Amazon
Success and scale bring broad responsibility
We started in a garage, but we’re not there anymore. We are big, we impact the world, and we are far from perfect. We must be humble and thoughtful about even the secondary effects of our actions. Our local communities, planet, and future generations need us to be better every day. We must begin each day with a determination to make better, do better, and be better for our customers, our employees, our partners, and the world at large. And we must end every day knowing we can do even more tomorrow. Leaders create more than they consume and always leave things better than how they found them.
Implications
Here are 10 tips to achieve success at work:
1. Understand your employer's expectations
Make sure you understand your company’s culture. Your cultural ‘fit’ with the organisation and your working relationship with your supervisor or manager are very important. Make sure you are familiar with the values of the company so that you can demonstrate them effectively.
2. Have a positive attitude
Whether things are going well or badly, always maintain a balanced viewpoint and resist the urge to complain to co-workers about your boss or your job. Your complaints could work their way up to those higher in the organisation. Instead, find the right channels to suggest improvements.
3. Be a team player
Those willing to set aside their personal goals for the overall goals of the department or company are valued by organisations. Team players get noticed and often advance faster than those with a more self-centered approach.
4. Willingness to take on extra duties
Whether it's overseeing a major new project or offering to learn a new system, always volunteer for extra responsibilities. This may be a given, but people who excel in their workplace often go above and beyond of what they're asked to do.
5. Don't gossip
Stay focused on the positive and avoid sharing sensitive personal or departmental information with your co-workers. Be especially conscious of this when attending company gatherings and avoid the temptation to overshare information when it is not your place to do so.
6. Be considerate
Whether or not you're sharing a tight working space, respect shared office space by keeping your voice at an appropriate level on the phone and in person. Whenever you can, go over to co-workers to have a conversation, use it as an opportunity to develop closer working relationships.
7. Keep your personal life private
Keep personal calls and emails to a minimum. Leave errands for lunchtime or when you're away from work. Don't share intimate details of your social life in the kitchen or lunchroom for everyone to hear.
8. Personal business on company technology
Most companies monitor employee usage of technology, so you should skip the personal emails and text messages. Also, bear in mind that venting feelings about your workplace or boss on social media could be read by anyone.
9. Be on time
Most employers are prepared to be flexible and each environment has its own rules on timekeeping. Find out what they are and stick to them. You want to send the message that you're dependable and willing to go the extra mile to meet company goals.
10. Meet deadlines
Keep your word. Always meet deadlines; if you miss a deadline, it may have a knock-on effect throughout your company. Talk to your boss far ahead of a deadline if you believe that you won't be able to complete an assigned task on time.
Finally, when you go to your boss with a problem, go with at least one suggestion in mind for a solution. Even if your boss doesn't take your suggestion, you will look like a problem-solver.
