Sunday

Prepare Yourself for the Storms at Work

The copier doesn't work, an issue that you have raised repeatedly is still not addressed, the rumors of job cuts continue, and that annoying co-worker is up to his or her irritating behavior again.  There are those small irritations that lead up to massive storms that occur at work and how might you prepare for them?

1.  Practice for the possibility of yet another storm like the last one.

Are you or your team doing anything different?  If not, then list what the issues have been and solutions on fixing each one.  Share with someone in a position that can make some swift changes.  Even if all of your ideas are not used, at least you brought some things to leadership's attention. 

2.  Don't deny the problems.

Ongoing issues are often left unaddressed because workers don't make time or prioritize them.  Once the challenges have been listed and solutions provided, what is the timeline on getting things done?

3.  Test drive the plan.

You can avoid a lot of future problems if you repeatedly test out the new program, service or tool before the influx of work, customers and others show up.  Report findings and look for new and improved strategies once again.

4.  Know your tolerance level.

For some people they have done all they can to show support and to no avail problems persist, when all has been achieved, it may be time to look for other work.

Schedule time to meet with those who can make a difference, share your concerns, talk over solutions, and test out the changes.  When all else fails, you know that there is always opportunities for growth elsewhere whether within the organization or outside of it. 

Nicholl McGuire 

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