Staying Tuned at Work

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Just as you must maintain the tuning on a musical instrument, you need to stay in tune at work.  Your performance can be and usually is a matter of perception.

If management perceives your value then you have value but if they do not perceive a contribution then well, you know the possible outcome.   The most important aspect of anyone's job from the guy who mows the grass at the cemetery to the CEO of a multi-national corporation is communication.

This one aspect of ones life can be overlooked and can have the most impact, good or bad.  In my chosen field, information technology, it is so easy to just keep your head down and work away without realizing what is going on around you.

While developing solutions I am sometimes perceived as anti-social or worse.  Truth of the matter is, I am just busy and working against deadlines that have to be met but the perception is what will get you every time.

How do we make sure we are connected?  We take a few minutes to talk to people, I know, I know, but trust me it is very much a necessary evil.  While your coworker may be going on and on about last nights sporting event, he may actually drop a tidbit actually related to work.

The trick is to take interest in your coworkers lives, build a rapport and engage them in light conversation.  Once a trust has developed then you can be on the receiving end of news that you can use.  So, stay tuned, stay sharp and keep a positive attitude which will impact your coworkers more than you realize.

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