With today’s ever-changing technology, competitors coming out of nowhere and a dispirited workforce, work is tough. Which reminds me of Post-it Notes. 3M, a company largely built on the strength of its adhesives, couldn’t get excited about a product that just didn’t stick very well. The product languished for five years.
Hundreds of millions in sales later, 3M learned that sometimes the key isn’t a bond that lasts forever, but rather remaining sticky as you move from task to task. Using the letters from “Post-it,” I’ve listed six strategies to make you stickier at work. For more job survival strategies, check out our huge library of content at Workplace911.com.
Platinum rule. “Do unto others, as you would have done unto you.” Unfortunately it’s time to retire the Golden rule, in favor of the Platinum rule. “Do unto others as they would have done unto them.” Another way to look at this is to remember Ptolemy, the astronomer who put the earth at the center of the universe. For most of us it takes effort to remember that everything doesn’t revolve around us.
Opportunity-biased. Opportunity doesn’t normally knock on your door or scream at you from across the hall. It tends to whisper. For example, years ago the Plano Molding Company started noticing that it’s fishing tackle boxes were being ordered by women from NYC with one name. Models. Caboodles, their line of makeup cases, have generated hundreds of millions of dollars in sales.
Stab in front. When I was nine my uncle Fred told me “Friends stab friends in the front.” Imagine how much easier work would be if we actually voiced our concerns to each other face-to-face? Not to get too deep into my family aphorisms, but my mom would add, “If you aren’t willing to say it to their face, then don’t say it.”
Task. We’re all dedicated multitaskers today. Yet studies at Oxford and Microsoft discovered that we make twice as many mistakes and take twice as long when we multitask. Who can afford that at work? If it’s really important, focus on one task at a time.
Input. Would you ever park your car blindfolded? Of course not, you need the feedback. I can hear what you’re thinking, but it’s been years since my boss has done an evaluation of me. Don’t wait, solicit your own feedback or you could be let go for a “fixable” problem.
Take Down. I’m referring to the real estate term for demolishing a house and building something new on the same location. We all have to do that at work occasionally. No matter how fond we are of our ideas, products or services, there is a time you just need to move on. For example, did you know Marlboro started out as a women’s cigarette?
The lesson of Post-it Notes, stick to your current job, but always be ready to stick to the next opportunity, both inside and outside your company.
Thought for the Week:
"Derive happiness in oneself from a good day's work, from illuminating the fog that surrounds us." Henri Matisse