In our previous blog post we looked at how some of the best companies succeed in engaging their employees through great management practices.
While leaders and managers are responsible for creating a strong framework for their employees and establishing a culture where they can thrive, as employees, we all have the responsibility to take ownership over our own performance.
The influx of Millennials into the workplace and the changing nature of businesses is seeing companies adopt an employee-centric approach. The benefits of this are wide and far-reaching; they help improve productivity, engagement and, ultimately, make a business more successful.
Employees are more demanding of their employers than perhaps they have ever been. Whether it’s wellbeing programmes, creating an amazing working environment or simply a sense of having fun in the workplace, there are many boxes employers need to tick to attract and retain the best talent.
The best companies will provide all of this and more. In doing so, they expect a return on this investment from their employees. And if we are well looked after and have everything we need to succeed, then as employees, it comes down to each of us individually as to whether we’re successful or not.
A great starting point for ensuring personal, and hopefully collective success, is the ‘six Ds.’ If we put these at the heart of what we do at work, then there is no limit on what we can achieve.
Desire
We should have the desire to perform to the best of our abilities. This desire extends to constantly wanting to better our performance; to learn, to grow and to develop. Having desire to succeed at work comes down to setting a high benchmark for yourself and your team, and always striving to reach that benchmark.
Drive
Having a strong drive translates to being able to get things done. Everything can be put in place to help us be more productive, yet we are the ones who are responsible for ensuring we complete our tasks and projects. The most successful people in life are those governed by a fierce drive to do more and do it better.
Determination
At work, just like in life, obstacles will be placed in our path. It’s an inevitability and as much as we try and avoid it, the likelihood is it will still happen. The best employees are those determined enough to overcome anything that’s placed in their path and to do it in a positive way while enabling those around them. As Theodore Roosevelt said: “Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty… I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well.”
Dedication
Dedication and commitment come when we are fully onboard with our company’s mission and our role in it. We all have different roles to play to contribute to overall success. To do them to the best of our abilities, we must be dedicated to the cause and prepared to go the extra mile because of it.
Discipline
Self-discipline and focus are vital for individual productivity. Distractions are everywhere. Whether it’s social media or frequent questions from well-meaning colleagues, it can be super-easy to be thrown of course. Sometimes we have to say ‘no’ (and to say ‘no’ in the right way) in order to safeguard our own productivity.
Dreams
We all need dreams. Dreams empower us and fuel us. The power of dreams can lift us up help us go further than we ever dared to think we could go. Dream big and dream often, then back it up with the hard-work that’s needed to make any dream worth having a reality.
There’s no argument when it comes to employers enriching the lives of their employees. When we have employers like this, who care about us as people not just as workers, we owe it to them to respond in kind and give them the very best versions of ourselves.
