Doing well at your job

Success at Work: Skill, Intent, and Resources

Success at work can be distilled into three foundational pillars: Skill, Intent, and Resources.

• Skill refers to your foundational understanding and proficiency in your domain. It's the knowledge, depth, discernment, and aptitude to differentiate between what's stellar and what's just passable.
• Intent encapsulates your drive. It's the spark, the commitment, the intrinsic motivation that pushes you to excel in your role every day.
• Resources are the tangible and intangible aids you have: tools, access, support, and the environment conducive for you to do your best work.

Interestingly, while good employees often show strength in two of these, the truly great ones excel in all three.

How to Cultivate these in Your Team:

Skills:

This is one of easiest to solve.

• Prioritize hiring those who demonstrate mastery in their field.
• Evolvemore, pick the one closest to your intended meaning. e your hiring processes; up the ante.
• Look for continuous learners and adaptable spirits.
• Champion regular skill development.
• Mix things up; rotate projects to cross-pollinate skills.
• Feedback is gold; offer it generously.
• Match projects to strengths, and shine a spotlight on industry role models.

Intent:

This is the toughest to fix. People often want to do great work, but everyone is going through their own battles, not everyone has work their topmost priority. But you can try to nurture it.

• Always start with trust: believe that everyone wants to do well.
• Recognize the go-getters and empower them further.
• Make work exciting; give them tasks that light that fire.
• Open the lines of communication. If the drive's missing, seek to understand why.
• Utilise positive reinforcement, be generous with praise and rewards when someone does well.
• Also, no one likes drudgery; keep things fresh.

Resources:

• Listen. Really listen.
• Tackle issues head-on, quickly.
• Equip your team with the right tools.
• Ensure they're matched with appreciative managers.
• Provide growth avenues and minimize distractions.
• Balance workload, and promote well-being.
• Have a robust support system in place.

While team managers can adopt the above strategies for their teams, individuals too can use this framework for their personal growth. It's also important to understand that everyone may not want to do well at work. Everyone has the freedom to decide how they want to approach work, but if you do:

For the Individual Seeking Growth:

Skills:

• Keep abreast of the latest in your domain.
• Find a mentor, and be open to peer reviews.
• Take on unfamiliar tasks.

Intent:

• Set your north star: clear personal goals.
• Relish small victories.
• Surround yourself with those who lift you up.
• Find your 'why' in your job.

Resources:

• Create your own perfect workspace.
• Build your network.
• Be the change you want to see, and never stop learning.

Another important factor is being good at Relationships & Communication. In the workplace, how you interact, listen, and convey your thoughts plays a huge role in your overall success.

• Be a listener first.
• Feedback isn’t just for managers; ask for it.
• Speak plainly and avoid the jargon trap.
• Disagreements happen; it’s how you handle them that matters.
• Understand others' feelings, motivations, and goals.
• Keep alignment with team and company objectives.
• Network, share, and grow.

The beauty is in the blend: Skill, Intent, and Resources. Knowing where you stand and where you want to be in these areas can be the compass that guides your professional journey. And remember, communication ties everything together, so keep those channels open!