In Australia we have a saying on the football field. It goes, “go hard or go home.” I like this quote because I believe that work should be a place that challenges us and not a place where we cruise. Like sport, it should push us to create, innovate and deliver outstanding performance.
I have collated the following five tips from watching the best athletes hard at work (whether their sport is on the sporting field or in the corporate world).
1. Show up: Awesome people rarely take a sick day. My barometer is this: I only ever take a day off if I do not have enough energy to perform my tasks. I know that a lot of organisations tell staff to stay at home because they do not want to infect others. But this has gone too far. Some stay at home at the first sign of a sniffle. Lets get real. Staying at home is not going to prevent a cold spreading. We are so connected these days at our children’s school, on public transport, and at the grocers that stopping the spread is near impossible.
2. Support your Team: Care for the people you work with. No one is perfect and everyone deserves a break. Answer someone’s phone if they have left their desk briefly; cover a shift for them; show them how to use the business tools, whether it’s a computer system or a machine. Celebrate their wins and never-ever put them down.
3. Be Energetic: You cannot be awesome if you do not have high energy, period! So work on the three pillars of good health: nutrition – exercise – relaxation (See my previous journals).
4. Be Expressive and Enthusiastic: Speak truthfully at work. Say what’s on your mind. Do not agree with ideas just to be popular. That is a form of lying and in the long run costs the business money in failed projects. People appreciate honesty, not popularity. So speak up and express your opinion. Also, make sure that what you say is enthusiastic. The most enthusiastic people in a room are usually the most successful.
5. Be Awesome At Home First: I know many people who are awesome at work but lead a mediocre life at home. Why? Not because they do not care, but because they don’t know how. How? Simple! Apply the four tips above at home. Show up – many of us get home but never truly show up because we are still thinking about work. That’s just the same as being absent. Be Supportive – do your fair share of chores, help your kids with their homework and, encourage your family to believe in themselves and their abilities (never-ever put them down!) Be Energetic Expressive and Enthusiastic – be a fun person at home, not just at work.
In my next journal entry I am going to share with you 8 tips on how you can go from being “AWESOME” to being “LEGEN…. wait for it…. DARY”!