Know your Role

“Sometimes a player’s greatest challenge is coming to grips with his role on the team.”— Scottie Pippen

We have all felt at one time or another that maybe we are not as important or advantageous to our company as we think we are. Unless you’re in an industry that boasts instant results, such as stock brokering or sales, there is no way to really know how what we do affects the bottom line. And it would be nice to know that we truly are contributing to it.

When you come into the office and do the same thing, day after day, the work can certainly become tedious. More so than that, you may start to wonder how your daily toils actually contribute to the company. Would anyone even notice if you stopped?

The answer is yes. Bosses don’t give out “busywork”; they assign work that needs to get done for the betterment of the company, even if it’s in small ways.

Not the office superstar? We can’t all be, and chances are if you’re not by now, there’s probably a reason for it (of course I could be mistaken and if you’re offended, then by all means prove me wrong). The only thing to do, then, is the work that’s put in front of you. Do it well. Make the company or whomever receives your work, proud. And don’t be bitter if the superstar gets all of the praise. Know that they wouldn’t have gotten there if it weren’t for the work you did.

Are you the assistant? The go-through girl? The make-sure-this-gets-done guy? Know your role in the company and embrace it. If and only if you excel at that position will you move up in the company. Don’t get frustrated or discouraged; keep up the positive attitude and the hard work -- even if it is a monotonous task.