10 Power Tools to Launch Your Workplace Rocket

Fired up about new ideas, opportunities and contributing but can’t seem to get out from under a not so fired up workplace culture? Before you spend the rest of the year wishing your workplace were different or going online to blast your resume to recruiters, ensure you are equipped with the right tools to launch your success.

Review the following toolbox and see if your tools pass as being charged up and ready to go.

#1
The big question: What are you aiming for? Are you shooting for the moon or striving for Jupiter? Either aim requires a clear definition of what you hope to accomplish in your next move and/or project. How does this vision align with your personal values and not your companies?

#2
Dig Deeper. What are the top three values that define what you stand for and who you strive to be, even when no one is looking. Write these down.

#3
Go deeper. Press beyond the three values and reflect. Do they represent your three distinguishable values? These are the ones you’re keeping close to the chest; go ahead and repeat them out loud to yourself. How are these values of distinction aligned or misaligned in your current role? What would it take to refine the alignment?

#4
How are you living these values now? Are you able to propel forward in your current role if adjustments were made to other areas in your life? Or is your spark or dream giving way to a current role, work, or life conflict?

#5
How can you live your values? Are you feeling professionally more effective even with today’s work and economic realities? Are you able to demonstrate these values where you work? If so, why? If not, why not? Are these values lived consistently over time or do they fluctuate based on when you work, for instance when workloads have expanded? Does where you work, such as at the office, home or café differentiate how you live out your values?

#6
What type of workplace culture do you do your best work? Collaborative, supportive, respectful, high-performing, structured, routine, friendly but independent thinking are just a few atmospheres to consider.

#7
Connection points. How do your professional relationships add meaning and purpose to your values while accomplishing work? Are they running at optimal levels? How might you improve or expand upon them? If they fall in the average category, what would it take to improve them? Would you be willing to do that?

#8
Learning agility. What does your personal and professional development plan consist of? Are you enabled at work and/or home to accomplish this? How often do you share your learning with others? What learning are you planning for next?

#9
Boundaries between personal and professional fuzzy? Have changes at home, family and/or health impacted your desired performance outcomes? If so, are there areas that need to be adjusted to achieve more of what you’re aiming for? Might it require a change to slow down or are you ready to accelerate? Can you do this now in your organization? Not sure?

#10
Move dialogue forward. Define your own work, career, life success plan and begin to assess how it might be achieved in your current environment. Reach out and obtain the resources necessary to help you grow. Arrange a meeting with your boss to discuss professional opportunities for future success in the organization.
Technology now affords many options to how, when and where work is done. Hold the conversation with your manager and present your plan for workplace success by collaborating on new ways to rethink getting work done and achieving business results.

Move Forward.