Many people out there have a hard time feeling empowered at work. Maybe you’re stuck in the past. Maybe you don’t see a bright future. Maybe you find one of your coworkers or your boss too difficult to deal with. These kinds of insecurities can manifest themselves as self-doubt, so you’ll get the idea in your head that you’re not being taken seriously at work.
The truth is, to be taken more seriously at work as an employee and a leader—you must first take yourself seriously and take your company’s goals seriously.
Here are some examples of situations where it may be easy to become small, but it’s really your time to stand tall.
How Do I Manage People When My Boss is Always Undermining Me?
The fear of stepping on management’s toes won’t impress anyone, whether they’re above you or below you. Why leave the minute details to your manager, when they should be worrying about the main focus of the project? Take charge of your people and projects with a strong grasp of the main objectives and outcomes for completion. Your job is to get your work completed on time and in line with your company’s objectives.
So challenge yourself and the people above you. Instead of playing passive-aggressive games, letting your higher-ups deal in when they want, deal yourself in first—and play the game seriously with focused intentions. Your boss will have no choice but to let you continue doing a great job managing your people.
What If I Mess Something Up at Work?
Fear of mistakes will only lead to bigger mistakes, as your “fear of fear” can freeze you and halt your progress. Ensure everyone’s roles are clear before beginning any new project or task. Do your best to initiate leadership. Utilizing your authority (partnering with authority and, in turn, empowering your own authority) will help those both above and below you understand their own place in your goal to help the company succeed.
The best executives are always looking forward. Leaders are focused on where they want things to go—they’re not wasting time dwelling on the past and what “could’ve” or “should’ve” happened. This is one of the most successful ways to succeed in your work setting: focus on the future and focus on positive outcomes for yourself, your coworkers, and for your company.
Lesson Learned: Keep Your Future and Your Company’s Future in Mind
One of the best ways to be taken seriously is to ask visionary questions and to listen carefully to those responses. Seek to align yourself with your coworkers and they will certainly take you more seriously. But first, you have to take yourself seriously. OWN the purpose and goals of whatever work you do.
Speak in the direction of the company’s desired outcomes. Tie everything you do at work into your company’s purpose and goals. Speak about where you see things going, where everyone around you fits in, and how you’re going to get there…together. Do this every day at work, through every one of your actions and words, and you’ll be taken more seriously and feel more empowered at work.
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Blog post image courtesy: Flickr user itupictures.
Wright Living is a division of the Wright Foundation for the Realization of Human Potential, a leadership institute located in Chicago, Illinois. Wright Living performative learning programs are integrated into the curriculum at Wright Graduate University.