the promotion which you were eagerly waiting for.

2.     You end up reporting to a person who was your College Junior or who use to report to you sometime.

3.     and the most common, your Boss is not satisfied with the work in which you have put all your efforts and were expecting an appreciation.

All the above the 3 situations may sound to be a common thing but it’s not very easy for everyone to accept. Permanent corrective action is to do everything possible which can avoid those situations. But HOW? Let’s try to get the answer in the next value.

 

B - Behavior

 

Behavior is the way one acts or conducts oneself, especially towards others. Developing certain behavior can help in facing and accepting unprecedented situations.

Most preached approach is to follow the LTA rule – Listen, Think and then Act.

L – Listen and keep on improving this skill. With more experience and as we get expertise in a subject matter there is high tendency to overlook or accept counter views. The only way to be able to listen others is by treating everyone equally, giving respect by allowing them to speak their part and not interjecting.

T – Think and think twice before you speak or act. But how and what to think? Now that depends on experience which obviously comes with time. So, an alternative approach would be to step into the other’s shoe and see how the things look from the other side. This approach works well for all whether you are a supervisor or a subordinate.

A – Act and act wisely. The previous step will most often give you the right direction to act. But sometimes you will be caught between emotions and need. That’s where you need to think yourself as an actor and try to portray yourself being in control. It may sound showing off or being fake but after all it is always better than making others victim of your emotional imbalance.

 

C - Celebrate

 

Mostly people celebrate the end results but often forget key accomplishment & small milestones through the work life. It can be noticeable feats like achieving or surpassing a daily target or an unnoticeable event like convincing someone on your point of view, delivering an impressive presentation, etc. Companies often reward people for long term service in form of 5, 10, 15, 25, 25…years but every year passed is matter of pride and reason to celebrate like we celebrate our birthdays and anniversaries. This is one aspect where you are celebrating your own accomplishment.

The other aspect is which is more important as a leader or a team player is to celebrate an achievement of your team or another team member. Instant celebration is the key to achieve motivation. It can be anything from a quick coffee or a drink together, verbal plus visual gestures like hi fives, pat on back, handshake, etc or sending wishes in form of GIFs. Later one is the most effective in a remote working environment.

 “People always judge companies in terms of work life balance but often ignore to balance work first”.