What You Need to Know to Be More Successful at Work

Our house has been under renovation for ages. It started with the kitchen, moved on to our kid’s bathroom, and now we’re halfway through our ensuite bathroom. For the kitchen, I acted as the general contractor and then got smart for the bathrooms and hired a company to manage the process from end to end. 

The plans were finalized at the end of last year, and the demolition of the bathroom in early February took no more than a day. The rest has been less straightforward. 

Workers came to our home for an hour or two here and there. One cut the floor, the other moved the plumbing, the electrician, the inspectors, and the guys who put up the plasterboard. Each one came, looked at the plan, and did their bit. Each one was skilled and reliable. They were good at their jobs. 

The question we have as the customer is why, only days from job completion, are we three weeks behind schedule? The reason is that each and every subcontractor was good at their job. 

Hold on. You may be wondering, shouldn’t that be what we want? Someone who is good at their job?

Of course! But, it’s not enough.

So You Want to Be More Succesful at Work? Doing Good Individual Work Isn’t Good Enough

It’s not enough to be good at your job when you’re delivering a solution to a client as a team. 

Are you a solopreneur who works alone 100% of the time? Go forth and be good at what you do. Heck, go and be great. 

If you work as a part of a team, good at your piece won’t cut it. 

Back to our bathroom, or lack thereof, these guys are not a part of an official team. Many of them have their own businesses, but each one was sub-contracted to deliver this bathroom. 

What do you need me to do? I’ll do it.

When you’re good at your job, you come in and do your thing before moving on to the next thing. You don’t look forward or back – that’s not what you’re paid to do. You get it done. 

The problem is that efficiency and skill are not always king. If you want to be more successful at work, you’re missing the magic ingredient.

Imagine That a Team Was Contracted to Paint a Rainbow…

Day One: Robert showed up and painted his RED stripe. In and out. 

Day Two: Olive was stuck out of town but would be back tomorrow. She got Yan to fill in and take care of installing the YELLOW. 

Day Three: ORANGE, done. 

Day Four: Gary was finishing up another job, but Bess and Victor had a gap in their schedule, showed up, and put down the BLUE and VIOLET. 

Day Five: Work was scheduled for today, but everyone was booked out or had already finished their part. All quiet. 

Day Six: Irene came on day six as scheduled and laid down some smashing INDIGO.

Day Seven: Finally, Gary was available to deliver the GREEN. I mean, he could do it, but it was in the wrong place. All the colors would be there, so you couldn’t complain, but that rainbow would be a little wonky but workable. Think less Roy G. Biv and more preschool finger painting. 

Gary called the project manager, who created the plan but wasn’t present day to day, to explain the issue. Do we tell the client it’s fine and live with it, or tell the client we can make it right – with some additional time and cost. Should he slap down the Green or not? 

The project manager only cared that people were doing their part on time and on budget. 

Last quiz question… Who was responsible for delivering exceptional work? 

Answer: All of them. 

Now what?

Two Words: Big Picture

When you come in and crank things out without a second thought to where you fit in the process or how your part impacts the others, it’s an issue. 

We operate in silos and vacuums and divisions and forget to take a moment to be sure it makes sense. Assigned a task, we do a task. That’s not good enough. Productivity is not the only component you need to be successful at work.

You need to be more than a doer – higher levels of success are achievable when you choose to be a thinker. Beyond that – an owner. If your name is associated with the work, you need to take ownership. A “not my job, not my problem” attitude does not work.

Back in our yet-to-be-completed bathroom, I can almost hear the thought process. The logic clear, but the broader perspective lacking. 

“I cut the floor according to plan. Sure, I thought it was strange it was a centimeter from the wall, but that’s what it said to do, so I did it. I’m not here to question the plan. I’m here to jackhammer the cement.”

They were good at their job and got it done in record time with clean cuts. 

Well, now we have to fix it.

You Can Fix an Issue Before It’s a Permanent Problem

I’m grateful for the person who saw the issue and instead of working around it to deliver on time, chose to deliver excellence. Sure it meant taking steps back when we’re longing to have a working bathroom. It also required them to break the news to the project manager. Inconvenience and shifting timelines aside, we want the same thing – a great result.

There you go – it’s what you need to know to be more successful at work. It’s not as complex as some would have you believe. Do great work, speak up about emerging challenges, take ownership, and commit to delivering the best possible solution or product.

If you want to be more successful at work, let go of the idea that doing good work is good enough.