8 Great Work Habits That Can Help You Stand Out in Management

Professionalism, a strong work ethic, enthusiasm, and a team-first attitude are the employee traits most companies want. Have you had this attitude?

If not, now is the time to get started and get the attention of company management. The result is not useless, you know, your career and future will be brighter.

Whether you work for a large international company, a start-up company, or a small business, demonstrating good work habits is the key to impressing your business manager and advancing your career.

Regardless of how long you are in your field, the main principles remain the same: Act professionally, show interest and work hard.

Here are eight work habits that can help you get the attention and appreciation of business management at the organization or company you work for:[1]:

1.Timely and professional

Few things frustrate bosses more than employees who are chronically late. Come to the office dressed professionally and on time (10 minutes early is even better!). Don’t watch the clock.

Stay late when a project or task requires it. Research shows that business managers view employees who arrive early as more conscientious and give them better scores on performance reviews. Meanwhile, coming later and staying longer doesn’t give the same impression.

2.Respect and meet deadlines

Sticking to deadlines is probably the most important habit you can develop in your career. This demonstrates professionalism and mastery of your work, as well as respect for your organization, leadership and teammates.

When managers can trust you to get your job done well and within deadlines, you enhance their reputation.

When you fail to meet expectations and deadlines, you embarrass leadership, make business managers look ineffective and you become a target for dismissal.

3.Proactively learn skills

One of the most effective ways to impress your boss is to proactively seek out and acquire new skills and professional certifications.

While keeping up with trends in your field is useful for keeping the job you have, if you want to advance in your career, you’ll need to acquire the skills you’ll need for your next position.

Pay attention to the skills your talented colleagues have and, perhaps more importantly, the skills you see in personnel in the managerial position you aspire to.

You may also consider studying subjects that constitute a knowledge gap within your department and which your manager praises and admires on a regular basis.

4. Anticipate needs

If you foresee an imminent problem or need for your department or team, talk about it and share it with your manager.

You will not only demonstrate your valuable insights, but also demonstrate your understanding of “big picture” business strategy, both of which are key managerial traits.

Sharing this information also helps strengthen your reputation as a team player.

5. Take initiative in the projects you work on

Once needs are identified, you can strengthen your manager’s impression of you by taking the initiative on related tasks and projects.

This may include volunteering for an assignment during a less busy period, or starting work on an upcoming assignment that may eventually be allocated to you.

Other times, this may mean submitting a project of personal interest that will allow you to acquire new skills or subject matter expertise.

Regardless, your enthusiasm for creating jobs for yourself will go beyond your job description and catch the attention of your boss.

6. Ask smart questions

Asking smart questions is another great way to show your worth at work.

When you ask questions, you not only learn more about your company, field, and industry, but also show that you are learning and interested in your work.

However, try to avoid asking too many questions. Bosses get tired of answering the same questions over and over, so it can be helpful to write down the answers you receive so you can refer back to them later.

Asking too many questions also gives the impression of a lack of confidence in your job or, worse, incompetence. Also, pay attention to your manager’s time.

An effective way to deal with questions is to ask urgent questions when they arise and keep other questions in a logbook or in a document for reference when there is time to ask.

7. Admit your mistakes

One of the strongest ways an employee can demonstrate their value is by admitting mistakes.

Everyone makes it, but the difference is how you deal with it to move forward. Tell your boss when you make a mistake, and make a plan to deal with it and avoid similar situations in the future.

And don’t forget to apologize, but there’s just absolutely no reason to dwell on the mistake.

8.Communicate effectively

Managers value employees with excellent communication skills.

Whether it’s engaging at the right time in meetings, regularly reporting on task progress, or reading social cues to pick the ideal time to talk, you’re likely to catch a manager’s attention with this valuable soft skill.

Your ability to communicate with many types of audience, especially executives, is highly respected.

Which of these 8 habits do you have and will you continue to cultivate? Waiting for comments…


Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.