Showing Up

Joaquin Garcia played the ultimate game of work hooky. He had skipped work for the past six years and nobody noticed. Moreover he would have gotten away with it too if it wasn’t for him getting an award for his 20 years of loyal service.

According to deputy mayor Jorge Blas, “I wondered whether he was still working there, had he retired, had he died? But the payroll showed he was still receiving a salary,” Blas continued, “I called him up and asked him, ‘What did you do yesterday? Last week? The month before? The month before that?’ He didn’t know what to say.”

Garcia’s attorney, speaking on his behalf, reportedly stated the reason he went missing was “there was no work to do.”

Woody Allen was once asked what he thought was the secret of his success as an actor and as a film director. He replied that, in his opinion, “eighty per cent of success is just showing up.”

It makes sense. In any field of human activity, initially “showing up” to participate is the bedrock minimum requirement for achieving any measure of success.

Still, to succeed and find fulfillment in work you must do more than show up. Working hard, to taking risks, to expanding your skills will go a long way in helping you excel at work.

Even people who have a strong goal to succeed at their job find themselves in a work funk. It is very possible personal behaviors or actions can actually hold you back at work. Patterns of laziness or mediocrity will be detrimental to your success.

If you want to do more than just show up, avoid the first three and develop the last three:

Avoid

1. Procrastination: If you regularly procrastinate, you risk having the work you produce be rushed and inadequate.
2. Failure to work well with others: Not getting along with others easily affects the quality of your work because your emotions and frustrations can stop you from putting your best work forward.
3. A negative attitude: Your attitude has consequences or results. What attitude do you want to project? Negative attitudes lead to doing only the minimum. A negative attitude leads to complaining and criticizing

Develop

1. Be productive: Excellent employees give maximum effort. They do the important tasks that contribute to the organizations. They accomplish their goals. They do it on time; they do it well and more than what is expected.
2. Nurture relationships daily: Team players invest in others with authenticity. They get along with others and focus on the common goal, not their personal advancement. Everyone wants to be respected for what they bring to the job and appreciated for who they are. Look for ways to encourage your coworkers regularly.
3. Be a positive problem solver: A positive attitude results in taking pride in work and behavior. Positive attitudes result in being eager to learn, change and grow. It helps you think toward solutions. Positive attitudes create fun, creative work environments. Positive attitudes result in increased productivity; you are more physically ready to work and put in your full day.