If you want to ace your performance reviews, get a raise or promotion, or be noticed, you have to be impressive. Average work might allow you to keep your job, but it won’t give you the opportunities to grow and to be noticed. Here are four ways to be impressive at work:
Do more than expected
If you keep your head down and stay buried in your work you might do acceptable work—but that won’t impress your boss. That’s what he or she expects from you. You need to be thinking about how you can work on levels that aren’t expected. Find out what problems your boss is wrestling with and offer to take them off her plate. Look for ways to make your boss look good to his or her boss and then do it. That will get their attention.
Lead with solutions
Your boss is used to people bringing her problems. Your co-workers go to her complaining about someone on the team or about being over-worked. Don’t be that person. I’m not saying not to take your problems to your boss. I’m saying to alert your boss to any problems you have but always suggest how to solve those problems. That will be impressive.
Give your boss positive feedback
Few employees get enough positive feedback—and that includes your boss. You might think that because they’re paid more and have the title of “boss” they don’t need positive feedback—they do. Bosses get tired of hearing all the complaints and sometimes they wonder if anyone is ever satisfied. What are your boss’s strengths? What have they done this week that you appreciate? How have they helped you? Make sure you let them know you appreciate them and respect them. They will remember that.
Prioritize your work
It’s easy to get distracted by urgent but not important tasks or by something that might be good but not important. It’s good to help a co-worker out but it’s vital to stay on top of your priorities. When is the last time you checked with your boss to make sure you’re both on the same page when it comes to your work priorities? If you want to impress your boss, make sure you understand what the priorities are and stick to them.
