6 Habits To Follow For A Successful Career
Strong work habits are critical for anyone who wants to succeed in their career, amp up their work ethic, and improve their work relationships. You may not realize how many factors of your career you don’t focus on because you’re so busy concentrating on a given task or project.
I know it can be easy to fall into a routine with your career, but it’s time to start developing powerful habits that will set you on the road for even more success.
Career Companion is a great tool for learning what you want out of your career. Try the FREE career values module to dive deep into your career values, so you know whether or not you’re on the right path before you develop your habits.
Here are 6 of my favorite career habits that will help you practice more maturity and autonomy in your career, and increase your success.
1. Take feedback and criticism well.
I don’t blame you if the thought of critique makes you nervous, frustrated, or defensive. It’s natural to be adverse to negative feedback or criticism. However, studies show constructive feedback actually sets you up for stronger learning, meaning the more you’re able to accept and adapt to feedback, the better you’ll be at the task at hand. Implementing any criticisms will also show your leaders that you’re willing and able to rise to any challenge.
2. Be reliable.
You want your employers to trust you and depend on you, so it’s important to start building the habit of reliability. This can range from the basic going into work when you’re scheduled (unless you’re sick, of course), to making efforts to go into the office when your boss asks (and not complain about it), to pitching in whenever you’re needed, even if it’s not necessarily in your job description. Making a habit of being a reliable, dependable employee will definitely make you more valuable to your company.
3. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
It’s ok to not know the answer to everything, or to not understand something on the first round of instructions. Don’t be afraid to ask for clarification… It will prevent you from making mistakes and keep you honest.
In the same vein, don’t be afraid to say I don’t know. Be honest if someone asks you something and you simply don’t know the answer. This is so much better than passing along misinformation, and your honesty will make you more trustworthy.
4. Take initiative.
Sometimes it’s necessary to wait for instructions in your job, but try to take the initiative to start something new yourself whenever possible. Taking initiative also means always being prepared for instruction, speaking up when you have ideas you believe are worth sharing, and asking questions.
5. Stop multitasking.
It’s easy to get so caught up in your workday you find yourself sending emails while on the phone, or thinking about the next thing you have to do while at lunch with a coworker. However, studies show we are not as good at multitasking as we think. Try slowing down and only doing one thing at a time. Making unitasking a habit will improve your quality of work and actually make you more productive.
6. Keep learning.
Some of the most successful people never stop learning. Top leaders like Mark Zuckerberg, Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, and Elon Musk take the time out of their insanely busy schedules to constantly learn new things.
Try listening to podcasts on your work commute, reading articles and books, attending events and seminars, or whatever you feel will keep you on your toes and up to date.
Building positive, powerful habits is essential to your career success. It doesn’t have to take you a huge amount of time or energy to start shifting your daily practices toward more effective and successful ones! Which of these habits are you ready to put into practice?
