Leadership Tip

How to be more successful at work using a short exercise

Not all of your work accomplishments will be recognised, and it can be awkward trying to draw attention to those that go unnoticed.

But there's a simple weekly exercise that can help you win more recognition in the workplace, even if you have an aversion to office politics. In anything but a start-up, you need to work hard for recognition, and you can achieve that by simply mentioning one good thing you’ve done recently any time you met someone more senior. Try this technique to make sure you always have a topic handy:

  1. Open a new spreadsheet. You'll be updating this weekly.
     
  2. Block time at 5pm every Friday afternoon - which is usually "dead time," before everyone wraps up before the weekend. Block a full half hour in your schedule so that you don’t rush yourself, but it usually takes five minutes.
     
  3. Write down your biggest work achievement of that week. As you’re doing it, think about which person might be interested in hearing each example.


You’ll find that the exercise serves a dual purpose as a resource for performance-review preparation. Instead of struggling to remember the highlights of the past 12 months, you’ll only needed to check your spreadsheet.


The above leadership tip...
was sent in response to a question from a participant on our acclaimed 10/10 leadership development and mentoring programme. Whether you're a first time manager or an experienced leader, straightforward, practical advice on best practice is hard to find. Until now. To find out how you, your team or your organisation can benefit, please join us on our next complimentary webinar or contact us.


For more tips...
on leadership and management good practice, subscribe to a Minute with Montgomery on 10TV.

Subscribe

Free weekly email on things you didn't know last week with links to articles on leadership excellence. To view previous editions click here.


Learn how to lead effectively

Gleaned from wisdom acquired by working with hundreds of highly successful leaders from the world of business, media and sport, our workshops are fortified with practical tips to help you better lead yourself, your team and your business.

Read More

Leadership Articles

10 steps to happiness in the workplace

To achieve greater happiness at work, you don't need your boss to stop calling you at night. You don't need to make more money. You don't need to follow your dream of being a sommelier, or running a B&B in the Cotswolds. The biggest obstacle to... read more

10 ways to boost your resilience

Resilience is about being able to cope with tough situations and bounce back from difficult experiences. It can help us better deal with traumatic events or times of considerable stress. It doesn’t mean we’ll never face problems again or that we’ll be... read more

10 remarkable habits to instantly spark a relationship with anyone

The secret of success in business and in life is to build strong relationships with others. The faster you build them, the more success you will find. Success in business - and in life - is all about building relationships and trust. When you're in... read more

Leadership Tips

How to be successful

Success means different things to different people. Most often, though, it refers to reaching meaningful, worthwhile goals aligned with one’s values and fully realising personal and professional potential. Success is an ongoing process of growth rather... read more

How to attract the best talent

Talented people used to want high salaries and stable career paths, but now they want work with purpose. From providing volunteering opportunities to offering tailored development training packages, there are plenty of non-financial ways to attract the... read more

How to create an innovation network

Innovation networks support continuous improvement, the idea management, and the innovation management of a company. Organisations get it wrong when they rely on only a few people to come up with all the new ideas. Instead, they should connect many... read more