Whether the economy is in the dumps or thriving, companies depend on key employees who provide productivity, positive attitude at work, and contribute to workplace success. An ambitious employee can enhance her career advancement by becoming a high productivity employee. High employee productivity need not involve working long hours at the expense of work-life balance.
Addressing the following four areas of personal development in a personal growth plan will enhance career advancement and professional success opportunities.
Education and Training
An employee's skills and abilities provide the foundation for strong workplace performance. The high-performing employee must have an excellent foundation in the training, education, and skills important for high performance of the employee's responsibilities.
The skills, abilities, and special education important to the company can be determined by conferring with supervision and human resources. An employee handbook may list available in-house training and/or tuition aid available to qualified employees.
Taking advantage of all available training and educational opportunities signals a willingness to improve and contribute to workplace success while providing the foundation for high performance expected of invaluable employees.
Healthy Personal Behaviors
It may seem odd to address employee health in the context of career planning for becoming an invaluable, high-performing employee, but strong performance is next to impossible if an employee has high absenteeism. Having healthy behaviors not only makes sense from a personal health standpoint, it's also a foundational component of strong employee performance.
Statistics (Psychologically Healthy Workplace Conference 2010 presentation by Nico Pronk Ph.D., March 5, 2010) show that four personal behaviors account for forty-percent of deaths. These behaviors are poor diet, lack of exercise, smoking, and alcohol abuse. Generally speaking, employees with these unhealthy behaviors are frequently absent from work and contribute low productivity to their employers. Unhealthy personal behaviors render an employee a liability, not the asset of a high performing employee. It is very difficult to contribute excellent performance while ill or hung-over. Taking care of oneself is a winning strategy on all fronts – personal, professional, and family.
Employee Engagement
High performing employees are engaged in the employer's business. Statistics show that companies able to engage their employees are more profitable than other companies. In companies recognizing this fact, an engaged employee is likely to be highly valued. How might one become engaged in his employer's business? A beginning point for becoming engaged with an employer is gaining an understanding of the company's business and developing trust in the culture and mission of the company. Pay attention to management. Do the company's managers seem sincere and engaged? Do they walk their talk? Is the company generally a good citizen in the community?
The next step in becoming fully engaged is to construct linkages between one's core strengths and the company's needs. When an employee is able to utilize key strengths in her work she is able to deliver high quality and high productivity, while simultaneously finding meaning and pleasure in the process of work. Engagement cannot be faked, not in the long term necessary for career advancement. Without the ability to be engaged, career advancement will be built upon insincerity, which is not a recipe for long term workplace success.
Workplace Stress and Productivity
A 2007 public opinion study (reported at the Psychologically Healthy Workplace Conference 2010) found that seventy-four percent of workers suffered stress in the workplace. Workplace stress reduces productivity and increases absenteeism. Studies have attributed co-worker conflicts to increased workplace stress. Other contributors include workplace demands that exceed the worker's abilities.
Avoid becoming overly stressed at work by following these practices:
- Relaxation with deep breathing and brief meditation.
- Exercise, stretching, taking short walks, listening to relaxing music.
- Lead co-workers in overcoming and avoiding stress by remaining calm, positive, and solution oriented.
- Maintain a positive attitude.
- Take a positive, problem-solving approach to workplace challenges.
- Look for solutions to problems rather than people to blame.
- Spread facts not gossip and rumors.
Career Advancement in a Personal Growth Plan
Addressing education and training, healthy personal behaviors, employee engagement, and workplace stress in a personal growth plan can enhance personal and professional growth.
Jerry Lopper - IPPA member, business and engineering degrees. Jerry's passion for personal development shows in 5 books, hundreds of articles & ...
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