“I am not valued by my employer. Inspite of working so hard I do not get recognition and rewards which I so very well deserve”.
This is a common feedback I receive while I coach professionals for their career development.
Here are 10 things you can do to ensure that you are most certainly valued by your employer.
1] Align with company’s goals:
Realise that a company works towards achieving certain specific goals which keep evolving as time goes by, as market dynamics change, as learning happens. So it is important for you to ensure that all the hard work you do is aligned well with the company’s goal and mission. If you are working hard in areas which are not the most important ones for the company, then your efforts are going to be wasted.
2] Identify pain points of the job role:
Have you identified the pain points of the job role that you perform. Every job has pain points and as an employee you are expected to find solutions to the pain. If you are working hard on areas which are not majorly within the pain points and related to them, the impact of your contribution is going to be very less. By focusing on pain areas, you are majorly contributing towards the organisation and will be noticed. Make a list of pain points and have a discussion with your boss to ensure that you are working on the right areas.
3] Set quarterly and monthly goals for yourself:
Now since you know about the company’s goals and also the pain points of the job, set goals for yourself which you must achieve in a month and a quarter. Share these goals with your boss and take his/her inputs. Such a self initiative always impresses bosses because they know you are a self starter and are taking away his/her workload effectively as a manager.
4] Draw up an action plan:
What is your action plan to achieve your goals? Draw up an action plan and share it with your boss. Discuss to get his/her inputs and once fine tuned go all out to stick to the plan. Important to regularly review your plan because some tweaking of the plan is going to happen as we work in a dynamic environment. As things change, you need to finetune your plan too.
5] Share monthly achievements with your boss:
On a monthly basis share your progress report. This you need to do on your own irrespective whether there is a system in place of monthly performance review or not. Alongside also write down your challenges and how you plan to handle them.
6] Learn and evolve:
In whichever areas you realise that you require skill development, take up courses to improve your skills. There are so many courses available online which you can pursue. Research and take the courses which have received good feedback. This step will give you greater confidence in yourself and your abilities because you know you are evolving and are ready to take up more responsibility. That will offer you an internal security in your mind.
7] Self initiative:
Look for opportunities to offer help to your boss wherever he/she needs it. Go the extra mile and seek to take up additional responsibility to help other team members when required or any task where your boss is facing a challenge because of time constraint to handle. Offer to assist enthusiastically.
8] Happily accept challenging tasks:
Willing seek opportunities to take up challenging assignments. Boldly put your foot forward to accept challenging tasks and go all out to deliver exceptional results. It is all in our minds when it comes to handling tough assignments; we have much more potential than what we think. Do not think that if you accept such tasks, your boss will keep giving you more of these. You need to learn to prioritise your work and also say no in case you are over genuinely burdened however do not let go of such excellent opportunities to showcase your mettle. And ultimately the biggest benefit by handling challenging assignments is that you will develop your character in terms of a strong mindset.
9] Be a pleasing personality:
Be the kind of person everyone likes to deal with and at the same time someone who knows he/she is going. Saying no to unwanted things that waste your time is also an art. Develop the art of saying no with a smile.
10] Develop a positive mindset:
Be the kind of employee who has a positive attitude about everything. Someone who focuses on solutions and not the problems.
Do these 10 things and you will be more valued by your employer company.
PS: Here is a checklist to help you get started on becoming the most valued employee in your company.
Best of luck!
Sarabjeet Sachar
Seasoned Career Coach, Founder & CEO, Aspiration