12 Principles to Help You Thrive in the Workplace Part 1

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It's a grind most days, isn't it? For most people, Monday through Friday harbors the dreaded work, eat, sleep routine. Just about everyone I know is "working for the weekend". No one wants to be sitting in the office, living the Dwight Schrute life, but that's exactly where most American professionals find themselves. As I said, it's a grind. Sadly, most of us make our work experience even worse than it should be by the attitude we adopt. This attitude doesn't start when we arrive at work. It doesn't even begin when we wake up in the morning. For most, the negativity and dread begins while laying in bed thinking, "aggghhhh, I don't want to go to work tomorrow!!" It all starts with the mind. Perception is reality. If I get it in my mind that I cannot comprehend this little math problem I'm working on, my mind will just shut down and make it a reality. We underestimate just how powerful our mind is.

How can we as professionals in the modern business setting find enjoyment, and thrive in our workplace? How can we achieve personal and professional growth, while demonstrating excellence and commitment? Recently, we had a "Pow Wow" here at CBT West Kendall, and came up with twelve principles, that if followed, would lead to success in the workplace. At first, I thought this activity was pointless, and a huge waste of time. I felt like I was living an episode of The Office, and Michael Scott had called us all into the conference room for an absolutely ridiculous time waster. I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered that it turned out to be productive, , and created an identity for us as individuals and as a team. We saw coworkers in a different light, a light that for some, had been left in the dark until then. It actually helped us gel.

I decided that I would share five of the principles we outlined. Why five? Because twelve would take me too long, and I have other things to do today. I really believe these "philosophies" can make a difference in your daily life, and help you thrive at your workplace.....


1. Attitude is a Choice:

As was stated earlier, it's all about your attitude. Wake up thinking positively! Tell yourself it will be a good day. Get in a good morning workout, take a shower, and actually have a real breakfast (coffee doesn't count). It will truly go a long way to shaping your day. The flip side is you getting up with a bad attitude, driving angrily and hastily because you are running late, and maintaining those bad vibes all day. Any little hiccup in your workday will just push you off the cliff. Not only will you be highly unproductive, but chances are your bad attitude will rub off on others. Don't be "that" person. Don't be Buzzkillington. Don't drag the rest of your coworkers down into you misery. Change your attitude, change your outlook, and create a positive atmosphere for yourself and those around you. Attitude is a choice.


2. Be consistent:

I realize this leaves room for consistently mediocre, but in speaking with several executives and company higher ups, consistently mediocre is better than maddeningly inconsistent. There is nothing worse than a person who only "shows up" when they want to. Why is this so bad? Your employer, friends, family, and significant other never know who they are going to get: the pleasant, hard working, and caring version, or the moody, lazy, lethargic, and irritable version. If you are consistently mediocre, at least everyone knows what to expect from you, right? The goal is not to be consistently mediocre, though. Your goal should always be consistent excellence, and consistent max effort. As humans, we should always be striving for the very best in everything we do. Consistency is key to that excellence. The guy who gets up early every morning to do his P90x workout, have a great, healthy breakfast, get to work ten minutes early, and put in a full day of hard work will achieve much more than the guy who is a superstar one day, and a superdud the next. Be consistent. Be consistently excellent, which leads to our next to point.....



3. Autograph Your Work with Excellence:

Everyone likes to hear the words, "good job!" I have never met a single person who prefers being ripped into for poor performance. We should always try to stamp our work with excellence. Whether it's school work, a blog, our job duties, our home life, a piece of art we are working on, a party we are planning, or a poem we are writing for our significant other, always strive to make it the best. Don't cut corners, don't cheat, don't do things half heatedly. Be ethical and considerate of others. How can you make sure your work is excellent? Be consistent with it, and try your very best. Also, keep a positive attitude throughout. Yup, I'm tying things together.



4. Go the Extra Mile:

"If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles." Hard work, compassion, and kindness are essential to a good workplace. Picking up your teammate/coworker is a big part of that. If you see someone in need of help, don't hesitate to lend a hand. Be the one to step up for your team. Be the one who is willing to make a difference. It means putting the needs of others before your own. Going the extra mile is often an inconvenience for us. Believe me though, people (including the ones who sign your checks) will take notice.


5. Manage your Time Effectively:

One of the biggest issues we as people face is poor time management skills. We spend our time taking a nap rather than finish our English homework, or browse through Facebook for five hours instead of finishing those expense reports, or Call of Duty as opposed to helping our wives with housework, or even watch New Moon for the nineteenth time when we should go visit our parents. Worst of all, it's not that we don't to do those things, it's just that we lose track of time. We don't prioritize our time. We don't set schedules for ourselves. We don't place the more important things ahead of the self gratification stuff. We place ourselves and our petty and unnecessary wants above what we really need to accomplish. Is it possible to play Call of Duty after helping with housework? Of course! Can we fit a nap into our schedule, once the homework is completed? I'm sure we could. The point is that we don't manage our time properly. I guarantee you, if you set a daily tasks schedule at work, with allotted time for each task, we will be more efficient and effective that day. Do that on a vacation, and you will get to do all the things you wanted to. Plan, schedule, and follow through. If you set your schedule to wake up at 6:30 for a morning workout, shower, and healthy breakfast before work...do it! Don't hit snooze. If you plan on doing homework for three hours when you get home, make it happen, and make sure you use that time as effectively as possible. Don't allow yourself to be distracted!

I will be back later in the week with the rest!

A Good Portfolio: Sushi for the Graphic Soul!

When we were in our early elementary school years, we were introduced to this amazing activity known only as "Show and Tell". We probably think we haven't played a rousing game of Show and Tell since those kindergarten days. The fact is nothing could be further from the truth. When one goes out looking for a job, they bring along with them a very important Show and Tell item. We call it a resume! This is especially true for anyone in the arts, particularly a Graphic Designer. It may be an age old cliche, but a picture really is worth a thousand words. A graphic designer’s entire livelihood depends on his/her ability to communicate effectively with their audience using visually striking material. So it should come as no surprise when I tell you that your graphic design portfolio is the most important thing you bring with you to a job for potential employers. While your education level, previous work experience, industry certifications, or any other qualification you may possess are useful for bringing you into the interview room, it will not suffice if you present a sloppy portfolio or mediocre samples. You can have all the qualifications, all the certifications, all the degrees, and all the prestige, but if you don't have good work to show, you will be going nowhere fast.

I have done some research, and found these tips on how to put together a great portfolio. If you are an up and coming graphic designer, read carefully and heed these small tidbits of wisdom. They could be the difference between your dream job, and the unemployment line...

1. Make it "Catchy" not "Kitschy"

So, you may be asking yourself, "what the heck does that mean?" Well, kitsch is defined as a form of art that is considered an inferior, tasteless copy of an extant style of art or a worthless imitation of art. Now, I may not be an expert on copyright laws, or principles of advertising, but I seriously doubt knock offs, and imitations of other pieces of art will not appeal to a potential employer. "You're trying to show your work to its best advantage, so don't distract from it with too many bells and whistles."

2. Don't lose sight of your primary objective

While it is always a good idea to set yourself apart, don't overdo it. You should differentiate yourself from your competition with a clever layout, but don't lose sight of your graphic design portfolio's objective: to display your WORK. Don't divert attention away from it with "fluff". It doesn't work in a college English course, it won't work in a graphic designer's portfolio.

3. Diversity is not just an old wooden ship used in the Civil War era

Just as a singer can show their vocal range, you as a graphic designer must do the same with your portfolio. "Choose pieces that required you to utilize a variety of design skills. Versatility is an asset. If you've got it, flaunt it. And if you don't, develop it." Bring a smorgasbord of work, to demonstrate how diverse and well rounded your skills are as a designer. Nobody wants to hire a "one trick pony", remember that...

4. Seek out the experts

It's hard to examine your work objectively. It is also not a great idea to seek an outside opinion from a parent, significant other, or close friend. While they may have certain pieces they prefer, they are not experts, nor have they ever presented a portfolio to a potential employer. "Find someone whose design judgment you trust and get their feedback on your graphic design portfolio. Sometimes a brutally honest critique can be the best thing that happens to you." Side note, even if your parent, significant other, or best friend is an expert, it's best to find an impartial third party expert, who won't pull any punches, and can offer truly valuable insight.

4. K.I.S.S.

When asked what the greatest piece of sales advice Michael Scott had ever given him, Dwight Schrute responded, "Keep it simple, stupid." Don't clutter your portfolio with sentimental pieces. "Just because it was your favorite project ever, doesn't mean it should be in your portfolio. Hang it on your wall, or frame it for your mom. If it's not your strongest work, keep it out of your portfolio." The ability to look at your work critically and realistically is vital for a graphic designer. "Your portfolio should reflect both your ability to produce high quality design and your ability to discern what qualifies as high quality design."

5. Go viral with it

We are living in the 21st century, in what is known as the "App Age". The internet is the default tool for everything now. The best thing about this tool is its ability to take something and multiply its value exponentially. Just take Linked In as an example: You make 146 connections with people you know and people in related fields, and you are now "linked" to 2,865,525+ professionals. Imagine how many resume views you are opening yourself up to that way! Another example is Facebook. You post a status update, and your 384 friends view it, and 7 of those friends comment on it. Now, all of their friends have the opportunity to see your update. Should any of those people decide to "like" to comment made by someone within your update, all of THEIR friends now get to see it, too. The internet doesn't multiply viewership by 2 or 3, it multiplies it by 100, 1,000, and for some people 1,000,000. "Why not make it easy for prospective employers and clients to view your work?" Keep in mind that an online portfolio will not replace your hard copy, it's an easy, affordable, and convenient way to get your work out there for the entire world to see.

-Danny
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