So recently I was nominated to an award of the best personality on process improvement and this got me by surprise, I am one guy who though I would be pulled in for team culture awards since I am an outgoing personnel but then after a coffee chart with one of the director later that week, it got me thinking on how good I am in my own space. I didn’t realize that the little things I have done for people had got me liked across the division I was working in.  In my conversations with several other people I noticed a few things I did that contributed to my nomination and I see I must say that once you master the four things, well you will become a top employee in your workplace

Relevancy is key in your roles

In order to be the top employee in your field, you have to know what the others are up to. The work world is always changing and so was my functions after covid hit. What I did right was to stay relevant and push for the changes that were eminent for the organization to stay afloat. In any work place there could be trends that we ought to adapt and I remember one mentioned that the adoption of BI tools for my unit was a contributor to them having confidence in me… and one of the best ways to do that is by monitoring your competitors. Re-invent your tools with the emerging industry needs and push for adoption to a wider members of the team. By keeping an eye on what other great leaders are in your job level are doing, you can make sure that you’re always ahead of the curve.

Research and development is converts a liability to an asset.

One great leader I worked with but later left the organization I was working with then once told me that I was not a bright mind but was amazed at my “googliness”. Every time she considered changing me from the position I held, she felt that I knew a lot and as such would lose my tenacity in resolutions. What I mean is that the more YOU know, the more of an asset you can become to your company, and the more opportunities you might make for yourself (because of your knowledge) to climb the career ladder in your industry. It’s that basic, spend more time advancing yourself on something however small. While I am not good at everything, possess some skills that makes me a resource

Open Mindedness

Employees that have an open mind are always easy to work with and most people will find it easy to share their struggles with. In my own case, I get swamped supporting/coordinating in certain projects making me knowledgeable on things even outside my scope, when it comes to events where guys have to nominate, by the fact that I am on their minds always due to the agility to support and respond to their immediate needs and can take feedback with less hustles, definitely they will nominate me amongst other nominees

Find mentorship from within the work place and then show your mentors that you have Initiative

Mentors can help you dramatically improve your chances of achieving your goals in life or in your work, they can provide you with context, advice, connections, frameworks, & a whole lot more… all of which will act as shortcuts to get you where you want to go faster & with a higher chance of success. But then as a mentee once you find one the first step is to show Initiative. That you are willing to do whatever it takes to do your best and become a better version of yourself. I also learn that while you are at it, do everything you can to show up to each conversation prepared, having done research before, having well-thought-out questions to ask, and thinking about the options that are available to solve the problem. Please note that a mentor is not there to tell you things that you could have easily googled on your own! In turn this mentors will act as referees and can voice your strengths amongst other colleagues. Hope you can adopt some tips here along with your role execution to become a top employee